What is a NORC?

A Naturally Occurring Retirement Community (NORC) is a neighbourhood or building where a high proportion of residents are older adults—typically in high-rise apartments that were never designed for seniors but have naturally become home to them over time. This shift reflects broader demographic change: older Canadians now represent the fastest-growing segment of the population, and most live in major urban centres. In places like Toronto, nearly 500 high-rises in the downtown core have populations where 40% or more of residents are seniors. Similar trends in cities such as Vancouver, Montreal, and Ottawa are reshaping the environments in which aging takes place, creating vertical, organically formed communities of older adults.

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Why NORCs Need Support

Most Canadians want to age in place—to remain independent in their own homes for as long as possible. Yet aging at home often requires some level of support, from help with everyday tasks to opportunities for social connection. Traditional senior living options, such as long-term care and retirement homes, are either at capacity or financially inaccessible for many low- and middle-income older adults. Meanwhile, high-rise living offers both advantages and challenges: easier mobility and reduced home maintenance, but also isolation, fragmented support networks, and environments not designed with aging bodies in mind. These realities highlight the opportunity—and necessity—of strengthening supports within NORCs so older adults can thrive where they already live.

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What OpenLab Is Doing

Since 2015, OpenLab has been working with seniors to explore and advance new models of aging in place within NORCs. Early projects such as Aging Well: Senior Social Living and the Vertical Aging report used research-through-storytelling and design-led inquiry to identify promising models for 21st-century aging. Building on this foundation, OpenLab launched the NORC Ambassadors Program, partnering with seniors to strengthen social connection, neighbour-to-neighbour support, and inclusive community-building within high-rise NORCs. This senior-led approach complements—not duplicates—formal home care or social services by focusing on everyday support, belonging, and mutual aid.

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This work has evolved into the NORC Innovation Centre (NIC), which advances an integrated model of health, social, and technological supports for aging in vertical communities. By collaborating with residents and leveraging the unique potential of high-density NORCs, NIC aims to demonstrate how cities can enable older adults to age with dignity, independence, and community.

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Contact: Jen Recknagel

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