The contested geographies of master planned estates: the role of the building design codes

Much of the debate in contemporary urban studies has surrounded the provision of affordable housing in capital and regional cities. Master planned estates (MPEs) have emerged as the dominant form of housing in Australia. Master planned estates often include private governance mechanisms to regulate resident behaviour and building designs, improving the sales potential and creating an enhanced living environment for residents. Using case studies of three MPEs this paper explores aspects of the building design codes (BDCs), including their rationale, contribution to initial engagement and resident experiences. It finds that while the BDCs are perceived as integral to improving estate sales and the long-term operation, the developer’s commitment declines over time. The BDCs help to attract new residents by creating predictability. The estate residents are largely supportive of the BDCs and some feel abandoned when the developer’s commitment declines. The results are interpreted through a commodity perspective, which considers how the moments of production, exchange and consumption are inflected through culturally derived notions of home and home-making processes.