Michael Green

Writer and producer

Does buy local mean bye local?

In Community development on

First published on ABC Unleashed

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd may have been lampooned for his Strine, but last week, in its budget, the NSW government fair dinkum went and put it into policy.

Under Local Jobs First, when state agencies and corporations buy their wares, they’ll factor in a 20 per cent discount on Australian manufacturers’ tenders.

Unions liked it. Trade experts, the European Union and the US government did not. The Age‘s diplomatic editor, Daniel Flitton, viewed the measure through the dark and troubling prism of nationalism.

The morning after the NSW budget, bright and early, Federal Trade Minister Simon Crean denounced the policy on Sky News. It would cost jobs, he warned, not save them, and could draw similar moves from other countries. It would threaten trade.

But must trade always be the last word?

Less than an hour after Crean spoke so unequivocally on Sky News, American economist and writer Michael Shuman spelt out a different kind of economic development on Radio National.

“Locally owned businesses that are focussed first and foremost on local markets,” he told Life Matters presenter Richard Aedy, “contribute substantially more to economic development than … schemes to attract or retain non-local businesses.”

Shuman’s two most recent books are Going Local: creating self-reliant communities in a global age, and The Small-Mart Revolution: how local businesses are beating the global competition. You get the idea.

On tour in Australia, he’s spruiking the myriad benefits to be had from boosting our local businesses – from better labour and environmental standards to stronger long-term wealth creation and higher, more resilient employment rates.

The crux of Shuman’s argument, in economic terms, is about the flow-on effect of our spending choices. “When you spend money locally you contribute to what economists call the economic multiplier,” he said on Radio National. “That is, when I spend a dollar, say at a local pharmacy, that pharmacist pays people, they then take their dollar to a local grocery store … you have a dollar that is circulating in the economy. The more times that dollar circulates and the faster that dollar circulates without leakage, the more income, wealth and jobs [it creates]. And it turns out that local businesses do this much better.”

He points to a 2003 study in Austin, Texas, where economists analysed the impact of a proposed Borders bookstore against two local bookstores. They found that $100 spent at Borders would circulate $13 in the local community, while $100 at the local stores would circulate $45.

Shuman draws a distinction between local and non-local ownership, not between domestic and foreign. In The Small-Mart Revolution, the economist criticises promotion of “America First-ism” at a cost to others. Instead, he envisages a future of growing trade and global engagement, albeit “in goods and services less and less vital to day-to-day today survival”.

So where does the buy-Aussie policy fit in?

Despite the fuss, it’s neither a breakthrough nor a break down, and it won’t start a trade war. The rule already existed – NSW just expanded its application. Other countries, state governments and local councils also have guidelines favouring local procurement. And, despite Crean’s protestations, the Australian Labor Party’s current platform includes an almost identical policy.

That’s not to say it will work. According to the localisation theory, an ideal government purchasing system wouldn’t target Australian-made. It would target the tenders that boast the highest multiplier – probably goods made and owned nearby, not nationally.

www.small-mart.org

Petite force: container housing is on its way

In Architecture and building, The Age on

Has the ship finally come in for container housing? Visit a metal model home.

In 1964, Geoff Fulton installed a collapsible caravan into the roof of a Mercedes Benz in Germany and began travelling the world. By the time Russian authorities confiscated the vehicle three-and-a-half years later, the young man had learnt a lesson in scale. “I proved to myself that you don’t need a lot of space to live in.”

Now, four decades on, Mr Fulton and his partner Carla Salomon-Kerkering want to pass that message onto the public at large. Sitting in the lounge of their ‘Small is Smart’ display house – a pint-sized but fully equipped dwelling built from a single recycled shipping container – the couple is adamant that bigger doesn’t mean better. “Why do we need more?” Mr Fulton asks. “The main reason is because we’re used to it, or because we don’t want people to think that we’re living in a little house.”

At just 12 metres long, 2.4 metres wide and 2.7 metres high, the home can be easily packed onto a truck. And as befits its modest dimensions, it is super cheap and eco-friendly – both traits in high demand thanks to global eco and economic woes. “If it’s owner built, we anticipate it will cost about $30,000,” Mr Fulton says. A fully pre-made, basic model is likely to come in at about $50,000.

“Our aim is to show people that living in a container isn’t slum dwelling. Nor does it have to look like an ugly tin box,” he says, nodding towards the sleek interior fit-out. The prototype is complete with a lounge room, kitchen, bathroom, double fold-out bed and space for a washing machine and dryer. Given its size and form, the biggest drawbacks appear to be lack of storage space and natural light.

Ms Salomon-Kerkering – a garrulous German interior architect who first met Mr Fulton on his epic voyage in the 60s – says that with attention to detail and deft use of colour, small can seem spacious. The interior walls, ceiling and floor of the Small is Smart house are all dark grey. “Everything in life is about illusions,” she says. “When you have the same colour all the way around, you lose your dimensions. If you had a different coloured floor it would look narrow because you see exactly where the wall starts.”

Carefully placed mirrors in the lounge area and bathroom also help maintain the deception. “If I’m sitting here and I have the illusion that the room is double the size, I’m happy,” she says. Among other clever design elements, the dwelling has an all-white kitchen to enhance light gain, as well as varied ceiling heights to de-box the interior.

There are over seventeen million shipping containers around the globe and, although still structurally sound, most fall into disuse after their stint at sea. According to Mr Fulton, salvaging this resource slashes the carbon footprint of the Small is Smart home. “The main structure has already been recycled and at the end of its life, can be recycled again.”

Also, by combining effective insulation and shading with a smart ventilation system that prevents heat exchange and humidity, Ms Salomon-Kerkering believes that the freight container home won’t need artificial cooling. “Air conditioning is the past, not the future. It is not necessary,” she says.

The designers, from Torquay, envisage all manner of uses for the Small is Smart house, including holiday homes, granny flats, student accommodation and retirement villages, as well as worker, social and emergency housing.

“It’s ideal for bush holiday facilities. You can leave the big steel doors on and shut them. If a fire goes through, there’s not much risk of it going up,” Mr Fulton says. “First home buyers could also get in for next to nothing and then expand the house as they need more space, without having to move out. They can just add containers.”

Although the petite prototype was only recently completed, Mr Fulton says it has generated a lot of interest. “We’ve had Toorak ladies say ‘I could live in this. In fact, if I can’t get the kids out of my house, I’ll put one of these in the backyard and I’ll live in it,’” he says. “What better recommendation could you ask for?”

Home steel home: cheap and solid

“There’s no doubt that modular and container housing will catch on big time,” says Brian Haratsis, managing director of property industry consultants MacroPlan. “There are a growing number of people looking for a low-cost housing alternative. A lot of people these days would rather spend their money on travel; they’re mobile contractors or Internet bloggers or whoever they are, and they just want somewhere that they can afford.”

Mr Haratsis predicts that the initial demand for low-cost housing will come from retirees who find themselves short on superannuation and decide to sell their family homes. “The peak year for the number of retiring baby boomers is 2015. With the global financial crisis impacts on super, between now and 2025 will be the crunch years for housing in Australia.”

With those downsizing baby boomers in mind, Geoff Fulton has begun planning a large ‘Small is Smart’ retirement village at Leopold, just outside Geelong. But he’s not the only one getting ship shape. Architect Matthew Grace recently designed ‘resPOD’, a series of plans for container homes.

Using between one and six crates, resPODs range in cost from about $70,000 to $185,000, depending on size. “The concept was about taking the architectural level of detail into a small package and making it affordable for the majority of people,” Mr Grace says. “(Using shipping containers) was a way of utilising an existing waste resource and trying to minimise the environmental impact from the ground up. There’s been lots and lots of interest.”

The outlook for shipping crates as disaster relief is not so promising. In 1999, prominent Melbourne architect Sean Godsell designed ‘Future Shack’, a prototype for emergency housing made from a recycled shipping container, but despite worldwide acclaim, it hasn’t gone into widespread use.

Founding Director of Architects Without Frontiers and RMIT design lecturer, Dr Esther Charlesworth says that while container housing may be a good idea for a bush-block weekender, a granny flat or an extension, it’s unlikely to provide appropriate relief or social housing. “Architects quite often assume that they can produce the universal solution. I’d argue that with social housing, container homes can become problematic in terms of social stigmatisation of the occupants but also because of the harsh climatic conditions in monsoonal or arid zones.”

In any case, Dr Charlesworth says that in many disaster situations, such as post-tsunami Sri Lanka, locals can build homes at a much lower cost than imported options. “And once you start to literally ship in an object, you’re losing a whole lot of local future employment and training opportunities that come through housing construction.”

Close encounters: why medium-density living is the way of the future

In Architecture and building, Environment, The Age on

With a fast-growing population, we need more homes on the block. Michael Green finds out what makes medium density housing work.

Melbourne’s got density on the mind. The state government’s high-profile plans, Melbourne 2030 and Melbourne @ 5 Million, both aim for a more compact city. And even though our suburban boundaries continue to spread, haphazard change is underway.

Medium density housing grew seven-fold in the decade following the 1990s recession, according to planning expert Michael Buxton, and it’s been booming ever since.

Medium density means more homes in less space. It means townhouses, units and flats, where each home is attached to the place next door. Traditional suburbs have about 8 to 15 dwellings per hectare, whereas medium density ranges from 20 to 80. High density – residential development above about four levels – is yet more again.

“People said we wouldn’t embrace apartment living, but we have,” says Dr Buxton, from RMIT’s Environment and Planning unit. “There’s no doubt that Melbourne will continue to intensify its development. The real issue is what form it will take.”

So when it comes to medium density housing, what separates the good, the bad and the inconvenient?

DESIGN

Clare McAllister, from McAllister Alcock Architects, says that with careful design, flats can offer comfort as well as convenience. “If you get it right, a compact dwelling can feel a lot more spacious than its footprint would suggest.”

Ms McAllister is the jury chair for the Australian Institute of Architects award for multi-residential development in Victoria. Among other criteria, the panel considers the level of ‘amenity’ each dwelling affords: “the things that improve the quality of day-to-day living,” she says.

Those things include adequate storage and well-resolved layouts. “You’ve got to look for plans that have no wasted space and no tortuous little access ways,” she says. The design should allow for privacy without inducing claustrophobia, and outdoor spaces must be usable.

Environmentally sustainable design has also become an important yardstick. Ms McAllister evaluates passive solar design techniques, such as good orientation (to catch sun in winter and block it out in summer) as well as insulation and cross-ventilation. “We look for projects where the developer has taken that extra step [in eco-design] without being forced by legislation,” Ms McAllister says.

The jury also mulls over what each development adds to the local community. In the inner city, that might mean cutting edge architecture, or in leafy suburbs, generous gardens. “Often, there’s a lot of angst when you put something new into a neighbourhood, but if it’s well-designed it can make a positive contribution,” Ms McAllister says. “Good medium density housing does give something back.”

PLANNING

Shrewd building design isn’t all that’s needed for urban consolidation to work. As with all real estate, location is crucial. In this case, according to Dr Buxton, it’s all about proximity to public transport. “Increasing density on sites far from public transport isn’t doing any good, because it just leads to increased car use.” Well-located developments also link into existing infrastructure such as schools, healthcare facilities and parks.

Dr Buxton says medium density development in the inner- and middle-ring suburbs is in demand for the access it gives to activities. “Its popularity is related to the perceived social advantages, where people can walk to public transport, shopping and cafes.”

But he says it’s not enough for developments to sponge off the existing range of activities in the area. “We should be aiming for a mix of uses – residential, as well as retail and other employment-generating uses – even in individual developments.”

Other planning measures, such as height limits on development, can improve environmental performance. Dr Buxton says that medium density homes cause the least CO2 emissions, thanks to their modest size, shared walls and low heating and cooling needs. In contrast, high-rise apartment buildings fare the worst. “They tend to be very poor performers, because of the glass construction. They also have lifts, and big foyers and other spaces that have to be heated.”

VALUE

Adrian Jones, President of the Real Estate Institute of Victoria, says medium density units are popular with the younger generations and with retiring baby boomers. Despite the recession, interest remains strong. Mr Jones expects prices will continue to rise in the long term. “There’s keen demand for units because they’re more attractively priced. It’s a good entry-level way to get into the market.”

He says prices range from about $200,000 for a one-bedroom flat in a middle suburb, up to about $550,000 for a well-appointed two-bedroom apartment with a lock-up garage and small garden.

“People look for a little extra amenity space,” he says, “a pocket-handkerchief garden, or at least a balcony. They also want a garage or a car space. Anything without a car space is a disaster.”

Mr Jones says that while some buyers are wary of living too close to their neighbours and of the lack of soundproofing in newer apartments, higher density living is inevitable – and not only to curb urban sprawl. “As our younger generations get more money, a lot of them will want to live in apartments,” he says. “It gives them more flexibility: low maintenance is a great attraction.”

Close to shops, transport, icons

At 30 The Esplanade, architect Michael Bialek knew his firm, SJB Architects, had a unique design opportunity.

“The site occupies a prominent position in an iconic location,” he says. “It’s got some very different neighbours: The Palais and Luna Park opposite, and heritage terrace and the McDonalds car park [either side]. I think the building fits into that chaotic framework and breathes on its own. It pays homage to the things around it without deferring to copying them.”

The striking, voluptuous 12-apartment building won the 2009 South East Design award for outstanding medium density housing development and is nominated for the Australian Institute of Architects’ multiple housing award for Victoria.

The design includes rectangular, terrace-style apartments and curved, irregular residences, as well as a green, fishnet-patterned, glass façade. The penthouse roof gardens boast million-dollar views over the bay and beachside icons.

“We felt that the building should reflect the vibrant character of St Kilda – the interest in art and form-making,” Mr Bialek says. “The graphic [on the building] is a tongue-in-cheek recognition of the fishnets of the fishermen and of the hookers’ stockings.” 

As well as it’s sculptural form, the building has space for two restaurants at ground level. “Once they open, it will be in the European style where you walk past on the street and you won’t even realise what the building is,” Mr Bialek says.

Book review: The Red Highway, by Nicolas Rothwell

In The Big Issue on

Four stars

After a year reporting from the Middle East, journalist Nicolas Rothwell returned, ill at ease, to his job as northern correspondent for the Australian newspaper. In The Red Highway he chronicles the meanderings and fixations of his quest to re-discover his sense of place.

It’s an uncommon book – a wistful, portentous mix of travel and historical anecdotes, beginning with an essay tracing the work of Czech artist and Aboriginal art collector Karel Kupka (first published in the Monthly).

Like a gentler, more respectful Bruce Chatwin (The Songlines), Rothwell drifts from one expedition to the next, guided by wise, enigmatic friends who intuit his innermost conflicts and slowly reveal the Top End’s secrets. He delves into spiritual landscapes and the lives of forgotten adventurers, seeing omens and patterns everywhere he goes.

Beyond his vague sense of dislocation, however, Rothwell gives away little of himself. He has crafted a collection of well-researched, compellingly told vignettes. Together, they form a distant, dream-like sweep, rich with unresolved meaning. Like a dream, the book’s mesmerising tone will linger – even if you don’t know quite what happened.

Vegetable Power

In Community development, Environment, The Age on

Joining an organic produce co-op can get you not only cheaper and better vegies but an introduction to like-minded neighbours.

IT’S 7.30am on a Friday. A dozen people, mostly young mothers, crowd a corrugated-iron back garage in Footscray, sorting fruit and vegetables. They’re hunched over two long rows of waxed grocer’s boxes, sharing out lettuce, leeks, beans, beetroot and much more.

The Seddon Organic Collective is holding its first sorting day. The members, and their toddlers, are making friends. The SOC is made up of 25 local residents. From now on, every week, they’ll buy cheap organic produce from the Melbourne Wholesale Market on Footscray Road, split it up, and dine in on the benefits.

Ken Johnson, the clean-cut president, is puzzling over paperwork, trying to tally the boxes, the money and the orders. He believes organic produce is both healthier and better for the environment. “This is a way to access organic food more cheaply,” he says.

The key to cheap supply is bulk buying from the wholesale market, and for that, the group must be incorporated.

In less than 15 minutes all the boxes are sorted. Each is bursting with more than a dozen kinds of fruit and vegies. While Johnson keeps pondering his lists, the other members chat and sip tea.

Leah Avene is thrilled to be a part of the new co-op. “I’m from Tuvalu, in the Pacific. It’s sinking due to global warming so I made a decision a year ago to try to live more sustainably. The first thing that we did was go vegetarian and start eating organic.”

The 23-year-old journeyed to the wholesale market at 6am to buy the produce from the wholesalers, Biodynamic Marketing. “For $20, it’s amazing value. I used to get a seasonal box from a local place, which cost me $45 a week and it was probably a bit smaller.”Big savings aren’t the only plus. “There’s a real community buzz growing among us, which is really lovely,” she says. “When we established the group it wasn’t just about organic eating. We also wanted to build friendships with like-minded people.”

The Seddon group is following a model begun by the Western Organic Collective in 2001. The WOC, based in Footscray, usually has an extended waiting list.

Long-term member Nick Ray says the group formed out of a desire to buy good organic food cheaply and without too much trouble.

“The quality of the stuff is extreme. None of that wrinkled-up organic produce that some people say isn’t quite up to speed. It’s a feast.”

As well as the weekly veggie box, WOC members buy bread from Pure Bread and run quarterly bulk dry-goods purchases. They also meet socially for “Seasonal Celebrations”. “Once a quarter we have a meal together,” Ray says. “People bring food along, we share news and we often have a theme. We talked about food miles at the last one.”

By 8.15am contented SOC members are leaving the garage, lugging boxes for themselves and others for delivery. The co-op has only just begun and there are still some kinks to iron out — they made three boxes too many today. But already there’s someone on the waiting list. Cheap organic produce is in demand, says Johnson. “It would be great if this model could spread around the city.”

How does it work?

EVERY Friday morning, two people buy the fruit and vegies from the Melbourne Wholesale Market. They drop the produce off at a designated house, where four people sort it, then deliver a box to each house. Voila!

Every member must contribute to the running of the collective. The work is done by roster: sorters must help out for a couple of hours every four to six weeks. Other people take on committee roles or organise the money, rosters and buying.

“It’s not a system that would work for everyone,” warns Nick Ray, from the Western Organic Collective. “You can only forget (to show up) so many times before you’re blacklisted!”

From experience, the collective has found that about 25 members is the right number. Any higher and the quantity of food required becomes too large to manage.

To make sorting and delivery as easy as possible, it’s best if members live close to one another.

First published in The Age, Epicure