An examination of the household characteristics of high-density neighbourhoods in Halifax, Canada

Abstract

In recent decades planning policies have promoted population growth in downtown neighbourhoods, including Halifax, Canada (Grant & Gregory, 2016). These developments are commonly associated with inner-city renewal, gentrification, spatial segregation, and displacement; however, most research on the topic limits major metropolitan areas such as Toronto and Vancouver, with a limited study on high-density development in mid-sized cities. Much of the existing literature also focuses on the urban core, neglecting to look at suburban and exurban high-density developments. This study uncovers the population characteristics of high-density residential areas and the impact of new developments on existing neighborhoods in Halifax, a mid-sized Canadian city. It employs census data at the Dissemination Area (DA) level across the entire metropolitan region using two methods: The first summarizes households' demographic and socio-economic characteristics in the DAs categorized as high-density (HD) for the study purpose. The second analysis focuses on the same variables as the first method but applies to the DAs with high-density dwelling construction between 2011 and 2016. Results show a significant concentration of working-age population in HD DAs and the prominence of smaller households suggesting future demand for smaller and diverse living spaces to accommodate changing household structure. In addition, HD households have significantly lower median household income, more low-income households, and a higher shelter-to-income ratio than the Halifax Census Metropolitan Area (CMA). Between 2006 and 2016, HD DAs gained more recent immigrants, visible minorities, and non-permanent residents. Results also indicate high pedestrian and public transit activity in HD areas, mainly in the Peninsula and parts of Mainland Halifax. While the rest of the suburban Halifax is car-dependent, the high pedestrian and public transit activity does not seem to result from a high-density lifestyle but rather a neighbourhood structure and household socioeconomics. Rising housing costs and the prevalence of lower median income in HD increase the concern of gentrification and affordability issues in urban parts of Halifax. As Halifax aims at strategic growth and population increase for the next 30 years, there is a great need for planning policies to address housing issues for at-risk households struggling to find accommodation, and middle-class households who are increasingly unable to secure housing within their budget.