Sustainable Age-friendly Communities Conor Skehan, School of Spatial Planning, DIT

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Sustainable Age-friendly CommunitiesConor
Skehan, School of Spatial Planning, DIT

• KILKENNY AGE FRIENDLY COUNTY SEMINAR Friday
  March 26th 2010

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We are not planning for the already old...
We are planning for the New Old - Ourselves!!!
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Changing Value Systems
Modernisation Post-Modernisation Modernisation Post-Modernisation Modernisation Post-Modernisation
THEN NOW FUTURE
Centrist Regional Autonomous
Control Consult Co-operate
Uniform Cluster Specialist
Certainty Accommodation Innovation
Grow Sustain Enjoy
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Changing Needs

• Grey Panthers powerful politicized
• Wealthy, healthy and demanding
• Obsessed with self-expression and fulfilment

• Wealthy
• Healthy
• Powerful
• Fun-loving
• Creative
• Challenging

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Desirable Outcomes of Ageing Well
Stimulation Opportunity Belonging
Experience Enjoyment Security
Mobility Legibility
WHAT CAN PLANNING PROVIDE?
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Planning for Age

• The canary in the coalmine

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PLANNING Preparing for the Future

• Old Planning

• Emerging Planning

• Predict-plan-provide
• Identification-segregation-transportation
• Prescriptive
• Conservative
• Administrative

• Joined-up-living
• Accomodation-concentration-transportation
• Spatial
• Positive
• Flexible

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Planning for Age - The Choices

• Planning for the already aged

• Plan for the future old us!

• Coping
• Problem Solving

• Encouraging early, wise movement
• Meeting the Needs of the New Aged
• Experience
• Enjoyment
• Stimulation
• Opportunity
• Security
• Mobility
• Legibility
• Belonging

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Planning for Age - The Choices

• Cope with today

• Plan for tomorrow

• Change Places towns, villages, streets
• Change Homes
• Changes Lives
• Address Issues
• Transportation
• Security
• Welfare
• Health
• - COPING -

• Change Minds
• Think Twice Build Once
• Provide for future needs
• - PLANNING -

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Convenience Variety Security Legibility Amenity
Inner Urban -
Urban Villages
Inner Suburbs
Suburbs
Outer Suburbs
Villages
Countryside - -

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Wheres the best place to age?
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Planning for AgeSpatial Planning for Change
Continuity

• Plan for Change
• Stimulation seeking and solving Challenges
• Opportunity to meet change with Change
• Safety security, care, Certainty
• Plan for Continuity Ageing in Place
• Mobility easier Movement
• Legibility not being Lost
• Company Belonging

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Conclusion 1The Planning Challenges

• To plan for future ageing Now 50!
• To plan for ageing
• To Modify People change expectations
• To Modify choices encourage urban
• To Modify Places for
• Amenity
• Creativity,
• Connectivity
• Convenience

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Conclusion 2The Challenges

• Move emphasis from exclusive quantitative to more
  qualitative
• Moving on from having enough, or being good
  enough
• To being good fun!
• Move from Specialisation to Integration
• Whats good for age will be good for all