Title: How better design can facilitate mobility, connectivity & wellbeing for older people: a participatory approach to design research.
Funder: Arts and Humanities Research Council

Abstract: In common with many other nations, people in the UK are living longer and having fewer children. This means that older people are making up a larger proportion of the population. Compared to most other age-groups, we know that older people tend to spend more of their time at home and rely heavily on local facilities and services but the design and management of housing and the wider neighbourhood sometimes creates barriers to older people's capacity to live independently and enjoy a good quality of life. One of the Government's priorities is to help older people lead independent and fulfilling lives where they can stay in their own homes and neighbourhoods for as long as possible. This involves supporting older people to stay mobile to help them remain connected to friends, families, communities and local services. Some research has already been carried out into housing design for older people, but less is known about how people move from within their homes to the outside neighbourhood and the problems they experience when they are trying to move around their neighbourhood environments. This three year research project will try to understand how the design and management of housing and neighbourhoods can be improved to better support the mobility of older people and their participation in community life. Working in partnership with older people and professionals , the research aims to develop a number of prototype designs for housing and neighbourhoods that better facilitate older people's mobility. It also aims to improve professionals' abilities to design, develop and manage age-friendly places. Through a cycle of consultation, design, testing and further consultation, the researchers will develop solutions that meet the needs of occupiers and those tasked with managing housing and the wider neighbourhood. Considering barriers to mobility in the home, street and neighbourhood, the research will help to provide an understanding of how older people can improve their mobility when moving from one space to another and it will create an appropriate range of designs that work together to create a seamless, age-friendly environment. As well as working closely with older people and, in some cases, their carers, the team will work with a range of professionals who design and develop housing and neighbourhoods, as well as with those who manage the built environment and provide services for older people. The project is mainly concerned with both the design of newly built housing and the surrounding environment and the re-fitting of existing housing and neighbourhoods. The team are focusing the research on standard housing, rather than care homes for older people, as this will help to meet the needs of older people who wish to remain in their own homes. Sheffield provides a good location for learning about the needs of older people and testing design work. It is a city with a range of neighbourhoods which vary in terms of their income levels, tenancies and the respective opportunities and challenges presented by their physical and built environments. It also has a single local authority which is responsible for the management of housing, development, provision of care services and environmental maintenance across the city. The research team will work with three neighbourhoods in Sheffield. Each neighbourhood has some land allocated for building new housing where it will be possible to test the prototype designs. The research team has a lot of experience in the design and planning of living environments for older people and we have specific skills in Architecture, Landscape, Town Planning and Public Health.


Research activity codes: 3.2 INTERVENTIONS TO ALTER PHYSICAL AND BIOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENTAL RISKS
Health categories: GENERIC HEALTH RELEVANCE