Disappearing children: Unexpected crisis hits key Sydney suburbs

The spiral housing costs and rampant construction of high-rise buildings dominated by one-bedroom units have turned part of Sydney into a children’s desert, which is increasingly rare for children.

Analysis of Proptrack and ABS data shows multiple suburbs, with residents under 20 years of age under 20 years of age, and in some cases, children make up 2% of locals.

Despite the overall population increase, the number of children in the early 2000s was also close to half.

This is much faster than the overall Australian fertility rate declines during this period.

Experts say the housing affordability crisis, especially during common periods, is behind the decline in children in some areas, with parents increasingly moving their families to cheaper suburbs.

“The key reason for our decline in birth rates is due to poor housing affordability,” said demographer Mark McCrindle. “This is especially noticeable in more expensive areas of Sydney.

“The aging population has been a long-term trend, but due to the huge increase in housing prices, this has led to more young people launching a lot from many areas. Families also have fewer children.”

He added that this changed Sydney’s structure. “We will reach the median age of residents in certain areas, which will lack a diverse age.”

McLindle said the entire Sydney has aged faster than the rest of the country and that continuing to appear with families with small children will exacerbate the challenge.

“This means that supporting Sydney’s aging population will be a greater burden on the next generation,” McLindle said.

ABS data shows that most suburban teenagers have drought property prices above the city average of hundreds of thousands of dollars, while rents are the highest in the country.

These include Potts Point and Elizabeth Bay, where less than 5% of residents are under 20 years old.

There are fewer children and adolescents in Waterloo, Wally Creek, Surrey Hill, Redfern and Kirily Billy than less than 10% of residents.

But there are also emerging children’s deserts in areas historically dominated by families.

The transformation in the North Shore suburb of St Leonards is particularly noteworthy. In 2001, about 27% of the St Leonards population was less than 15 years old, but by 2021, they accounted for only 11%.

There is a similar trend in the new towns in the suburbs of Neixi: in 2001, 20.5% of residents were under the age of 15, but by the 2021 census, this age group accounted for only 9.1% of locals.

Once home-dominated areas, such as the outer west, north shore and northern beaches, prices rise often coincide with the increase in high-rise buildings.

This led to a rapid shift in local housing, as separate houses were knocked down to make room for small units.

The strongly developed Homebush is a good example: people under 15 years old accounted for one in five residents in 2001, but with rapid unit construction, that number dropped to 15%.

In Burwood, Rhodes, Zetland and the mascot, this is a similar story.

Ray White North Beach Agent Eddy Piddington said that once the couple had a baby, the couple moved to further suburbs, but the trend has accelerated in recent years.

“There’s a significant change at the high end of the market,” Piddington said.

“We used to have only seen high-end buyers in the suburbs of East Harbor. They would call ‘I want to spend $12 million. What do you have?’ That didn’t happen before.

“It’s hard for families to upgrade from one unit to a home in the same area, but it does depend on the family. There are certain value locations above the property, so they stay, but for those who want a big house that can be affordable, they usually have to move.”

Fairlight resident Tom Norris is selling Sydney Road he and his partner bought before having two children. They hope to upgrade to a larger house and say they will have to search further.

“There are a lot of families in this area. You’ll see kids around the house…but I know a lot of people are in the same position. They’re moving because they need more space and they can’t afford the house unless they go further.”

Sydney’s most abundant area of ​​Sydney is often the lower-rise suburbs – often new estates in the outside area.

The supply of detached housing in these areas is usually growing, with home prices below average.

More than 30% of the residents in suburbs under 20 are rope transits, ponds, gables, Orland Park, Jordan Springs and Marsden Park.

Most of these outlying suburbs have homes around $300,000 to $400,000 cheaper than Sydney’s higher median price, and the supply of recently built housing is high.

Mr Norris said he would miss every aspect of Fairlight Lifestyle. “We love this department,” he said. “We just bought it at the beginning of Covid and it really stands out. It’s more like a townhouse or a half-month, but now it’s time to move on.”