Environmental Gerontology

The study reflects on housing as a factor of quality of life in aging, from the approach of environmental gerontology. Likewise, theories about the relationship between the environment and aging are explored, with references to the spatial experience and the environmental context of aging in the place, such as housing and the neighborhood. The risks of aging in housing, especially falls, are also discussed. In addition, the need to generate a culture of prevention associated with policies aimed at promoting environmental adaptation strategies and fostering friendly environments for the elderly is stressed.
El estudio reflexiona sobre la vivienda como factor de calidad de vida en el envejecimiento, desde el enfoque de la gerontología ambiental. Asimismo, se exploran las teorías sobre la relación entre el ambiente y el envejecimiento, con referencias a la experiencia espacial y al contexto ambiental de envejecer en el lugar, como la vivienda y el barrio. También se discute sobre los riesgos de envejecer en la vivienda, especialmente las caídas. Además, se subraya la necesidad de generar una cultura de la prevención asociada con políticas encaminadas a fomentar estrategias de adaptación ambiental y propiciar entornos amigables para las personas de edad.

Understanding the relationship between population ageing and urban change has become a major issue for public policy. An emerging theme has concerned the need to develop supportive urban communities for older citizens. This paper provides a critical perspective on what has been termed the development of 'age-friendly cities and communities' by exploring such policies in the context of urban change arising from globalisation, urban regeneration and austerity. A key argument is that research and policies on age-friendly cities require stronger integration with analyses of the impact of global forces transforming the physical and social context of cities. This theme is developed by examining: first, the arguments behind the development of the 'age-friendly' approach; second, the pressures affecting urban environments, and their relevance for the 'age-friendly' debate; and third, challenges for improving the urban environment for older populations. The article concludes by discussing the need to combine a conceptual model of 'age-friendliness' with analysis of the economic and social forces transforming urban environments.

This book looks at the relationships between the physical-social environment and the elderly in Europe and Latin America, from the Environmental Gerontology perspective and through geographical and psychosocial approaches. It addresses the main environmental issues of population ageing, based on an understanding of the complex relationships, adjustments and adaptations between different environments (home, residence, public spaces, landscapes, neighbourhoods, urban and rural environment) and the quality of life of the ageing population, associated with residential strategies and other aspects related to health and dependency. The different levels of socio-spatial analysis are also explored: macro (urban and rural environments, regions and landscapes), meso (neighbourhood, public space) and micro (personal, home and institution). New theoretical and methodological approaches are proposed to analyse the attributes and functions of the physical-social environment of the elderly, as well as new ways of living the ageing process. All will have to respond to the challenges of urbanisation, globalisation and climate change in the 21st century. Also, the different experiences and challenges of public planning and management professionals involved with the growing ageing population are presented, and will require greater association and collaboration with the academic and scientific fields of Environmental Gerontology.

Identification of environmental Therapeutic Goals (TGs) has proven essential in providing useful guidance for planning and design (Cohen & Weisman 1991).  Though age-specific environmental dimensions have been suggested by several researchers during 1980’s to 1990’s, none of them focused on dying patients and their experience in hospice care environment, so the need for categorizing dimensions for hospice environment is evident. The objective of this study is to identify the Therapeutic Goals of hospice environment focusing on patients’ experience. This study employed a systematic literature review with an
approach developed by Hawker and colleagues in 2002. This study had considered a wide-ranging literature search: 7 electronic databases search (PubMed, PsycINFO, Social Science Citation Index, Science Citation Index, ProQuest Dissertations & Thesis, Avery, and Cochrane Library), reference list search, examination of literature recommended by relevant experts, and Google search for books, reports, and guidelines.  In total 48 literature included; 39 full text articles, 2 books, 5 guidelines, and 2 reports. The data has extracted from these literature onto a standard template (matrix) for comparison and analysis for coding and thematic development. The study identified eight themes as TGs which have direct influence on patients’ experience of hospice care environment: provide continuity of self, provision of access to nature, provision of privacy, facilitate social interaction, maximize safety & security, provision of autonomy, regulate stimulation, and
provision of spiritual care. These goals reflect two characteristics; each expresses a basic or derived major patient’s need, and a potential environmental facilitator for the satisfaction of the need (Lawton et al. 2000). As the physical environment of hospice has significant impact on the patients’ quality of life and the possibility of a good death (Cohen et al. 2001), these TGs have a positive effect on patients’ lives.

El objetivo general de este trabajo es mostrar la situación actual del proceso de envejecimiento de la población y de las personas mayores a través de la visión general de los estudios gerontológicos y ubicar a la Geografía dentro del contexto de la Gerontología. La metodología se ha basado en una amplia revisión bibliográfica, así como la consulta de bases de datos del Censo de Población y Vivienda.
En el primer capítulo reflexionamos detenidamente sobre las causas que han motivado el interés por el envejecimiento de la población, observando las múltiples presiones que han conducido a esta inquietud reciente y creciente: la demográfica, las políticas y económicas, las populares y la de los profesionales. Y a través de éstas, se trata de responder a algunas de las cuestiones vigentes en la sociedad: ¿Estamos preparados para cubrir las demandas de la población mayor? ¿Quién debe encargarse de solventar los posibles problemas de la tercera edad? ¿Qué peso político tendrán los votantes mayores y qué consecuencias conllevará? ¿Las pensiones están en peligro?; ¿Existe suficiente personal cualificado para atender la nueva demanda? ¿Serán necesarias nuevas titulaciones para cubrir las demandas laborales del mercado relacionadas con este colectivo?
El segundo capítulo versa sobre el interés que ha despertado la vejez a lo largo de la historia, indagando sobre las distintas situaciones que han vivido los ancianos, con el propósito de reflexionar sobre el rol de nuestros mayores en la sociedad de consumo. Y a continuación, se investiga sobre la trayectoria seguida por los distintos profesionales que han contribuido al desarrollo de la Gerontología en el mundo desarrollado, y en España en particular.
En el tercer capítulo, se pone de manifiesto que la interdisciplinaridad de las ciencias es esencial para el progreso de los estudios gerontológicos. Aquí se diserta sobre el papel desarrollado por la Biología, la Medicina geriátrica, la Psicogerontología, la Demografía, la Sociología, la Economía y la Geografía en la comprensión del fenómeno; destacando los logros obtenidos por las disciplinas biopsicosociales y sus colaboraciones con la Geografía. En este apartado no ha faltado la mención a los desafíos a los que se deben enfrentar tanto los gerontólogos, en calidad de expertos del envejecimiento, como el resto de la sociedad: La necesidad de plantear al sistema educativo la inclusión de nociones básicas sobre este fenómeno como elemento integrador; la exigencia de un tratamiento del proceso más objetivo y solidario en los medios de comunicación; la reivindicación de fomentar las relaciones intergeneracionales para intentar globalizar la solidaridad; el derecho de concienciar al mayor de su realidad y de las oportunidades sociales; y la pretensión de invertir en apoyos a los familiares y a los profesionales .
Por último, en el capítulo cuarto se ofrece una revisión de los estudios geográficos centrados en el proceso de envejecimiento de la población y la situación de las personas mayores; se defienden la importancia de las cuestiones espaciales del fenómeno, las aportaciones realizadas por los geógrafos al campo de la Gerontología y, finalmente, se plantean algunos de los principales desafíos a los que se enfrentan los geógrafos del envejecimiento: reconocer sus limitaciones actuales; delimitar su campo científico y reclamar su compromiso dentro de la Geografía, las ciencias sociales y la Gerontología académicas; reforzar su rama aportando teorías y metodologías aplicadas; demostrar la importancia de las cuestiones espaciales en el proceso de envejecimiento tanto en los estudios geográficos como en los gerontológicos; y demandar una mayor presencia de los geógrafos en las cuestiones relacionadas con el envejecimiento y la situación de estas personas, participando activamente en equipos transdisciplinares.

While social connectedness is heralded as a key enabler of positive health and social outcomes for older people, rarely have they themselves had the opportunity to express their views about the concept. Working with a diverse group of Pacific, Māori, Asian and New Zealand European older adults, this paper explores what matters to older people when discussing social connectedness? We draw from individual, in-depth interviews with 44 older adults, and three group interviews comprising 32 older adults. Data were analysed using thematic and narrative analyses. The three themes identified were: getting out of the house, ability to connect and feelings of burden. Fundamental to social connectedness was participants' desire to be recognised as resourceful agents able to foster relationships on the basis of mutual respect. Social connectedness was conceptualised as multi-levelled: relating to interpersonal relationships as much as neighbourhoods and wider society. Alongside these similarities we also discuss important differences. Participants preferred to socialise with people from similar cultural backgrounds where they shared taken-for-granted social customs and knowledges. This is in the context where racism, poverty and inequalities clearly impeded already minoritised participants' sense of social connection. Key structural ways to improve social connectedness should focus on factors that enable cohesion between levels of connection, including stable neighbourhoods serviced with accessible public transport, liveable pensions and inclusivity of cultural diversity.

An inclusive neighbourhood is a key facilitator enabling older adults to age in place. Neighbourhoods have been identified as a dimension of social exclusion important to older adults, and it has been argued that older adults are particularly vulnerable to neighbourhood change. The aim of this study was to explore older adults' experiences of neighbourhood exclusion within the context of neighbourhood change. Focus groups were undertaken in the urban and rural areas of a metropolitan borough in England involving a total of 41 older adults, with data analysed via thematic analysis. Urban areas in the borough studied have transformed following the closure of the mining industry, with a high level of deprivation in many areas, while some rural areas have undergone gentrifica-tion. Within the context of structural neighbourhood change, four themes were identified: community cohesion, political agency, feelings of safety and the physical environment. The themes were interlinked, which calls for collaboration across traditional lines of professional responsibility, and for research that encompasses different aspects of neighbourhood exclusion. This study contributes with knowledge on older adults' experiences of exclusion, including novel findings on the importance of political agency and collective memory, and identifies actions to combat exclusion. An active involvement of older adults in the development of initiatives to tackle social exclusion is recommended.

""The book is the result of a fan from the perspective of the Geography of Aging and Environmental Gerontology, budding fields of knowledge which are essential in the new millennium for understanding the phenomenon of aging. The study enables practitioners, professionals and students from the various disciplines of Social Gerontology, to address some of the main questions of socio-spatial implications of aging at home (aging in place). What social and spatial challenges posed by an aging population?, Is it possible to age at home and in our cities? It reflects on central questions about geographical and gerontological aging at different scales and their implications for socio planning gerontological and geriatric social services and health care.

El libro es el resultado de un trabajo entusiasta desde la óptica de la Geografía del Envejecimiento y la Gerontología Ambiental, campos de conocimiento en ciernes que serán determinantes en el presente milenio para la comprensión del fenómeno del envejecimiento. El estudio permite a profesionales, especialistas y estudiantes de las diversas disciplinas de la Gerontología Social, poder abordar algunas de las principales interrogantes de las implicaciones socioespaciales del envejecimiento en el hogar (ageing in place). ¿Qué retos sociales y espaciales plantea el envejecimiento de la población?; ¿es posible envejecer en el hogar y en nuestras ciudades? Se reflexiona sobre cuestiones centrales geográficas y gerontológicas sobre el envejecimiento de la población a distintas escalas socioespaciales y sus implicaciones en la planificación gerontológica y geriátrica de los servicios sociales, asistenciales y de salud.""

Developing age-friendly cities and communities has become a
key part of policies aimed at improving the quality of life of older
people in urban areas. The World Health Organization has been
especially important in driving the “age-friendly” agenda, notably
through its global network of age-friendly cities and communities.
Despite the expansion and achievements of the network,
challenges remain in responding to the growth of inequality and
the impact of economic austerity on aging policies. Against the
background of these limitations, this article sets out a “manifesto
for the age-friendly movement” aimed at raising the aspirations
of what is now a worldwide movement. The areas covered in the
manifesto are challenging social inequality, widening participation,
coproducing and codesigning age-friendly communities,
encouraging multisectorial and multidisciplinary collaboration,
and integrating research with policy. The article concludes with
a discussion on developing age-friendly work as a contribution to
a new agenda for urban aging.

The premise of promoting aging in place is that neighborhoods can enhance or protect older adults’ health. But progress toward health-promoting settings has been slow in practice given limited understanding of causal pathways to facilitate targeted interventions in the built and social environment of neighborhoods. This article compares the effects of neighborhood built and social environment on older adults’ physical and psychosocial health by reviewing relevant articles from three interdisciplinary databases. With reference to an Urban Space Framework, 51 relevant articles were
analyzed in four categories, each of which compares the significance of two pairs of relationships in the environment and health nexus. Whereas neighborhood social environment has more significant relationship with older adults’ psychosocial health, the findings for neighborhood built environment are mixed. A resultant transdisciplinary
framework links the urban design of neighborhoods to older adults’ health via neighborhood social environment and older adults’ psychosocial health, given fulfillment of macro level health prerequisites. The article concludes with a discussion on the utility of the framework to facilitate research on micro level causal pathways from neighborhood built environment to older adults’ health.

The study reflects on the strategies of adaptation to the urban environments in aging, with allusions to Latin America. The results indicate the existence of problems derived from analytical reductionism and the simplification of the theoretical models on environmental adaptation and aging. Maladjustment is determined by personal abilities (social exclusion, disability and dependency) and, mainly, urban physical-social problems. Likewise, environmental adaptation strategies for active aging in the place are proposed from the evaluation of personal assets, as well as the attributes and functions of the urban environment.

El estudio reflexiona sobre las estrategias de adaptación a los entornos urbanos en el envejecimiento, con alusiones a América Latina. Los resultados indican la existencia de problemas derivados del reduccionismo analítico y la simplificación de los modelos teóricos sobre la adaptación ambiental y el envejecimiento. La desadaptación está determinada por las capacidades personales (exclusión social, discapacidad y dependencia) y, principalmente, por los problemas físico-sociales urbanos. Asimismo, se proponen estrategias de adaptación ambiental para el envejecimiento activo en el lugar, a partir de la evaluación de los activos personales, así como de los atributos y funciones del ambiente urbano.

In the early 1960s, amid affluence, loneliness, and increasing longevity, a new type of community appeared in the United States: the “active-retirement complex,” with thousands of houses and/or apartments and an unprecedented range of communal facilities. Though such communities were instantly popular, skeptics likened the first examples to internment camps, and to deflect such critiques, developers like Ross Cortese began to prioritize design. In Retirement Planning: Charles Warren Callister, the Neighborhood Unit, and the Architecture of Community at Rossmoor and Heritage Village, Matthew Gordon Lasner describes how Cortese hired acclaimed San Francisco Bay Area architect Charles Warren Callister, known for his innovative private and ecclesiastical commissions, to design a new retirement community known as Rossmoor, located in the East Bay suburb of Walnut Creek. Long interested in housing reform, Callister attempted to serve the needs of seniors, especially their needs for community and activity, by employing a village plan and arranging the housing in “neighborhoods” around clustered courtyards, both at Rossmoor and at a later project, Heritage Village in Connecticut. Lasner’s study examines the experiences of residents of Callister’s complexes to determine whether this approach, which was rooted in theory rather than gerontological research, “worked” as intended.

The book offers a broad, sharp and necessary vision of the global challenges of population aging and climate change. It is argued that the possible solutions will come from a joint approach to both issues. It reflects on the causes and consequences of climate change, as well as the strategies to curb its progress based on the understanding of its connections with the population of the planet, marked by ecological deterioration, urbanization, inequality, migration and aging. This global phenomenon represents a social achievement and an opportunity of business; but, also, a threat to the economy of the States, for its repercussions in pensions, health, dependency and, even, ecological footprint. So, ARE WE PREPARED TO ADAPT TO CLIMATE CHANGE IN AN AGED WORLD? CAN WE GET TO A LONGEVITY ABOVE OUR POSSIBILITIES? Social, public health, housing, land management and risk management policies must adapt their programs and resources to climate change in an aging world, where the elderly are the main victims of disasters. An approach is proposed to the factors that determine vulnerability and resilience in aging, such as our environment. From the environmental gerontology, the implications of the physical environments (housing, residences, neighborhoods, cities) and social (family, social networks) in the adaptive capacities of older adults face a climate emergency scenario. Precisely, the environment can promote active and healthy aging, reducing the risk of dependence and pharmacological expenditure, however, few know how to adapt it. Despite this, some of the answers to demographic and climatic uncertainties will come from a better knowledge of the environments we will live in, and where the active participation of this group will be crucial to build a promising future, which is now elusive.
La obra ofrece una visión amplia, aguda y necesaria sobre los retos globales del envejecimiento de la población y el cambio climático. Se defiende que las posibles soluciones vendrán de un abordaje conjunto de ambas cuestiones. Se reflexiona sobre las causas y las consecuencias del cambio climático, así como las estrategias para frenar su avance a partir de la comprensión de sus conexiones con la población del planeta, marcadas por el deterioro ecológico, la urbanización, la desigualdad, la migración y el envejecimiento. Este fenómeno global representa un logro social y una oportunidad de negocio; pero, también, una amenaza para la economía de los Estados, por sus repercusiones en pensiones, sanidad, dependencia e, incluso, huella ecológica. Así, ¿ESTAMOS PREPARADOS PARA ADAPTARNOS AL CAMBIO CLIMÁTICO EN UN MUNDO ENVEJECIDO?, ¿PODEMOS LLEGAR A UNA LONGEVIDAD POR ENCIMA DE NUESTRAS POSIBILIDADES? Las políticas sociales, de salud pública, vivienda, ordenación del territorio y gestión del riesgo deben adecuar sus programas y recursos al cambio climático en un mundo envejecido, donde las personas mayores son las principales víctimas de los desastres. Se propone una aproximación a los factores que determinan la vulnerabilidad y la resiliencia en el envejecimiento, como nuestro ambiente. Desde la gerontología ambiental, se afrontan las implicaciones de los entornos físicos (viviendas, residencias, barrios, ciudades) y sociales (familia, redes sociales) en las capacidades de adaptación de los adultos mayores ante un escenario de emergencia climática. Precisamente, el entorno puede promover el envejecimiento activo y saludable, reduciendo el riesgo de dependencia y el gasto farmacológico, sin embargo, pocos conocen cómo adaptarlo. A pesar de ello, algunas de las respuestas a las incertidumbres demográficas y climáticas vendrán de un mejor conocimiento de los ambientes que habitaremos, y donde la participación activa de este colectivo será crucial para construir un futuro promisorio, que ahora se muestra esquivo.

En un patrón de urbanización, donde se hace cada vez más difícil discernir entre lo que es ciudad, área metropolitana o región, la fusión de escalas es inevitable. Así, no es posible, por un lado, dar sentido a la amplia escala territorial si no se comprueban constantemente las ideas prospectivas y la incidencia de los lugares concretos, y por el otro y de forma inversa, ser capaz de llegar a una solución razonable para un lugar complejo no siendo consciente del amplio marco de trabajo que constituye la condición de la macroescala.

This guide to working with older people as co-researchers has been produced in partnership with the Manchester Institute for Collaborative Research on Ageing (MICRA), Age UK, Age-Friendly Manchester (Manchester City Council), and the Office for Social Responsibility at the University of Manchester. Contributions come from older co-investigators and representatives of community organisations who have been involved in the planning, design, development, and implementation phases of a research project focusing on developing age-friendly neighbourhoods in Manchester. The guide aims to provide insights into the experiences of older people as they step beyond the traditional role of consultee to that of interviewer and researcher.

“Ageing in place” seems to be the most preferred (and potentially also economically sound) option for growing old in UK. For many older people it is the chance to be connected to the community and participate in local civic and social life. In the UK, local ‘high streets’ provide an opportunity to support ageing-in-place, as a setting to access amenities and services and a focal point for community and social participation.  However there has been little attempt to articulate this within the everyday lives of older adults. As a result, we have limited understanding of how ‘high streets’ can be designed to better support them.
The paper reports on the piloting of a theoretical framework, by means of walking interviews combined with personal mapping and activity diary. The paper describes an ecological and “salutogenic” interpretive framework to people-urban public realm interaction, adapted from medical sociologist Aaron Antonovsky’s Sense of Coherence (SOC) construct.

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The study refl ects on the analysis of the physical-social environments that determine the quality of life of seniors in Latin America from the approach of environmental gerontology. Through the literature, we develop a discussion of urban and rural sociospatial implications on the residential dimensions (built environment), social, economic, health, welfare (social services) and cultural, and to promote healthy aging in place. Also addressed are the main theoretical and methodological issues of the socio-spatial implications for environmental gerontology, which highlight the contribution of geography, through a review of the complex relationships between geographical space and the elderly. Thus, in the region there is a need for an interdisciplinary approach that emphasizes research on the analysis of the attributes and functions of the physical-social environment in the aging population, contributing to the gerontological planning from a holistic perspective.
El estudio reflexiona sobre el análisis de los ambientes físico-sociales que determinan la calidad de vida de las personas mayores en América Latina desde el enfoque de la gerontología ambiental. A través de la literatura, se favorece la discusión sobre las implicaciones socioespaciales urbanas y rurales en las dimensiones residenciales (entorno construido), sociales, económicas, de salud, asistenciales (servicios sociales) y culturales, y que promueven el envejecimiento saludable en el lugar. También, se abordan las principales cuestiones teóricas y metodológicas de las implicaciones socioespaciales para la gerontología ambiental, donde destaca la contribución de la geografía, a través de una revisión de las complejas relaciones entre el espacio geográfico y las personas adultas mayores. Así, en la región existe la necesidad de un en-foque interdisciplinario que enfatice la investigación sobre el análisis de los atributos y funciones del entorno físico-social en el envejecimiento de la población, contribuyendo a la planificación gerontológica desde una perspectiva holística.

RESUMEN
El envejecimiento y la urbanización de la población son dos tendencias que caracterizan el siglo XXI. “A medida que las ciudades
crecen, sus proporciones de residentes de 60 años de edad y más va en aumento”.
Hace cuatro décadas atrás, se creía que la longevidad estaba determinada por factores genéticos. Hoy sabemos que la propensión
a desarrollar patologías relacionadas con la edad y la calidad de vida de la población que envejece está sujeta a las múltiples
negociaciones que se establecen entre los heterogéneos sujetos y sus entornos.
Inicialmente una vivienda satisfactoria es uno de los más importantes componentes de la calidad de vida para este colectivo;
pero para mantener la autonomía residencial, las personas mayores necesitan la posibilidad de acceder y participar de diferentes
dispositivos distribuidos en el territorio.
Por esto, el presente trabajo analiza el fenómeno del envejecimiento poblacional a través de la relación de las personas mayores
con su entorno en diferentes escalas territoriales. Se exponen resultados de estudios de campo de tipo cualitativo profundizando
en la relación entre la vivienda y el entorno urbano; a nivel barrial, se ha relevado el área céntrica de la ciudad de Mar del Plata en
función de categorías planteadas desde la Guía de ciudades amigables; y a escala ciudad, las diferencias territoriales en función de
análisis de datos estadísticos georreferenciados.
Estos estudios permiten entender las diferencias socio espaciales del envejecimiento y enmarcar estrategias diferenciadas que
permitan la igualdad de oportunidades para que las personas envejezcan positivamente.
ABSTRACT
The aging and urbanization of the population are two tendencies that characterizes the twenty-first century. “As cities grow, their
proportions of residents 60 years and older is increasing.”
Four decades ago, it was thought that longevity was determined by genetic factors. Today we know that propensity to develop
age-related diseases age and quality of life of the aging population depends on multiple negotiations established between heterogeneous
individuals and their environments.
Initially, one of the most important components of quality of life for this group is a satisfactory housing, but for maintaining the
residential autonomy, older people need the opportunity to access and participate in different devices spread in the territory.
That is why this study examines the aging of the population through ratio of older people with their environment at different territorial
scales.
Are exposed: results from field studies of a qualitative type inquiring about housing and the immediate environment; it has
gathered at the neighborhood level the downtown city area information according to categories raised by The Guide from Friendly
Cities; the territorial differences at the city level were studied by analysis of geo-referenced statistical data.
These studies help understand socio-spatial differences of aging and framing differentiated strategies that allow equal opportunities
for people get older positively.

Background: The academic literature contains little information regarding the interventions that create age-friendly cities and communities in order to promote active ageing. Objectives: A systematic review was carried out to determine the available empirical evidence in relation to the characteristics, content and effectiveness of interventions aimed at improving environmental and psychosocial risk factors for older people, from the perspective of age-friendly communities and the promotion of active ageing. Methods: Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, the studies retained in this review were identified through a systematic search of the academic literature in selected electronic databases including Web of Science and Scopus. Independent critical appraisal and data extraction were conducted by two reviewers. The checklist was used to assess the quality of the articles. Findings: The search identified 1020 potentially eligible documents, of which 11 satisfied the established criteria. Non-exhaustive practices prevailed over rigorous investigations, with a high proportion of studies observed to be of low methodological quality and at high risk of bias. This reflected the predominance of uncontrolled interventions. Environmental interventions were focused on reducing risk and adapting the everyday environmental setting, while psychosocial interventions prioritised social strategies (behavioural changes, promotion of participation) and training. Interventions were more effective in certain domains of age-friendly cities and communities such as transportation and housing, followed by increased participation as a lifestyle-related behavioural change. The inferred changes were associated with providing information and enhancing skills; modifying access, barriers, exposures, and opportunities; enhancing services and support; continuity and effectiveness of changes over time; and modifying policies based on the bottom-up approach of age-friendly cities and communities (AFCC). Discussion and conclusion: Interventions focused on personal and organisational aspects might have positive effects in the longer term. However, fewer changes would be observed in interventions revolving around changing lifestyles owing to the impact of complex multi-causal factors. The relative effectiveness in terms of health calls into question the design of interventions and the supposed "friendliness" of certain communities. There is a need to encourage sound longitudinal research aimed at providing key knowledge for the implementation and evaluation of public policies, and to encourage age-friendly community programmes to promote active ageing.

This cross-national qualitative study explores how very old people reflect upon relocation and aging in place. Design and Methods: Swedish and German data is utilized in this study. Eighty community-living participants, 80-89 years of age were interviewed with open-ended questions at home by trained interviewers. The interviews were analyzed by using conventional qualitative content analyses. Results: Reasoning about relocation or aging in place in very old age is a complex and ambivalent matter. A variety of reflections, emotions, and behaviors, for and against a move are revealed. Reasons to move reflect the urge to maintain independent, to stay in control and avoid loneliness. This is mainly expressed reactively. Reasons not to move reflect a strong attachment to the home and neighborhood. Moreover, reasons not to move reflect practical aspect such as economy and strain, as well as fear of losing continuity of habits and routines. Implications: There is a need for society to develop counseling systems to meet very old people's ambivalence and practical considerations to a move or not to move. Thus, the ambivalence to stay put or to relocate needs to further be explored from an applied perspective by also taking non-movers into account.

The friendly cities are understood as those areas where there is the chance of coexistence, cooperation, participation, integration, freedom, creativity, understanding and sustainability. The city as a cozy space with a welcome social groups and their differences, encouraging their participation and integration. friendly cities collected experiences of other cities that are already being possible. From an interdisciplinary perspective, Authors make us go cities in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Spain, Israel and Mexico, where they are carrying out initiatives that make it more human and inclusive urban spaces. We approach and so we touch on a more socially just and desired cities.
Las ciudades amigables son entendidas como aquellos espacios donde cabe la oportunidad de la convivencia, la cooperación, la participación, la integración, la libertad, la creatividad, el entendimiento y la sostenibilidad. La ciudad como un espacio acogedor con un agrado a grupos sociales y sus diferencias, favoreciendo su participación e integración. Ciudades amigables recoge experiencias de otras ciudades que ya están siendo posibles. Desde una perspectiva interdisciplinar, autores y autoras nos hacen recorrer urbes de Argentina, Brasil, Chile, España, Israel y México, donde se están llevando a cabo iniciativas que hacen más humanos e integradores los espacios urbanos. Nos acercamos y palpamos así a unas ciudades socialmente más justas y deseadas.

The study reflects on the challenges of aging populations in urban Latin America, highlighting the importance of the gerontological planning of physical and social environment on the health and quality of life of older people. The methodology consisted of a review of the scientific literature, mainly journals indexed to Scopus and Thomson-Reuters index. The results indicate that, in the region the urban growth exacerbates environmental conditions and health problems of the elderly population, a situation that is exacerbated by the context of social vulnerability (poverty, problems of access to health services). Also, some of the keys are discussed in understanding the challenges of gerontological planning of cities in Latin America, and the active participation of older people in the design of the dynamic and stimulating built environment, especially, homes and public spaces. In addition, in the region the advancement of the urban population aging will generate strong demand for environmental gerontologists, especially architects, urban planners and environmental health professionals, with gerontological training and the sensitivity in the favorable designs for aging in place.
Keywords: aging population, environmental health, city, health policy, gerontological urbanism, environmental gerontology, Latin America.

Resumen: El estudio reflexiona sobre los desafíos del envejecimiento de la población en las zonas urbanas de América Latina, destacando la importancia de la planificación gerontológica del entorno físico y social en la salud y calidad de vida de las personas mayores. La metodología consistió en una revisión de la literatura científica, principalmente revistas indexadas a Scopus y Thomson-Reuters. Los resultados indican que en la región el crecimiento urbano agrava las condiciones ambientales y los problemas de salud de la población de edad avanzada, una situación que se ve afectada por el contexto de vulnerabilidad social (pobreza, problemas de acceso a los servicios de salud). También, algunas de las claves se discuten en la comprensión de los desafíos de la planificación gerontológica de las ciudades de América Latina, y la participación activa de las personas mayores en el diseño de entornos construidos dinámicos y estimulantes, en especial, hogares y espacios públicos. Además, en la región el avance del envejecimiento de la población urbana va a generar una fuerte demanda de los gerontólogos ambientales, especialmente arquitectos, urbanistas y profesionales de la salud ambiental, con formación gerontológica en la sensibilidad de diseños favorables para envejecer en el lugar.
Palabras clave: envejecimiento de la población, salud ambiental, ciudad, políticas de salud, urbanismo gerontológico, gerontología ambiental, América Latina.

Salas-Cardenas, Sarai Merari; Sánchez-González, Diego (2014): “Population aging, health and urban environment in Latin America. Challenges of gerontological Urbanism” / “Envejecimiento de la población, salud y ambiente urbano en América Latina. Retos del Urbanismo gerontológico”, Contexto. Revista de la Facultad de Arquitectura de la Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Vol. 8, Nº 9, Septiembre, pp. 31-49. ISSN.: 2007-1639.

The study analyzes the demographic evolution, pointing to the spatial repercussions of the aging process in Mexico, across different levels of spatial organization, utilization and spatial perception of the conditions of habitability for the major adults: the federal scale, the state one, the police officer and the metropolitan one. The methodology departs from a wide bibliographical review and from analyzing statistical information from official sources. The results notice from the advance of the phenomenon of the aging to different scales and with unequal spatial distribution, presenting a polarized model based on the urban concentration and on the rural dispersion. Likewise, the papers speculates about the inadequacy of the cities to meet the increasing demands of major adults, proposing a strategies of planning gerontology to bring down the inequality and to promote the well-being of the population of 60-year-old or more.

Key words: Demographic urban aging, planning gerontology, quality of life; social services, metropolitan areas.

El estudio analiza la evolución del proceso de envejecimiento demográfico urbano y sus repercusiones socioespaciales en México, a través de diferentes niveles de organización espacial, utilización y percepción espacial de las condiciones de habitabilidad para los adultos mayores: la escala federal, la estatal, la municipal y la metropolitana. La metodología parte de una amplia revisión bibliográfica y del análisis de datos estadísticos de fuentes oficiales. Los resultados advierten del avance del fenómeno del envejecimiento a distintas escalas, evidenciando una desigual distribución espacial, presentando un modelo polarizado basado en la concentración urbana y en la dispersión rural. Asimismo, se reflexiona sobre la preocupante inadecuación de las ciudades a las crecientes demandas de los adultos mayores, y se proponen estrategias de planeación gerontológica para abatir la desigualdad y potenciar el bienestar de la población de 60 años y más.

Palabras clave: Envejecimiento demográfico urbano, planeación gerontológica, calidad de vida, servicios sociales, áreas metropolitanas.

While social connectedness is heralded as a key enabler of positive health and social outcomes for older people, rarely have they themselves had the opportunity to express their views about the concept. Working with a diverse group of Pacific, Māori, Asian and New Zealand European older adults, this paper explores what matters to older people when discussing social connectedness? We draw from individual, in-depth interviews with 44 older adults, and three group interviews comprising 32 older adults. Data were analysed using thematic and narrative analyses. The three themes identified were: getting out of the house, ability to connect and feelings of burden. Fundamental to social connectedness was participants’ desire to be recognised as resourceful agents able to foster relationships on the basis of mutual respect. Social connectedness was conceptualised as multi-levelled: relating to interpersonal relationships as much as neighbourhoods and wider society. Alongside these similariti...

Ever since the 2003 heat wave that caused 70,000 heat deaths, the dramatic consequences of climate change and rising temperatures in Europe have become an intensively researched topic. During heat waves, the older urban adult population is at highest risk. The STOPHOT project is the first investigation in Austria to establish a comprehensive knowledge base on heat perception, awareness of heat risks and adaptive/coping behaviours among older adults. The main research questions include: (1) Does climate change endanger the chances of successful ageing in urban areas? (2) How do age, social inequalities and the living environment intersect with environmental stressors in affecting successful ageing? (3) Which heat adaption strategies do older adults deploy and to what extent can they mediate heat stress in an effort to increase chances of successful ageing under the conditions of climate change? The results indicate that climate change and rising temperatures are in fact one important determinant of whether and how an older person can maintain well-being in later life. Older adults (> 65 years) with a low socio-economic status and poor health conditions, who tend to be socially isolated, are most at risk. However, no 'heat island effect' of the residential environment could be found. How much a person suffers from heat stress is highly dependent on the adaption strategies deployed. Adaption strategies of older urban residents mostly centred on body-related measures, such as drinking more or wearing lighter clothes, and indoor-centred measures, particularly avoiding the outdoors.

In this piece, I draw attention on how the booming real estate market in India is patterned around the axes of social inequality. Specifically, it argues that in a socio-economic context of depressed later life incomes with declining familial support, a singular focus on (upper) middle class niche senior living market is both exclusionary and misguided. The empirical basis for this argument comes from a range of press coverage on the inviting market for seniors as well as the recently released Government of India report (Model Guidelines for Development and Regulation of Retirement Homes, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, 2019) on the regulatory framework for privately managed ‘retirement homes’ for the ‘urban upper and middle income elderly’. I ask if the Report with its orchestration of an upper middleclass lifestyle and aesthetic governmentality is a deliberate neglect of the economic precariousness of a vast majority of lower-income households that lie at the margins of the urban-focused neoliberal State. I reflect what this erasure holds for questions of equity and social justice under neoliberalism and conclude on the intellectual possibilities of environmental gerontology by privileging the anthropological dimensions of housing and property regimes.

Due to population ageing, countries’ financial capacities to maintain the current level and scope of services and institutional care for the elderly are decreasing, which is why there are increasing demands to rationalize services and residential care for the elderly as much as possible. The demands are feasible, considering that the main idea is to enable the elderly to remain in their homes as long as possible, and to move the services aimed at the elderly to their home environments. This idea can be carried out by appropriately adapting the built environment. The basis for this is offered by modern technologies, which can convert an elderly person’s home into an innovative living environment. This article presents such of an environment offering support to the elderly, and discusses its importance and operation, the efforts and achievements made to date in developing this innovation, and the premises for implementing it in society based on elderly people’s opinions about living in such advanced living environments. The findings show that the main goal of implementation must be assigning meaning to and understanding the concept of innovative built environments among users; in addition, they show that rapid changes in implementing innovative built environments into society are not to be expected. A major step in this regard would already be achieved if the living environments of the elderly were intentionally remodelled following the design-for-all principle, if architectural barriers were removed in them, and if new homes were built without these barriers. This alone would make it possible for the elderly to remain in their homes longer while also providing a basis for converting these living environments into smart homes by using modern assistive technologies in the future.

"Social participation of older adults in the management of cultural patrimony in Mexico to Climate Change. Mexico currently faces irreparable loss of their cultural and linguistic patrimony, helped by economic globalization, poverty, increased migration processes, natural hazards and increasing social vulnerability of vulnerable groups (children, women, elderly and indigenous). The study reflects on the participation of older persons in the management of cultural patrimony in Mexico to climate change. The methodology involved the extensive review of international literature to encourage discussion and reflection on the central issue. As a result, encourages debate on cultural patrimony management and social participation of older adults to climate change. Strategies are proposed of social participation and integration of older persons in the management of cultural patrimony through education and social awareness.
KEYWORDS: elderly, cultural patrimony, social participation, vulnerability, risks, Climate Change.

En la actualidad México se enfrenta a la pérdida irreparable de su patrimonio cultural y lingüístico, favorecido por la globalización económica, la pobreza, el incremento de los procesos migratorios, los riesgos naturales y el incremento de la vulnerabilidad social de los grupos vulnerables (niños, mujeres, ancianos e indígenas). El estudio reflexiona sobre la participación de las personas adultas mayores en la gestión del patrimonio cultural en México ante el cambio climático. La metodología ha consistido en la amplia revisión de literatura internacional para favorecer la discusión y reflexiones sobre la cuestión central. Como resultado se favorece el debate sobre la gestión del patrimonio cultural y la participación social de los adultos mayores ante el cambio climático. Se proponen estrategias de participación e integración social de los adultos mayores en la gestión del patrimonio cultural, a través de la educación y la concienciación social.
PALABRAS CLAVE: adultas mayores; patrimonio cultural; participación social; vulnerabilidad; Cambio Climático.

Sánchez-González, Diego (2014): “Participación social de los adultos mayores en la gestión del patrimonio cultural en México ante el cambio climático” ["Social participation of older adults in the management of cultural heritage in Mexico to Climate Change"], en MONTOYA-ARCE, Bernardino Jaciel; JASSO-SALAS, Pablo; y BARRETO-VILLANUEVA, Adán (Coord.). Hitos Demográficos del Siglo XXI: Envejecimiento. T1. Toluca, México: Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, pp. 73-95. ISBN (13): 978-607-422-523-5. "

The key concepts availability and accessibility have been taken into consideration in urban studies as well as the health and social aspects of ageing. These terms are in close relation with the "active ageing", "age-friendly city" and "liveable city" concepts. These concepts were created by the UN, the World Health Organization, and other institutions aiming to increase the quality of life of older individuals and to regulate their living environments in an optimal way for an active and independent life. Improving accessibility and availability of facilities for older people in urban areas is crucial to ensure that older people are able to meet their own needs as well as prevent their exclusion from society. The planning of cities that prevents the social exclusion of older people and provides an independent way of living is the main objective of the concept of liveable cities. From this point of view, this study aims to evaluate the existing opportuni...

Developing environments responsive to the aspirations of older people has become a major concern for social and public policy. Policies and programs directed at achieving "agefriendly" communities are considered to require a wide range of interventions, including actions at the level of the social and physical environment. This article compares the age-friendly approaches of two European cities, Brussels and Manchester, with a particular focus on policies and initiatives that promote active ageing in an urban context. The paper examines: first, the demographic, social, and multicultural contexts of Brussels and Manchester; second, the way in which both cities became members of the WHO Global Network of Age-Friendly Cities and Communities; third, similarities and differences in the age-friendly approaches and actions adopted by both cities; and fourth, opportunities and barriers to the implementation of agefriendly policies. The article concludes by discussing the key elements and resources needed to develop age-friendly cities. KEYWORDS age-friendly cities, active aging, Brussels, Manchester, older people, urban development Downloaded by [The University of Manchester Library] at 03:

The Slovenian population is aging. In order to best adapt to this demographic change, it is necessary to face this issue and to study it from the perspective of various disciplines, including geography. This article therefore especially focuses on the spatial characteristics of population aging in Slovenia in addition to general characteristics. The findings show that population aging in Slovenia is not uniform; instead, there are large differences in population aging in Slovenia. In addition to general social processes such as falling birthrates and increasing life expectancy, these are primarily the result of spatial movement of the population. The conclusion presents some consequences that will arise in Slovenian territory and society in the future due to population aging.

Aestheticians are taken to have the primary authority of architecture as a realm within philosophy; applying aesthetic theory directly to architecture, in order to ascribe an ‘essence’. It has become apparent that architecture is of wider philosophical interest than originally presumed. As questions arise within the philosophy of medicine as to what factors compromise our biological agency, it is becoming increasingly clear that architectural considerations are relevant to this field of study.
The philosophical influence on architecture focuses on the phenomenology of the built environment, and materiality in their sensory aspects. Most of our social activity, living and thriving as human beings happens within the built environment and philosophers of medicine are alert to the ways that space can be incapacitating and cause unnecessary distress, but do not typically focus upon architecture, despite this being a specific concern of ill and disabled persons. This essay argues that there is an apparent need to address the issue of ‘architecturally induced wellness’ within the realm of philosophy, and the built environment can be implemented to promote a fulfilling life, a sense of self and social interaction for the ageing, and allow them to experience a positive sense of wellness through the medium of the built environment.