The Future Cities Collaborative was pleased to host a roundtable discussion with special US guest Dr David Rosen on housing affordability. The discussion was moderated by Professor Edward Blakely and explored financial models for affordable housing in the Australian context.

The six cities that participated in the 2014 Future Cities Program have placed Housing Affordability as one of the top seven policy areas that require focus to deliver thriving communities in New South Wales. This roundtable was a forum for industry and government leaders to have a meaningful dialogue on what is possible, and work towards building capacity amongst those that will inform future policies. During the roundtable, city leaders and industry representatives explored:

• the differing definitions of housing affordability
• the benefits of affordable housing for our communities and cities
• what is working and what needs to be improved in New South Wales communities
• tools and levers used in the United States via specific case studies
• rental and purchasing models for affordable housing for key workers