A review of short-term policies and the retention of a public housing interest in the development of Olympic sites are among recommendations to ensure Brisbane 2032 delivers a positive housing legacy.
Queensland academic Lyndall Bryant said Brisbane could become a historic leader amongst Olympic host cities if it acted early to create a positive legacy for city’s homeless population.
Dr Bryant, a QUT researcher and leading Australian expert in property economics and the housing crisis, said past Olympic host cities had a chequered history in the response to homeless people and other vulnerable communities.
She said history showed that many host cities struggled with re-homing low-income and homeless residents due to Olympic developments, but Brisbane’s long lead-up meant the city had a time advantage to plan for affordable housing opportunities for residents, before and after the Games.
“Brisbane is already off to a good start, and I hope the examples and findings in my review of past host cities help inform Queensland policymakers and Games organisers.”
Dr Bryant said there were many ways the government could deliver a positive housing legacy, including:
- Provide additional social housing in the lead-up to 2032 to counter rent increases, particularly in inner-city areas.
- Retain a public housing interest in the development of Olympic sites, either by pre-purchasing or long term head leasing social housing.
- Require developers to have diversity in the types of housing created.
- Guarantee extra social housing supply by making public housing part of the athlete village legacy.
- Taking a trauma-informed approach to dealing with homelessness in the lead-up to the Games.
- Reviewing short-term rental policies, given AirBnB is the global accommodation partner of the IOC.
She said her analysis of Olympic Games on host city housing over a 40-year timeline showed Sydney (2000), Athens (2004) and London (2012) made attempts towards positive housing legacies, while Atlanta (1996), Beijing (2008) and Rio de Janeiro (2016) were among the worst for their treatment of homeless and low-income communities and forced displacements.
“These prior Olympic host cities provide a sorry example of ineffective housing policies with detrimental impacts on the cities’ most disadvantaged people.
“Now is the time for Brisbane organisers to take heed from the lessons of the past and be proactive in ensuring positive housing legacies for all.”
Download: Homelessness and the Olympic Legacy -The good, the bad and the ugly
