The Daily Mail reported on April 23 that an aerial photograph taken in Sydney showed thousands of houses crowded together, raising concerns about the future of housing.
This photo was taken at The Ponds near Quakers Hill, about 40km west of Sydney's CBD.
Currently, there are 4,500 housing units in the urban area with a population of about 12,000 people. However, when an aerial photo was shared on social media, thousands of Australians lashed out at the city's housing density.
(Image source: Daily Mail)
One person commented: "Each home is worth at least $1.2 million and is about 45 kilometres from Sydney's CBD. How the hell is this approved? Look at this black roof. When the kids grow up, each family has to have 3-4 cars to park on the side of the road. ”
The median home price in The Ponds is $1.548 million, slightly higher than the median price of $1.414 million in Greater Sydney, meaning a couple would need to earn $238,000 a year to get a bank loan to buy a home here, according to CoreLogic.
(Image source: Daily Mail)
Some netizens are worried about the lack of privacy because these houses are built too closely.
"It looks terrible, like sardines huddled together," one said. If you sneeze by the window, your neighbor might catch a cold, and this picture makes me claustrophobic. Another said: "It's frustrating to have no backyard, no trees, just gray houses." For me, this kind of life is hell on earth. ”
(Image source: Daily Mail)
Some netizens also said that there are safety issues in the design of these houses, especially in the event of a fire.
"It's not safe at all, if a house catches fire, they're all in danger," one said. I'd rather live in a tent in the bush than here. If a house catches fire, the whole row of houses will burn down, and the design is so good. ”
Another said: "It's going to be very hot in the summer, and you can't do it without the air conditioning, and the design here is really bad." ”
(Image source: Daily Mail)
Other netizens believe that Sydney's high immigration level has increased the demand for high-density housing. "The government has opened the floodgates on immigration and made things easier," one said. ”
"Australia shouldn't be in this frustrating spectacle, but the government's over-encouragement of immigration has led to unsustainable population growth and potential homebuyers' dreams of buying a home have been shattered, all stemming from insatiable greed. ”