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Multigenerational households, in which grandparents, parents, and children share a single residence, have been quietly increasing across many industrialised nations after decades of decline driven by post-war suburbanisation and rising individual incomes. Housing economists attribute the reversal to several converging pressures: stagnant wage growth relative to housing costs, the rising expense of formal childcare and eldercare, and, in some regions, changing cultural attitudes that frame intergenerational cohabitation as a practical choice rather than a sign of financial hardship. Families adopting this arrangement often describe tangible benefits beyond cost savings. Grandparents provide childcare that would otherwise consume a large share of a young family's income, while adult children in turn assist ageing parents with mobility, medical appointments, and household tasks that become harder to manage alone. Proponents argue this arrangement strengthens family bonds across generations and gives children regular, sustained contact with grandparents, a relationship increasingly rare in societies where extended family members often live in different cities or countries. Community organisers in several municipalities have noted a secondary effect: neighbourhoods with a higher proportion of multigenerational households tend to report stronger informal support networks, as these households are more likely to look out for elderly neighbours living alone. The arrangement is not without friction, however. Surveys of multigenerational families frequently cite disagreements over parenting approaches, loss of privacy, and unclear division of household responsibilities as sources of ongoing tension. Architects and urban planners have responded to the trend by designing homes with semi-independent living quarters, sometimes called accessory dwelling units, that allow family members to share a property while retaining separate kitchens, entrances, and living spaces. Several local governments have simplified permitting rules for these units, recognising that flexible housing design may be necessary to accommodate a shift in family structure that shows little sign of reversing in the near term.