A house in the suburbs, a nice lawn, a white picket fence and two or three kids.

For decades, that was the nuclear dream for generations of young Canadians.

But now, things are changing.

“My generation was totally in love with the automobile and couldn’t wait to get into the suburbs,” says Kitchener realtor Ian Brown.

“Now it’s more of an urban attraction.”

Today’s twenty-somethings in Waterloo Region and beyond are increasingly flocking to downtown cores where automobiles are less integral to everyday life – if they’re necessary at all.

Nathan Flanagan is an example of that.

He’s not about to give up his car – he too works as a real estate agent – but having amenities close at hand provides ample reason for him to plan on making downtown Kitchener the site of his first purchased home.

“My office is just two minutes driving and my gym is literally about a two-minute bike ride away,” he tells CTV.

Uptown Waterloo is also a possibility, but Flanagan is set on one thing – wherever he buys will be in an urban core.

In an effort to compete with Waterloo, the City of Kitchener has spent $110 million to attract downtown development – something city officials view as necessary for an area that still carries a rougher reputation in some circles.

It’s a reputation that may not be deserved– according to the Waterloo Regional Police Service online crime mapping tool, uptown Waterloo has seen twice as many crimes (assaults, break and enters, drug offences and graffiti) as downtown Kitchener so far this year.

Flanagan ended up making an offer on a downtown Kitchener townhouse only a week after it went on the market.

He says in addition to everything else, it’s a strong financial investment, as the townhouse has increased in value by $100,000 over the past 10 years – and similar trends are seen elsewhere in Kitchener.

“I think the umbrella here is not fully opened, and we’re going to see a lot of appreciation in the future,” he says.

Still, real estate in urban cores is often more expensive than in other neighbourhoods – something that can be a sticking point for many young professionals.

CTV’s Max Wark is looking at real estate trends in southwestern Ontario this week on CTV News.