Researchers have found that opposition to urban infill and apartment towers stems from a widespread aversion to people bumping into their neighbours.

Shohreh Nematollahi from Curtin University's department of urban and regional planning surveyed almost 300 people in Canning Bridge, Cannington and Wellard.

She found that while most people accepted that Perth's population growth necessitated higher density housing, they just did not want it built in their suburbs.

"They thought it was fine for other people but not for themselves," she said.

"In the questionnaire I asked to imagine it's happening in your area and you have to go and live in a high-density dwelling, multi-storey environment with more neighbours.

"Some of the issues were physical, like noise. With social issues it came out that diversity is the least desired feature in the environment."

Shared space unattractive

Survey respondents associated high-rise living with renters, neighbours from diverse backgrounds and noise disturbances. ( 720 ABC Perth: Emma Wynne )

Ms Nematollahi found that people wanted to keep to themselves and had an aversion to the prospect of unexpectedly running into neighbours, especially those from different ethnic or income backgrounds.

"Everyone wants to keep their distance — that came out very strongly in my results," she said.

"This possibility of meeting more people in high density [units] made them feel scared about it."

Many of the people surveyed saw apartments as potential investment properties, and when asked to imagine living there respondents also mentioned that they saw having neighbours who were renters negatively.

When asked to consider downsizing, most people were far more positive about medium-density housing, like apartment buildings of less than four storeys or townhouses with limited shared space.

"They are prepared to have very narrow houses, perhaps with just three or four metres frontage as long as they are not sharing with other people," she said.

"That's a big concept for an architect — to make high-density housing without any shared space.

"But people also need to accept that if we live in a city we need to share many things, we need to share space with people from diverse backgrounds."

Room for hope

Despite the negativity of her findings, Ms Nematollahi said she believed there was hope for a change in attitudes.

"There is a fear of the unknown and people who look different. Many of my interviewees said they were influenced by the media in that," she said.

"People who already work in diverse environments or already had neighbours from diverse backgrounds were far more positive."

She said attitudes in Australia were less entrenched than those in the United States or Europe and that communities were capable of change.

"I think Australia as a new country really has the potential to experiment with social strategies."