In
Australian
Australian(s) may refer to:
Australia
* Australia, a country
* Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia
** European Australians
** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists
** Aboriginal Aus ...
and
New Zealand English
New Zealand English (NZE) is the variant of the English language spoken and written by most English-speaking New Zealanders. Its language code in ISO and Internet standards is en-NZ. It is the first language of the majority of the populati ...
, a quarter acre is a term for a suburban plot of land. Traditionally, Australians and
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
ers aspired to own a 3- or 4-bedroom house or
bungalow
A bungalow is a small house or cottage that is typically single or one and a half storey, if a smaller upper storey exists it is frequently set in the roof and Roof window, windows that come out from the roof, and may be surrounded by wide ve ...
on a section of around a quarter of an
acre
The acre ( ) is a Unit of measurement, unit of land area used in the Imperial units, British imperial and the United States customary units#Area, United States customary systems. It is traditionally defined as the area of one Chain (unit), ch ...
(about 1,000 square metres), also known locally as the
Australian Dream or the
New Zealand dream. The land was frequently put to use with vegetable gardens, fruit trees, or lawns for family recreation.
Demand for quarter-acre blocks were driven by easy access to motor vehicles, allowing for more low-density
urban sprawl
Urban sprawl (also known as suburban sprawl or urban encroachment) is defined as "the spreading of urban developments (such as houses and shopping centers) on undeveloped land near a city". Urban sprawl has been described as the unrestricted ...
for blocks of these size. Demand in Australia was also driven by waves of European migrants, who were eager to own homes, and may not have had the opportunity to do so in Europe.
The quarter-acre aspiration has changed in recent decades, with sub-divisions, infill housing, apartments, and townhouses becoming more common in large cities,
and nearby
lifestyle farming blocks becoming popular. Most "quarter-acre" sections are not exactly a quarter of an acre. With urban growth, properties tend to be smaller with new sub-divisions averaging a half or less of the classic quarter-acre.
See also
*
Rood
A rood or rood cross, sometimes known as a triumphal cross, is a cross or crucifix, especially the large crucifix set above the entrance to the chancel of a medieval church. Alternatively, it is a large sculpture or painting of the crucifixio ...
, an Old English unit of area, equal to quarter of an acre
*''
The Half-Gallon Quarter-Acre Pavlova Paradise'', a popular book by Austin Mitchell
*
White picket fence, a similar concept in the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
References
{{Reflist, 30em
Culture of New Zealand
Housing in Australia