New Housing Studies programmes to equip graduates to address crisis

Housing, and providing solutions to address the lack of it is complex, and requires design skills, but also knowledge across numerous disciplines. The School’s new Master of Housing Studies, Master of Architecture (Professional) and Housing Studies, and the Master of Urban Planning (Professional) and Housing Studies, will combine and draw on the expertise and knowledge from disciplines across the University, to help equip graduates with the expertise to address the problems in Aotearoa New Zealand in the 21st century.

The programmes will include courses taught by the School of Architecture and Planning, the School of Environment, the School of Population Health, the Department of Property, the Faculty of Engineering, and the Faculty of Law.

Students will learn the theory and practice of housing design, and also about sustainability, policy, economics, regulation, procurement, and management, with a particular focus on the Aotearoa New Zealand situation.

The programmes are not focussed on teaching the design of individual detached houses, but have been developed to raise interest, knowledge, and skills in the provision of papakāinga, affordable housing and medium- and high-density housing.

“The programmes are very broad and will appeal to students who see the potential of housing in different ways, from a design perspective, or from a policy, community housing and/or developer’s perspective, and hopefully create graduates with diverse interests,” says Associate Professor Julia Gatley, School of Architecture and Planning.

“We have experts who are researching housing from different disciplines across the university, but this is the first time we’ve been able to bring them together in one programme.”

“New Zealand has suffered from a shortage of quality housing for over a century. It is a complex problem, and these programmes are premised on producing graduates who can help to address it, by understanding how architecture exists in a historical and economic, legal and environmental contexts. This will equip them to formulate appropriate responses and processes and, we hope, contribute to solutions.”

Find out more about the Master of Housing Studies