Two AHURI COVID-19 Projects Underway

Congratulations to Urban Housing Lab members Caitlin Buckle, Professor Nicole Gurran, Dr Catherine Gilbert and Henry Halloran Trust Director Professor Peter Phibbs, who are involved with two new AHURI COVID-19 research projects.

Caitlin Buckle leads the project ‘Marginal housing during COVID-19‘ with Nicole Gurran and Peter Phibbs and in collaboration with Associate Professor Tess Lea from the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, and Dr Patrick Harris from UNSW Sydney. The project investigates health and related risks associated with informal and unregulated accommodation in the COVID-19 context, using unique data sets on informal and short-term rental housing markets in major Australian cities. Policy options for expanding housing system capacity during health and other emergencies and serving vulnerable populations or essential workers will also be investigated.

Catherine Gilbert is involved with the project ‘After the pandemic, can building homes rebuild Australia?‘ led by Professor Steven Rowley at Curtin University. This project considers whether the housing industry is an ideal mechanism for delivering economic stimulus in periods of economic crisis, and what policies are most effective in utilising the housing industry.