The ‘right’ place to age? Exploring age-friendly and diversity-sensitive design in a super-diverse neighbourhood

Abstract

The neighbourhood is a significant place for older adults in later life, especially given their strong wish to age in place, pointing to the importance of age-friendly design that accommodates older adults’ changing needs. Moreover, the older population is diversifying, highlighting the additional need for diversity-sensitive design, accommodating older adults’ diverse needs. Considering the importance of public places to age-friendly and diversity-sensitive design, this paper explores design that promotes community connection in an age-friendly and diversity-sensitive manner. To do so, a research-by-design study with master students in (interior) architecture was set up in a super-diverse Belgian neighbourhood. After a pre-design phase that immersed students in the neighbourhood and its inhabitants’ experiences, the students engaged in a design phase. Here, they re-designed various public places in an age-friendly and diversity-sensitive manner. The design output illustrates how various functions and intensities answer the changing and diverse needs of a super-diverse population.