Addressing the housing crisis will take new approaches and collective actions.

It is high time we shed the simplistic dichotomy that has constrained our thinking for too long: infill equals apartments, and greenfield equals detached dwellings. Such a black-and-white perspective has hindered us from addressing the complex housing needs of our communities, and treats housing as an investment product.

To truly meet the demands of the present and the future, we must embark on a shift towards housing diversity, and away from business as usual. It necessitates changes across all sectors of housing delivery, from how we conceive suburban and urban areas, to how we engage with communities, to how developers conceive new projects, and how builders construct housing.

One year on from the Queensland Housing Summit milestone, we have visionary strategies that identify housing diversity as the linchpin of sustainable growth, but the real litmus test lies in our ability to translate these ideas into action.

Housing diversity, at its core, means planning and delivering a range of housing types within our existing neighbourhoods. This includes more detached homes, attached units, apartments, co-housing, terrace housing, tiny homes, granny flats, and shop-top housing, and the list goes on.

The urgency of embracing housing diversity is increasing in a world grappling with multiple housing crises. But it requires a commitment from government, private sector and not-for-profits to provide well-located, affordable homes that cater to the diverse needs of Queenslanders.

A shift toward housing diversity is crucial for achieving national cabinet housing targets and unlocking financial rewards being offered by the federal government.

As we grapple with escalating land values, a growing population of single-person households, climate change-induced natural disasters, and urban inequities, it is clear the old ways of thinking and doing will not suffice. We must dare to envision a different housing landscape.

Now is the time to act, to forge a path toward a Queensland where housing diversity is not just a buzzword but a tangible reality, enriching the lives of all its residents.

Nicole Bennetts RPIA is the Queensland state manager of the Planning Institute of Australia