Urban Ideas- Sydney’s Emerging Urban Lifestyles

There is a growing debate about the changing nature of the Sydney skyline as more and
more people want to live in the city. Community groups raise concerns about congestion,
the newspapers declare that ‘SYDNEY IS FULL’, and more and more cranes appear
across the city. Clearly the city is changing, and the biggest change is the construction of
large numbers of apartments, often in towers near railway stations. Back in 1991 these
apartments were only 21% of Sydney’s homes. They are now 30% , and this could rise to
an amazing 50% in 40 years time. Often the debate on the changing nature of the city is
framed in negative ways regarding increasing density, but the reality is that those living in
apartments also make up a significant part of the community.
To better understand who lives in apartments and what the trends are toward a more
urban way of living, Urban Taskforce commissioned demographers McCrindle to
develop profiles on typical apartment dwellers. We were interested in what trends
were happening as the apartment boom is well underway, particularly in terms of the
age, family structure and attitudes of those living in apartments.

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