The City of Whittlesea needed a practical, evidence-based tool to support affordable housing planning through to 2041. With their Affordable Housing Plan 2025–2030 in development, the Council required suburb-level forecasts to set clear delivery targets across one of Melbourne’s fastest growing areas. The Council’s planning team wanted a practical tool they could easily apply, rather than a dense academic report.
Our Approach
Insight Demographics developed an affordable housing needs assessment grounded in a robust definition of unmet housing need, delivering year-by-year forecasts for every suburb in Whittlesea out to 2041. Our assumptions were informed by a comprehensive analysis of housing affordability, drawing on current Australian housing research and historic rental trends across Whittlesea, Greater Melbourne, and Australia.
The Outcome
The City of Whittlesea received a clear, actionable resource that enabled their planners to set evidence-based affordable housing targets for both established suburbs and new growth areas. Backed by suburb-specific insights, our needs assessment was easily accessible and directly informed the City of Whittlesea Affordable Housing Plan 2025–2030.
Quantifying affordable housing need in the
City of Whittlesea
NEEDS ASSESSMENT
HOUSING
CITY OF WHITTLESEA
The Challenge