There has been little change in the distribution of dwellings built prior to 1946. As one would expect older dwellings are concentrated in the older residential areas, particularly the inner city. Although there is a connection between age, condition and value of dwellings there are exceptions to this correlation. Areas like Riverheights just outside the inner city and parts of Wolseley within the inner city have very old stock but it has been constantly upgraded and commandss high values on the market.

The only significant change in the pattern of homeownership over the twenty-year period has been the growth of suburban areas where the proportion of occupied dwellings that are owned generally exceeds 80 percent. With the exception of a few neighbourhoods, the inner city stands out as an area characterized by very low levels of homeownership. In some inner city neighbourhoods less than 20 percent of the units are owner occupied.

Although trend line data on affordability problems (spending 30 percent or more of gross income on shelter) for renter households is limited the maps suggest the maps suggest that households with affordability problems are concentrated in the inner city. Problems are prevalent throughout the city, however, and there are many neighbourhoods in the older residential and suburban areas where more than 30 percent of renter households have affordability problems. The maps illustrate a general improvement during the 1996 and 2001 period. This parallels national trends that illustrated some improvement in housing affordability during this timeframe.

The maps illustrate much lower proportions of owners than renters have affordability problems. Ownership affordability problems are not concentrated in the inner city because the proportion of owners in the inner city is quite low. Despite this the maps for 1991 and 1996 illustrate that some inner city neighbourhoods have a high proportion of owners paying 30 percent or more of their gross income for shelter. Affordability problems are also more prevalent for suburban owners in 1991 and 1996. During the 1996 to 2001 period there were improvements in owner affordability in both inner city and suburban neighbourhoods.

General education levels have been improving citywide since 1981 and have improved significantly in the inner city over the 20-year period. In 2001 only a small proportion of neighbourhoods in the inner city have more than 30 percent of the population 20 years and older with less than a grade nine education.

The inner city neighbourhoods have very low proportions of people with a degree or higher levels of education. There are relatively few neighbourhoods in the inner city where the proportion exceeds 10 percent of the population 15 years (20 years in 2001) of age. On a city wide basis there has been a growing concentration of people with higher levels of education south of Portage Avenue, particularly in the southwest sector of the city.

Unemployment rates illustrate the reverse pattern of participation rates: higher in the inner city and much lower in suburban areas. Over the thirty-year period the inner city illustrates increasing unemployment rates. Increases are particularly noticeable until 1996 when a majority of inner city neighbourhoods had rates that exceeded 15 percent. In 1971 there were virtually no inner city neighbourhoods where the unemployment rate exceeded 15 percent. There were notable signs of improvement in employment rates in the inner city between 1996 and 2001. This parallels improvement in the economy and declining unemployment rates in general.

The series of seven maps portray population density by neighbourhood through the 1971-2001 period. The maps illustrate that there has been no significant increase in densities in the City in general, although this does not rule out increases on small sites within neighbourhoods. Densities are higher in the inner city, but there have been no noticeable increases in density over the thirty-year period. Winnipeg is certainly not moving toward the higher densities that may be necessary to address environmental concerns associated with low-density sprawling development or toward the densities that may be required to make public transportation more efficient and cost effective.

The series of eight maps illustrate population change by neighbourhood in the City of Winnipeg during the 1971 – 2001 period. The first six maps illustrate change during each intercensal period. These maps illustrate significant growth in emerging suburban areas as well as continuous decline in most inner city neighbourhoods. From the mid ’80s a very small number of inner city neighbourhoods illustrate modest increases. Map seven, illustrating change over the entire thirty years, portrays significant decline in the inner city. Some neighbourhoods have lost more than fifty percent of their population over the thirty years. However, decline extends well beyond the inner city to older residential areas. The only areas of significant growth are newly emerging suburban areas on the fringe of the City. Map eight, illustrating absolute change, indicates that some neighbourhoods, generally in the inner city, have declined by more than 4,000 people over the thirty years while suburban areas have increased by thousands. Population aging, declining household size and shifts from inner city and older suburban to newly emerging suburban areas, all help account for these changes.

Mobility rates have remained high in the inner city over the twenty-year period. New suburban areas as they develop on the periphery of the city also illustrate high mobility rates. New subdivisions on the southeast, northwest, north and southwest, as they are developed, reflect high mobility. The greatest stability is reflected in the older residential areas outside the inner city.