Abstract
As global cities accelerate in complexity and scale, their design also respond with empathy and inclusivity especially toward those who built and sustained them: Elderly. This paper probes the evolving urban condition through the lens of aging, advocating for a city that includes, and honours its senior citizens. Inspired by a personal experience of a grandparent’s dementia, this study reimagines the city not as a neutral construct but as an emotional and physical landscape, where dignity, ease, and belonging are essential rights. With the UN forecasting that nearly half the global population will inhabit cities by 2050, accompanied by a significant rise in older demographics, this approaches critical urban blind spot. It examines which global cities are most preferred by the elderly and why, with a focus on spatial parameters such as morphology, density, walkability, and accessibility. The conference presentation focuses on the search for a rigorous, multi-scalar methodology to investigate the elderly’s embodied urban experience. The study proposes a hybrid framework: combining Space Syntax analysis to decode spatial integration and visibility with physiological wearables including ECG, GSR, and EMG to quantify stress and cognitive responses during movement through urban space. These tools help reveal the silent negotiations aging bodies make with the built environment. The paper seeks to identify the model that can evaluate and enhance urban liveability for older populations. Through this approach, it positions age-friendly design as central to the future of urbanism transforming cities into places not just for youth, but for memory, slowness, and care.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Social and Cultural Perspectives on Aging
KEYWORDS
Age-Friendly Urbanism, Spatial Experience, Space Syntax Analysis, Urban Accessibility
