IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/cog/urbpla/v4y2019i2p123-133.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Development of ‘Age Appropriate’ Living Environments: Analysis of Two Case Studies from a Social Work Perspective

Author

Listed:
  • Carlo Fabian

    (Institute for Social Planning, Organisational Change and Urban Development, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, Switzerland)

  • Sandra Janett

    (Institute for Social Planning, Organisational Change and Urban Development, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, Switzerland)

  • Tobias Bischoff

    (Institute for Social Planning, Organisational Change and Urban Development, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, Switzerland)

  • Riccardo Pardini

    (Institute for Social Planning, Organisational Change and Urban Development, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, Switzerland)

  • Johanna Leitner

    (Institute for Social Planning, Organisational Change and Urban Development, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, Switzerland)

  • Carlo Knöpfel

    (Institute for Social Planning, Organisational Change and Urban Development, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, Switzerland)

Abstract

As the growing number of older people, particularly in urban areas, and changing lifestyles are increasing the importance of continuing to live in the community (ageing in place), studies show that age-related planning of living environments is often shaped by stereotypes, and that the needs of present and future older people are not sufficiently taken into account. In this context, two case studies based on Henri Lefebvre’s theory presented in his book The Production of Space investigate how ‘age-appropriate’ living environments are conceived, practiced and lived, and to what extent age-related stereotypes affect these processes. The two cases examined are an intergenerational project to promote physical activity and the development of a new city square. For both cases, interviews and walkthroughs were conducted with experts from various planning disciplines, as well as with current and future older people. The findings show that in planning practice the notions of old age and older people often remain diffuse and, at the same time, older people are often seen as a homogeneous and fragile group. The results indicate that the importance given to neighbourhood in old age can vary greatly. For social work, this implies that older people should be even more involved in the design of their living environments, through participatory processes, in order to better meet the heterogeneity of their needs.

Suggested Citation

  • Carlo Fabian & Sandra Janett & Tobias Bischoff & Riccardo Pardini & Johanna Leitner & Carlo Knöpfel, 2019. "The Development of ‘Age Appropriate’ Living Environments: Analysis of Two Case Studies from a Social Work Perspective," Urban Planning, Cogitatio Press, vol. 4(2), pages 123-133.
  • Handle: RePEc:cog:urbpla:v4:y:2019:i:2:p:123-133
    DOI: 10.17645/up.v4i2.2060
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/urbanplanning/article/view/2060
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.17645/up.v4i2.2060?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:cog:urbpla:v4:y:2019:i:2:p:123-133. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: António Vieira or IT Department (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.cogitatiopress.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.