Oluwaseyi Sobogun, shares her thoughts on the recent webinar ‘Towards an age inclusive city’. Oluwaseyi is an ED&I coach and Architect in the Later Living team at PRP 

 

Matthew Burgess, who chaired the webinar provided a compelling introduction and backdrop for discussing age inclusivity in the context of London's future trends. With the city becoming more ethnically and racially diverse while experiencing an ageing population, a youthful population, and more people identifying as LGBTQIA+, it was clear that the journey to making inclusivity more than a checkbox exercise will involve a shift in mindset and a commitment to genuine change.

 

This webinar provided a valuable glimpse into ongoing efforts to promote and raise awareness about the necessity of age-inclusivity within the city. The speakers highlighted the importance of post-occupancy evaluations and community engagement. While designers may recognise this need instinctively, there was an emphasis on gathering the data and implementing insights from this data into future schemes. 

 

Dinah Bornat (Co-founder, ZCD Architects) speaking on a child friendly city, drew attendees attention to the results of a heat map; a manually generated study that measured the usage of public play areas by adults and children. By using the results from the heat map analysis, ZCD were able to define four principles of creating a child and age friendly neighbourhood – examining whether they are well-connected, easy to access from dwellings, car free and overlooked. The feedback gathered from this type of post-occupancy evaluation can be used to inform future design decisions and contribute to age-inclusive environments.

 

It is understood that while we may be designing buildings to serve specific demographics, the impact of their design extends far beyond these groups. As we listened to Anika Ngai, a young representative from the Crown Estate Youth Panel, we could see how the work of 2-3 Degrees in connecting young people to the built environment could be carried forward in all future engagements. Anika’s participation really brought an intergenerational dynamic to the webinar as she advised attendees – “Do not underestimate young people”. A statement aligning to the broader call for inclusivity and representation. 

 

When it comes to age and inclusivity, we can all alter our approach to move beyond thinking in isolated groups and instead consider the wider community and the individuals within it. This was echoed as we listened to Olivia Jackson (Head of Regeneration, HLM Architects) on the 15-minute Later Living City, exploring the principles of longevity for town centres. “Stop thinking about our older population as people who are done. They still have a lot of contribute.”

 

The concept of a 15-minute city presented a holistic approach to urban planning that considers the daily rhythm of town centres as a multi-generational community. Implementation of this approach has the potential to improve the quality of life for our older population, foster social interactions between generations and ultimately create inclusive environments that benefit the communities that use them.

 

By taking a holistic approach to age-inclusivity discussed in the webinar, we can create spaces and services that benefit everyone, regardless of age. Inclusivity must be actively pursued in all aspects of life, whether in policies, infrastructure or community engagement. As an attendee, it was promising to see that there's growing recognition and action being taken towards creating more inclusive spaces within the built environment.