The Divided City: income inequality and housing disadvantage in Calgary

Abstract

Income inequality and income polarization have risen sharply in many Canadian Metropolitan Areas, especially in the Calgary CMA which is Canada’s second most unequal city. Housing affordability is a concern for a growing share of the population who faces housing disadvantage in a free market private rental housing. The purpose of this thesis is to better understand the geography of housing disadvantage at a neighbourhood scale in Calgary. A mixed method approach is used to identify the social characteristics and perceptions of housing disadvantage. Overall, eleven unique dimensions are identified while in Calgary a 7 components model seems to better explain HD. The study reveals that the owner vs. renter divide is one of the most important aspects in predicting housing disadvantage in Canadian cities, as the literature suggests. It then briefly provides policy suggestions and discuss the general outcomes of housing disadvantage in Canadian cities.