About Us

Our Mission

At SSN Affordable Housing, our mission is to pioneer innovative solutions for sustainable and affordable housing. We believe that a sustainable housing future is possible only when the measurement of housing affordability considers sustainable housing supply.

Our Project: Housing Sustainability Indices (HSI)

We aim to construct Housing Sustainability Indices (HSI) for major Australian cities. This groundbreaking initiative is designed to revolutionize how we approach affordable and sustainable housing.
Specifically, we will harness Graph Neural Networks (GNNs), in particular, Neural Dynamical Model, as the cutting-edge technique to build a robust, spatially granular, and dynamic housing affordability index. GNNs enable us to capture complex interplay between local socioeconomic, environmental, and demographic factors. Modelling network dynamics allows us to anticipate how future housing affordability may evolve in response to different intervention scenarios. By incorporating sustainability factors, GNN approach can assist urban planners and policymakers in making data-driven decisions about housing developments, infrastructure improvements, and zoning regulations, etc.

Key Features of HSI:

Our HSI aims to reflect both social and physical/environmental challenges faced by the Australian housing market, and we incorporate the following factors:
· Housing supply and demand: The high demand for housing, driven by variables like population and immigration growth and urbanization, has outpaced the supply of affordable housing. For instance, the supply of available rental homes is almost half what it was just before the Covid-19 pandemic hit Australia. This supply and demand imbalance has contributed to escalating prices, making housing less accessible to a significant portion of the population, e.g., the recent rental crisis.
· Investor’s speculation: Speculative investment in the housing market has further inflated property prices. Investors often outbid owner-occupiers, pushing prices higher and making it difficult for families to secure a home. This dominance of investors has skewed the market towards short-term gains, rather than long-term stability and sustainability.
· Regional disparities: The housing market in Australia is not uniform, and regional disparities exist. While major cities and urban suburbs grapple with soaring prices, regional areas often face the opposite problem of stagnant or declining property values. This imbalance poses challenges for those seeking affordable housing options.
· Sustainable housing design: Sustainable housing design and construction reduce the environmental impact of the housing market, including both the environmental and homeowners’ long-term energy costs; energy-efficient and environmentally friendly homes contribute to a more sustainable future.

Impact of HSI:

By developing these indices, we aim to provide a comprehensive tool that will:

Guide policy-makers in creating more effective housing strategies
Assist developers in identifying sustainable and affordable housing opportunities
Help communities understand and address their unique housing challenges
Promote a more holistic approach to housing affordability that considers long-term sustainability

Our Vision

We envision a future where sustainable and affordable housing is accessible to all Australians. Through our data-driven approach and the implementation of the Housing Sustainability Indices, we aim to transform the housing industry and create positive, lasting impacts on communities across the country.