UK housing crisis changing demographics for all generations
The lack of affordable housing in many parts of the UK has damaged society and weakened the bonds between different age groups who now increasingly live apart, according to a new report by the Intergenerational Foundation, funded by Legal & General. The study found that increasingly younger people rented in town and city centres while the older generation lived in rural or leafier suburban areas, contributing to an "unfair society where economic and social exclusion goes hand in hand with regional and generational inequality," said Legal & General's CEO, Nigel Wilson. 
The housing crisis is driving a wedge between the young and the old, according to a report.

It said a rise in 'age segregation' had seen regenerated city centres increasingly becoming the preserve of the under-30s, while the middle-aged dominate in coastal areas.

The lack of affordable housing in many areas has damaged society by weakening the bonds between the different age groups, according to the report by the Intergenerational Foundation.

A report from the Intergenerational Foundation identified Cardiff, with its large student population, as the most age segregated city in England and Wales

The think-tank found that the number of neighbourhoods in which half the population is over 50 has surged as young people move to towns and cities.

In 1991 there were just 65 such areas. But this had increased to 485 by 2014, 60 per cent of which were rural. 'The housing crisis is driving a geographic wedge between the generations', the report said. 'It means that older and younger generations are increasingly living apart.'

The report identified Cardiff, with its large student population, as the most age segregated city in England and Wales.

Angus Hanton, IF co-founder, said: 'We believe the housing crisis is driving this trend, with older generations enjoying either rural or leafier suburban living, while young people are concentrated in rental properties in the centre of towns and cities.

'This is hugely damaging to intergenerational relations. It weakens the bonds between the generations, and leads to a lack of understanding of, and empathy for, other generations.'

In Cardiff, more than 30 per cent of young adults, a quarter of retirees, and 15 per cent of children would need to move in order to eliminate age segregation in the city. Its centre has become more youthful while outer-lying neighbourhoods have aged.

Economic and social exclusion

Brighton, Leeds, Nottingham, Sheffield and Southampton were also identified as age segregation hotspots.

Young adults were attracted to cities by the cultural regeneration of industrial areas and the expansion of universities – but surging house prices have locked them out of ownership.

At the other end of the housing ladder, older generations face a 'last-time' buying crisis due to a general lack of supply and a lack of suitable accommodation to downsize into, the report said.

The median age in rural areas is now 50, compared with 38 in cities.

The median age in rural areas is now 50, compared with 38 in cities

The report also warns that the NHS could face a bigger strain through additional care costs as it becomes harder for the scattered young and old to look after each other properly.

Nigel Wilson, chief executive of Legal & General, which funded the research, said: 'We have created an unfair society where economic and social exclusion goes hand in hand with regional and generational inequality.'

He said 100,000 new homes per year, of all tenures, and new infrastructure were needed to help reverse the situation.

The report recommended that it should be made easier for older generations to subdivide their homes and more properties should be built to allow them to downsize. Mixed housing developments should also be created to allow different generations to live in the same locations.

The report analysed figures from the Office for National Statistics using techniques developed to calculate racial segregation in America.