RESEARCH
The Research Project
How we approached this project — and what we found.
METHODOLOGY
The journey to Reimagine Great Australian Dream
Reimaging the Great Australian Dream film is just one part of an ongoing research and community engagement project led by a team of experts in architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, town planning, property economics, demographics and social research. Here’s what we learnt so far and what we’ll be doing next.
01
Australia, we have a problem
In response to the Great Australian Dream slipping out of reach for many Australians, family owned Australian residential property developer, Dennis Family Corporation (DFC) embarked on an initiative to understand how they could create new homes, neighbourhoods and communities to better respond to changing housing needs, lifestyle preferences and economic realities facing the next generation of home owners.
02
On the road
DFC teamed up with experts for a study tour, visiting 12 new developments across 5 Australian cities to investigate the best innovation in housing and master planned community design along the east coast.
03
Starting a Conversation
DFC produced Reimagining the Great Australian Dream to spark a community wide conversation.
04
Help Us Shape the Cities of the Future
The release of the documentary launches a new round of research, providing an opportunity for people from across Australia to share their thoughts about what a Reimagined Great Australian Dream looks like. We are doing this through interviews, focus groups and a nationwide survey — Have your say here.
05
A Reimagined Great Australian Dream
The research findings will be shared with community and government and inform how DFC designs and delivers new homes and neighbourhoods in master planned communities.
Your input will help us turn a Reimagined Great Australian Dream into reality.
FINDINGS
What we’ve learned so far
The research is in its early stages, but a number of early insights are becoming clear:
Many Australian first home buyers feel like home ownership is becoming less accessible and the Great Australian Dream is slipping out of reach
We’re been researching how the Great Australian Dream can evolve to provide more options and better lifestyles through greater housing diversity and more connected, contemporary ways of living. Here’s an update so far.
We are midway through our research, it’s clear many Australians—especially first home buyers—are feeling priced out. Beyond affordability, there’s a growing sense that choice in the different types of housing is limited, with more accessible options often requiring trade-offs in access to jobs, transport and everyday services.
Our insights are shaped by a national study tour across 12 locations, 5 cities and 3 states, with industry and community interviews capturing how places are planned and experienced.
Early engagement highlights that people are increasingly prioritising what their neighbourhood has to offer.
A clear preference for proximity and amenity is emerging. Parks, green space, public transport and everyday convenience are often a higher priority than having a larger home.
This is driving interest in greater housing diversity, including terraces, townhomes and duplexes.
Across all conversations, connection stands out—to neighbours, nature and a shared identity—reinforcing that people value belonging.
These insights are captured in our documentary, and we invite you to take part in our survey to help shape a Reimagined Great Australian Dream
Take part in our national research.
The Discussion Paper
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