How property title impacts urban consolidation: a life cycle examination of multi-title developments

Continuing urbanisation is triggering an increase in multi-titled housing internationally. This trend has given rise to a substantial research interest in the social consequences of higher density living. Little enquiry, however, has been directed to examining how property title subdivisions generate social issues in multi-titled housing. This appears as a significant gap in the literature, as the tensions inherent in multi-title developments have significant implications for individuals, developments and entire metropolitan areas. This paper employs a lifecycle framework to examine three tensions inherent in multi-title developments: i) tensions between individual and collective property rights, ii) tensions between the needs and responsibilities of different stakeholders, and iii) tensions inherent in the concurrent role of multi-title developments as governmental, market and civil society institutions. The paper calls for a more explicit recognition of these tensions by academics, policy-makers, practitioners and the broader community.