Around the globe, architects and designers are reimagining housing with bold, inventive solutions - from sprawling multi use compounds in Indonesia to compact cooperative models in Europe. These global experiments offer fresh perspectives on affordability, sustainability and community. But could they work in Australia? In this episode, we explore what local housing can learn from international innovations - and how these ideas might be adapted to fit our unique social and environmental context.Guests in this episode:RealRich Sarjeif - Architect, RAW Architecture (Jakarta)Penelope Dean - Professor, School of Architecture, University of Illinois Chicago.Gerard Reinmuth - Director, Terroir Architecture; Professor of Practice, School of Architecture, UTSMarisa Jahn - Director of Integrated Design, The New School; Collaborating Artist, CarehausAnne Romme - Associate Professor, Institute of Architecture and Culture, Royal Danish Academy.Production assistance this week by Rachael Bongiorno and thanks to Anthony’s ABC International Culture By Design program for supplying additional audio.
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04 | The Home Front: Money money money
We all know that house prices have gone through the roof, but what’s driving them, and what can actually be done?In this episode, we dig into the money behind the housing crisis, from tax policy and global market shifts to government targets and the growing role of intergenerational wealth.We explore how renters and homeowners alike are feeling the squeeze, and ask what kind of radical policy — and cultural — change it will take to make housing more equitable for all Australians. Because this isn’t just an economic problem. It’s a social one. And it’s going to take more than creativity to fix it.Guests in this episode:Alan Kholer, ABC financial journalist and author of the Quarterly Essay- The Great Divide: Australia's Housing Mess and How to Fix itBrendan Coates, Housing and Economic Security Program Director at Grattan InstituteKate Browne, Head of Research and Insights at Compare Club, a financial comparison serviceDamian Madigan, Associate Professor at the University of South Australia, architect and urban infill housing researcher. David, Social housing client Kait, House hunter from BrisbaneProduction assistance this week by Rachael Bongiorno
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3| The Home Front: One roof, many lives
What if Australia’s housing crisis wasn’t just a problem — but a chance to build something better?
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03 | The Home Front: One roof, many lives
What if Australia’s housing crisis wasn’t just a problem — but a chance to build something better? Australia’s homes are doing more than sheltering families — they’re accommodating multigenerational households, solo dwellers, single parents, and shared living arrangements.But is our housing stock too rigid to reflect this diversity? Is it failing behind the way we actually live?In this episode, we meet the architects and designers reimagining the Australian home for today. As external pressures - from climate to cost - reshape our lives, they’re responding with ideas that prioritise flexibility, wellbeing, sustainability, and social connection.Hosted by Professor of Architecture Anthony Burke, this series asks: can we reimagine the Dream? For more conversations about design with Anthony Burke & friends, head to Lifestyle on ABC iViewProduction assistance this week by Rachael Bongiorno and Regina BotrosGuests in this episodeDr Edgar Liu, Arts, Design & Architecture at the City Futures Research Centre at UNSW Savannah Fishel, Senior Innovation Consultant and Service Designer and Churchill FellowCraig Allchin, Urban Designer with 6 DegreesJeremy McLeod, Founding Director and Architect at Breathe ArchitectureMatilda Leake, Associate Director and Design Architect at Bates Smart Marisa and Rose - living together in multigenerational housing in MelbourneLeah and Lou - living together with Leah's parents in Sydney
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02 | The Home Front : Lessons in living
We look at how Australians have lived together in the past — and what those lessons might offer us today.From the tightly packed worker’s cottages of the early 1900s, where strong community bonds helped people get by, to the bold experiments in communal and cooperative living during the 1970s, Australians have long found creative ways to share space.Now, as the housing crisis deepens, one State Government (NSW) is reviving the idea of the housing pattern book — a fast-track design initiative that encourages density, sustainability, and smarter living.But are Australians ready to embrace the idea of “home” not as a private fortress, but where shared space and personal privacy coexist?Hosted by Professor of Architecture Anthony Burke, this series asks: can we reimagine the Dream? For more conversations about design with Anthony Burke & friends, head to Lifestyle on ABC iViewProduction assistance this week by Rachael Bongiorno.Guests in this episodeJanet McCalman, Emeritus Professor at Melbourne University and author of Struggletown Public and Private Life in Richmond 1900- 1965 Abbie Galvin, NSW Government ArchitectLee Stickells, Associate Professor at the School of Architecture, University of SydneyPeter Cock, Co-founder of Moora Moora Cooperative in the Dandenong Ranges, Melbourne.Chelsea McNabb, Resident at Moora Moora CooperativeIzzy Kane, Resident at Moora Moora Cooperative
New series: The Home Front with Anthony Burke. What if Australia’s housing crisis wasn’t just a problem — but a chance to build something better?
In the six-part series The Home Front, design expert Anthony Burke explores how smart, thoughtful design could help fix Australia’s housing challenges — and reshape the Great Australian Dream for a new generation.
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