Urban housing: one area generations agree on

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.”