- Planning for Age-Friendly Neighbourhoods   705 kb by    Baldwin, Claudia & Osborne, Caroline | cbaldwin@usc.edu.au    Short Outline This paper provides insight into two research projects: a desktop exercise investigating trends in international aged care provision and a participatory research project using PhotoVoice and design charrettes to ask seniors in South East Queensland about their preferences for neighbourhoods and housing. Abstract Traditional models of retirement living provide low to high care options derived from care or leisure oriented models that generally result in the segregation of seniors from the rest of the community. Research investigating international aged care provision uncovered that the more innovative models of senior living have ‘unbundled’ care and accommodation, providing for greater choice, independence and dignity for people as their needs change (Baldwin & Osborne 2010). Many of the case studies examined, support not only seniors’ preference to age-in-place (Quinn & Judd, 2010), but also foster their engagement in activities or with others, including multiple generations. This affects mobility, and reduces social isolation, major contributors to seniors' health and wellbeing (Productivity Commission, 2011). From a design perspective, this trend also liberates the way housing and care options can be conceptualised and designed for seniors, to allow for more innovative approaches. Whilst the WHO (1997) Age-Friendly Cities Guidelines suggests that seniors should be included in decisions that affect them, there are few examples in the academic literature where seniors were asked about their preferences for neighbourhoods or housing. This gap in the literature inspired a consortium of non-profit, private and public sector partners led by the University of the Sunshine Coast to investigate the neighbourhood and housing preferences of seniors in South East Queensland, Australia. Conducted over one year in 2011, the participative research methodology using PhotoVoice and Design Charrettes allowed seniors to critically inform a brief with detailed design principles and to oversee and advise a design team on suitable housing options in real time. The research culminated in a number of housing typologies that were designed in active collaboration with seniors in design charrettes (Baldwin, Osborne & Smith, 2012). The findings of these two pieces of research clearly converge to provide key lessons in the housing, neighbourhood and care preferences of seniors. At the dwelling scale, universal design and case managed care are critical facilitators of enabling seniors to age in place. At the neighbourhood scale, critical facilitators of inclusion and mobility are age-friendly neighbourhood design and safety, including public transport considerations and well maintained and shaded walking paths. At the cognitive level, active participation with the broader community and staying mentally active was important, including opportunities for meaningful work, hobbies, volunteering or inter-generational interaction. This contributes to active ageing, both physically and cognitively, which is strongly associated with better health and wellbeing outcomes for seniors (National Seniors Productive Ageing Centre, 2010:9). This suggests that the models of housing and care for seniors that will be the most sustainable will be those that afford them the opportunity for greater choice, independence and dignity. A significant finding of the research was the development of the “Ageing in Neighbourhood” concept, which demonstrates how a range of housing typologies suitable to seniors might fit together in an urban neighbourhood to increase housing choice for seniors. The participatory approach of this research was instrumental in exploring the contribution that planning can make and the trade-offs that seniors are willing to make to achieve suitable design solutions. It also identified barriers to innovation in contemporary housing challenges. This research has broader implications: it demonstrates the value of using innovative methods of engagement to capture the future that seniors envision as they age; and provides insight into planning and delivering inclusive neighbourhoods. Keywords Case Study presented on the ISOCARP Congress 2013: Frontiers of Planning - Evolving and declining models of city planning practice   Click to open the full paper as pdf document   Click to send an email to the author(s) of this paper