Future Housing in Vanuatu explores how housing can better reflect the cultural, environmental and social realities of ni‑Vanuatu communities. The research establishes a place‑informed, participatory approach to understanding how people live, what they value in their homes, and how rapid urbanisation is reshaping both traditional and contemporary dwelling practices across the country.

Across Vanuatu’s fast‑growing urban and peri‑urban areas, communities are experiencing overcrowding, makeshift dwellings and inconsistent construction standards. In rural areas, traditional building knowledge is increasingly replaced by ad‑hoc contemporary methods, often without policy guidance or regulatory support. This work provides a clear framework for navigating these conditions, ensuring housing solutions remain culturally grounded, environmentally responsive and aligned with community aspirations.

Developed through extensive engagement with households, chiefs, community groups and local builders, the research shaped a Place‑informed Participatory Design Research Approach (PiPDRA). PiPDRA reveals how domestic spaces function, what people hope for in their homes, and where tensions arise between cultural expectations, environmental pressures and typical built outcomes. The resulting design strategies offer practical, locally relevant guidance for improving housing quality, strengthening resilience and supporting community‑led decision‑making.

This research now underpins the work of Sonder Communities, providing organisations with grounded, community‑centred insight to shape culturally aligned housing strategies, inform policy development and support resilient housing futures across Vanuatu and the wider Pacific.

Future Housing in Vanuatu: A Design Research Approach by Wendy Christie (Monash University Research Repository)