Housing Game
Challenge your understanding of our changing city by playing The House we Build, a pilot project with the University of Newcastle.
As the number of people needing houses goes up, low density dwellings will need to be replaced with dwellings that can house more people. It is difficult to house more people in existing neighbourhoods while maintaining amenity or happiness. To maintain happiness community and recreational facilities need to be provided. In the Housing Game, residents’ happiness is reflected in the colour on each tile, the happiness legend is shown in the bottom left-hand side of the screen.
The goal of the game is to house the people moving into the area while achieving the highest global happiness score.
How to play the game
The game board is a series of tiles showing different types of buildings. To change what is on a tile click “remove” and then click all the buildings you’d like to take out. Then click “cancel”. Once these have been removed there will be space for new residential buildings or facilities to go in. Click on the building type you would like to add, then click on all the tiles where you would like this to go. Right click when you are finished placing this type of building. You can then select another building to add to the board.
As time progresses and more people move to the city, the residential density will have to keep increasing and facilities be provided for these new residents, otherwise your global happiness score will drop and you’ll start to see a lot of red (upset) residents on the board!
Note this game will need to be played on a desktop computer. Get ready, with ten minutes on the clock see if you can house the growing population while keeping the “global happiness score” up.
Background
The LHS is a local response to the housing actions within the Hunter Regional Plan, Greater Newcastle Metropolitan Plan and the Newcastle Local Strategic Planning Statement. The LHS will inform a future review of the Newcastle Local Environmental Plan 2012 and Newcastle Development Control Plan 2012.
The population in the City of Newcastle (CN) is projected to increase by around 41,000 people between 2016 and 2041, from 160,900 to 202,050 people. This will result in an anticipated demand for about 19,450 new dwellings by 2041. This significant dwelling demand will result in higher urban density. Most new dwellings are expected to be semi-detached houses, terraces, townhouses or apartment buildings, which will mainly be accommodated in existing residential areas, as well as in growth and catalyst areas.
The delivery of future housing in the City of Newcastle will require a strategic approach that considers a range of factors, including the local housing supply and demand, and land-use opportunities and constraints. It will also need to consider demographic factors, such as an ageing population, people who need assistance in their daily lives, as well as young people who come to CN for tertiary education or employment. Other important factors to take into account when planning for the delivery of housing include location, urban character, as well as housing affordability, accessibility and sustainability.