By Jan-François Grabowiecki
Taking a stroll through Lowertown, it’s easy to spot several recent and important changes to our neighbourhood’s physical layout. Parks have been revitalized, main arteries rebuilt, and several large residential structures have been built – to name a few. But how has the group of residents who call Lowertown home changed over the years? Drawing on data from the last three censuses and the national household survey, we can see how the demographic features of our community have evolved.
In this analysis, Lowertown is the area bounded by Rideau Street to the south, Sussex Drive to the north and west, and the Rideau River to the east. Its population grew by 1,050 since 2001, reaching 12,183 residents in 2011. During this time, the number of households grew even more, by 1,105, which implies that the average household size in our community has decreased: indeed, it fell from 2.0 people per household in 2001 to 1.8 in 2011. Compared to 2001, there are 865 more households of 1 person, 345 more of 2 persons, but 125 less of 3 or more persons. This suggests that there are fewer kids in Lowertown: 135 less to be exact, and they now account for 12% of Lowertown’s population, compared to a city-of-Ottawa average of 23%. The growth in population has come from adults aged 20-34 years old (+575 since 2001) and those aged 55 and over (+665 since 2001).
Looking at the types of residential dwellings, there are 1,300 more apartments – 80% of which have 5 of more stories – compared to 2001. Conversely, there are 190 fewer houses. This is not surprising, since several new condo towers were built in this time. In 2011, roughly 80% of residents in Lowertown lived in apartment or condo buildings, compared to the 30% city-wide average.
Lowertown continues to be a culturally and ethnically diverse community: 26% of residents are immigrants. 27% of the population identified French as their mother tongue, about twice the city-wide average (14%), but down from 36% in 2001 – although this drop may be overstated since institutional residents are not included in the 2011 census.
Turning to income, Lowertown residents earn about 50% more than before: average household income grew from $46,000 to $68,000 between 2001 and 2011. The proportion of household earnings over $100,000 grew from 9% of households in 2001 to 20% in 2011, a sign of gentrification.
So how do residents feel about these changes? According to Sylvie Grenier, planning committee chair of the Lowertown Community Association, “New development is good, but it is important to provide a variety of new housing sizes and types to create a healthy neighbourhood where residents can live all of their lives.”
What do you think about these changes in our community? Write us at echo@lowertown.ca