Work

The Youthification of Tall Building Neighbourhoods: An Analysis of the Age Composition of Different Housing Market Segments

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: We segment the housing market into clusters using dwelling type, tenure, and number of rooms, and analyze the population age distribution of the clusters in Canadian cities. We find four clusters: owned single-detached houses, low-rise rented apartments, tall building rented apartments, and owned attached dwellings (townhouses, duplexes, and semi-detached). The tall building cluster shows the most pronounced differences in age, has the highest share of young adults and is the only cluster to see an increase in young adults over a 40-year period. Shares of older cohorts increased in the single-detached and attached clusters. We find evidence of youthification of tall building neighbourhoods as young adults are channelled into higher density neighbourhoods by structural pressures shaping cities.

Source: Findings

DOI: 10.32866/001c.167540

Authors: Markus Moos, Renan Cai, Katherine Perrott

Institution: University of Waterloo

Language: English

Topic: Urban, Neighborhood, and Segregation Studies

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Sustainable cities and communities

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $100