3 Accessible and Inclusive Geelong eventsWith the completion of the project report, the AIG project team is eagerly anticipating a number of community engagement events. On Wednesday, September 25 th, the ‘Accessible and Inclusive Geelong Feasibility Study’ was officially launched by Vice-Chancellor Iain Martin and Geelong MP Christine Couzens.

In follow up to the media launch, we are now gearing up for the Accessible and Inclusive Geelong Symposium, to be held at the WorkSafe building on Tuesday, November 19th at 9am. At the symposium we will be welcoming State Minister Luke Donnellan and a variety of community and business leaders to discuss possible implementation strategies for making Geelong a world-class accessible and inclusive city.

The full project report and project video can be found here: http://deakinhomeresearchhub.com/aig/

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At the most recent HOME Steering Committee meeting, 3 of our favourite stories were chosen for distribution to the wider team:

1 Apartment Building Defects reportA new report examining the rising number of defects in apartment buildings has found they lead to significant distress in affected residents and owners. Lead researcher Dr Nicole Johnston, a senior lecturer in Deakin Business School (and HOME member), said the report aimed to identify the types of defects and how they impacted on the building and its occupants. The study, funded by the PICA Group, found water damage was the biggest problem in apartment buildings. The researchers also assessed the regulatory environment to understand how defects are managed and rectified within the residential property environment. Dr Johnston analysed 212 building defect reports as part of the study, and sorted them by what construction systems were impacted by building defects.

The report then led to Dr Johnston appearing on ABC’s four corners as a contributor to a story examining building defects in high-rise apartments.

View the full episode here: https://iview.abc.net.au/show/four-corners

2 Raising Children in Apartments coverageA new study authored by Dr Elyse Warner and Dr Fiona Andrews found that a lack of both indoor and outdoor space together with noise and privacy concerns limit social interactions for young families. As a result, families with young children living in high-rise apartments find it harder to meet and mix with other young families.Lead researcher Dr Elyse Warner said the research found that families wanted more opportunities for social interaction but found it difficult given the design barriers inherent in high-rise apartment buildings of three levels or more.

The team were then featured in a piece in The Conversation.

View the article here: https://theconversation.com/apartment-life-for-families-means-living-at-close-quarters-but-often-feeling-isolated-too-120983

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HOMEEvidence-based, community- tailored housing strategies

deakinhomeresearchhub.com.auDeakin University CRICOS Provider Code: 00113B

HOMEEvidence-based, community- tailored housing strategies