Norwegian University of Life Sciences
Background
Age-friendly housing has become a central priority in national ageing policies, aiming to support older individuals in their efforts to live in their own homes for as long as possible.
To facilitate access to suitable housing, many Norwegian municipalities have supported the construction of age-friendly apartments in town centres. This is known to contribute to both gentrification and residential densification.
The construction of age-friendly housing has likely also contributed to a significant increase in housing market mobility among the older population. A common pattern involves older individuals relocating from single-family homes to newly built apartments in urban areas that better accommodate their needs in later life. Notably, most of these relocations occur between the ages of 70 and 80.
This project argues that there is currently limited knowledge on how older people who have recently relocated to a town centre apartement experience, use, and participate in their new neighbourhoods.
Objectives
The aim of this qualitative PhD project is to explore how older persons experience ageing in a new place after relocating to an urban small-town neighbourhood.
The aim will be investigated through the following research questions:
- How do older residents use and experience the neighbourhood's physical environment?
- How do older residents experience their neighbourhood as an arena for social participation, and what do they perceive as barriers and/or promoters regarding the possibility of social participation in the neighbourhood?
- What are older resident's experiences of place attachment to their new neighbourhood?
Participants