Urban housing: one area generations agree on

All generations, from baby boomers to Gen Z, may have more in common than they think.

It appears people of all ages are broadly aligned when it comes to urban housing preferences.

No matter their age, or where in the world they live, people are looking for basics such as safety and affordability. But their next biggest priority? More green space, according to JLL’s Experience Matters Global Consumer Experience Survey. 

Yet with space at a premium in high-density cities, balconies are often the only option for apartment dwellers. This has made communal outdoor areas increasingly important for buyers and renters alike.

Investors are taking note.

“In recent years investor decisions have become more values led, driven by ESG commitments,” says Simon Latson, JLL’s Head of Building Consultancy for Living. “Awareness of real estate’s social impact is creating an expectation of ‘better’ that developers are responding to – and that includes being thoughtful about green space.”

Solving for this can mean taking over the roof, or even entire floors of high-rise buildings, to create recreational spaces with trees, plants, pathways and running water.

The Landmark Pinnacle building in Canary Wharf created one such sky garden on the 27^th floor, featuring over 3,500 plants and hundreds of trees for residents to enjoy.

Meanwhile in central Singapore, a new high-rise residential development of two 38 storey towers features an allotment garden every four storeys, with close to 200 plots where residents can grow their own herbs, fruits and vegetables and integrate as a community.

“It's all about the resident experience and what people want from a home,” says Latson. “There’s a sense of wider purpose when it comes to placemaking. We’re creating communities, not just buildings.”

Human connection is one of four common factors found by JLL’s consumer research to contribute to positive experiences, regardless of consumer age or real estate type.

Yet isolation and loneliness threaten the quality of life in cities, exacerbated in younger generations by a reliance on digital interaction, and in older people due to lack of mobility.

“Some form of shared outdoor green space can facilitate those serendipitous encounters that allow people across different age groups to meet neighbors they may not otherwise have encountered,” says Latson.

He describes how one development of apartments in Newbury, England, built on a former industrial site, landscaped a central courtyard with inclusive elements designed to offer something for all ages.

“From areas that would appeal to small children, all the way up to carefully positioned benches for older people to sit and enjoy the space, they really thought carefully about how it interacted with the buildings and walkways to bring people together,” he says.

And it’s not just new developments that are getting greener.

As cities around the world evaluate the needs of urban populations, there’s growing recognition of the importance of creating greener, healthier environments for physical and mental wellbeing.

One successful urban greening project in Antwerp, Belgium, made clever use of space to create “garden streets” in built up areas, using vertical wall gardens, vegetable gardens and planted kerb areas.

Planting and tending to these new green spaces provided residents, including elderly people, immigrants, and tenants in social and private housing, with more opportunities to spend time outside, meet their neighbors and make new friends.

As well as prioritizing green space, JLL’s survey uncovered broad consensus across all demographics of the need for multi-generational developments in urban living.

UK cohousing community, Marmalade Lane, provides homes for families, retired couples, and young professionals to live side by side, with the benefit of shared outdoor gardens and spaces that encourage community interaction and socializing.

In some cases, developers are going one step further, bringing different generations back together, under one roof.

In London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Chobham Manor is a new urban neighborhood masterplan with “multi-gen houses” designed to do just that. An independent one-bedroom annex joined to the main house by a shared courtyard provides accommodation for either a grandparent, a student returning to live with their family, a young couple saving to get on the housing ladder or a relative requiring a carer.

While amenities such as concierges, gyms, coworking spaces or clubhouses, may suit some demographics more than others, the need for green space and a sense of community cuts across development type, price point and resident profile.

“It’s clear that investors and residents of all ages now see decent green space as mandatory,” says Latson. “Incorporating it thoughtfully into urban developments both attracts capital and creates the consumer desirability necessary to achieving market rates and fast saleability.”