Introduction to the Special Edition: Housing and Demographic Change

The exponential growth in population has been a de!ning feature of the modern age – in 1974 the world’s population was just 4 billion and it is now estimated to be 7 billion and is likely to increase to 9.3 billion by 2050 (UNFPA 2011). Population growth will continue to have a signi!cant impact on urban regions and governments will be forced to confront a complex set of political, environmental, social and economic challenges. Taking Australia as an example, it is predicted that the nation’s population will grow from its current 22.3 million to 35 million by 2050 and over this time the proportion of people of working age is due to fall from 65% to 61% (Australian Government, Department of Infrastructure and Transport 2011). The fall in the number of people working will reduce the capacity for economic growth and generating tax revenue. We can also expect increased levels of car dependency and greater demands for health care as the population ages. The issues that face policy makers in Australia are broadly similar to those in North America, Europe and Japan. In other regions such as Africa and countries such as India, the fertility rate remains high with the proportion of young people (under 25) in some nation states already reaching 60% (UNFPA 2011).