Do young adults want to live downtown? Understanding attitudes in Prince George, BC

ABSTRACT

Cities throughout North America are experiencing a population boom in the city centre, fueled by changing consumer preferences, particularly amongst young adults. However, not all communities have experienced this phenomenon equally. In Prince George, a mid-sized city located in northern British Columbia, the downtown has not undergone a population resurgence. Instead, development continues to expand outwards at the edge of the city. Using a web-based survey, this research seeks to better understand the attitudes of young adults in Prince George, to gauge their perspectives about living downtown, and to understand the factors that constrain market demand. Our findings indicate that respondents hold negative perceptions about the downtown, which leads to soft market demand and impedes plans for population growth in the downtown.

KEY MESSAGES

• Young adults are fueling population growth in the downtowns of cities throughout North America.

• Many mid-sized cities, such as Prince George, have not experienced this same phenomenon, because of soft market demand, stemming from negative perceptions about the downtown.

• To increase the downtown population and contribute to the broader goal of revitalization, the city, in collaboration with other stakeholders, must first address the underlying factors that are impeding market demand.

KEYWORDS:

• Downtown
• planning
• young adults
• Canada
• mid-sized city

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).