Risdon Grove
Risdon Grove is a public housing estate in Port Pirie that has experienced similar challenges to other areas that have been the focus of urban renewal projects. The difference with Risdon Grove is that it is located in a non-metropolitan area and, as such, also suffered from low demand and high vacancy rates among public housing dwellings.
The Risdon Grove project was evaluated on its completion to address how much Housing SA's objectives had been achieved. The evaluation, which used data including a market research telephone survey, ABS Census data and Housing SA data, as well as a site visit, was able to draw clear conclusions about the project's effectiveness. Specifically, it found that as a result of the project, there was a more sustainable balance of public and private housing, improvements to the urban amenity, increased housing choice and quality, improved socio-economic characteristics, and increased pride and sense of community.
URPS brings independence to evaluations such as the Risdon Grove project evaluation. In this case, the evaluation highlighted that many investors were buying properties in the renewal area, which has implications for the area's social composition. The project also identified that few Housing SA tenants were making the transition to home ownership; a fact that is being addressed in other urban renewal projects.