Another trend in the housing pattern was an increase in apartments and
condominiums at the expense of detached houses. This accounted for
increased population densities in some inner-city areas. The proportion
of households residing in apartments increased from 2.6 per cent to 6.2
per cent between 1970 and 1980, and by 1990 this had further increased
to 9.7 per cent. More dramatically, the use of townhouses (a popular
housing form on mid-priced housing estates) increased from just 2.5 per
cent to 9.3 per cent over the same decade (NSO 1970, 1980, 1990a).
Soaring suburban land prices influenced the trend to more concentrated