The ‘rezoned property’ as a site of ontological security: the case of collective sales
Date
2025
Authors
Gillon, C.
Easthope, H.
Pinnegar, S.
Ruming, K.
Crommelin, L.
Liu, S.
Editors
Advisors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Type:
Journal article
Citation
Housing Studies, 2025; 41(4):1-22
Statement of Responsibility
Charles Gillon, Hazel Easthope, Simon Pinnegar, Kristian Ruming, Laura Crommelin, Sha Liu
Conference Name
Abstract
This paper utilizes the concept of ontological security to investigate how homeowners (owner-occupiers) negotiate financial and emotional tensions of the ‘rezoned property’. It draws on interviews with 27 owner-occupiers residing in four suburbs subject to rezoning efforts in Sydney, Australia. Rezoning to higher density alters homeowners’ land values, creating a unique and time-sensitive opportunity for a lucrative property sale, yet achieving this through a collective sale process is complex, and requires the dissolution of feelings of home and neighbourhood attachment. Analysis adopts Dupuis and Thorns’ conditions of ontological security to examine owners’ reactions to rezoning, and their subsequent actions to sell (or not sell) their properties. Interview analysis documents how rezoning challenges ontological security in different ways, revealing the importance of potential financial uplift for maintaining ontological security during change and disruption. The paper calls for fuller accounts of owner-occupiers in place during compact city delivery, and proposes ways to support owners during the process of urban renewal.This paper utilizes the concept of ontological security to investigate how homeowners (owner-occupiers) negotiate financial and emotional tensions of the ‘rezoned property’. It draws on interviews with 27 owner-occupiers residing in four suburbs subject to rezoning efforts in Sydney, Australia. Rezoning to higher density alters homeowners’ land values, creating a unique and time-sensitive opportunity for a lucrative property sale, yet achieving this through a collective sale process is complex, and requires the dissolution of feelings of home and neighbourhood attachment. Analysis adopts Dupuis and Thorns’ conditions of ontological security to examine owners’ reactions to rezoning, and their subsequent actions to sell (or not sell) their properties. Interview analysis documents how rezoning challenges ontological security in different ways, revealing the importance of potential financial uplift for maintaining ontological security during change and disruption. The paper calls for fuller accounts of owner-occupiers in place during compact city delivery, and proposes ways to support owners during the process of urban renewal.
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Dissertation Note
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Description
OnlinePubl.
Available online 16 Jun 2025
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This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.