The idea of the lifetime neighbourhood has its place at the heart of our Sustainable Communities agenda. The emphasis in sustainable development is too often
interpreted to mean that the homes and communities we build are only fit for the environmental challenges they are likely to face, and that they are designed to minimise our collective carbon footprint. But it is equally crucial that our future homes and
neighbourhoods are fit for the people who will live in them, in particular our ageing society, and for the increasing numbers of people with disabilities and with dementia. This is what the lifetime neighbourhood is all about. But, a lifetime neighbourhood is not just good for older people. It is a neighbourhood that works better for everyone because it is underpinned by the principles of inclusive design, sustainability and participation. And the idea is catching on – beyond the neighbourhood – to the city itself.
World Health Organisation Age-Friendly Cities Guide (2007)
This guide includes a series of checklists which cities can use in self-assessment and to chart progress. 35 cities in 22 countries from across the world contributed to this innovative report. Older people themselves were active participants in the project, deciding what an age-friendly city is. The guide covers eight areas of city living:
• outdoor spaces and buildings
• transportation
• housing
• social participation
• respect and social inclusion
• civic participation and employment
• communication and information, and
• community support and health services.
The report proposes easy ways to make a city more age-friendly, such as:
• having affordable transport and holding public events at convenient times;
• having courteous and helpful service providers promoting and supporting job opportunities for older people; and
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The same fundamental necessities apply to the neighbourhood too:
Many examples already exist of areas that have a number of the features of a lifetime neighbourhood. Some of these are identified in Towards lifetime neighbourhoods,
and elsewhere.
Towards lifetime neighbourhoods
In November 2007, Communities and Local Government published a joint discussion paper with the ILC-UK, Towards lifetime neighbourhoods.106
The paper sets out the arguments for lifetime neighbourhoods and identifies a number of key themes and a range of ways in which we can plan for lifetime neighbourhoods.
“It is important to note that lifetime neighbourhoods should be viewed as sustainable communities that offer a good quality of life to all generations. More specifically, they should aim to be:
• Accessible and inclusive
• Aesthetically pleasing and safe (in terms of both traffic and crime), and easy and pleasant to access; and
• A community that offers plenty of services, facilities and open space. Furthermore, we can add that lifetime neighbourhoods are likely to foster:
• A strong social and civic fabric, including volunteering, informal networks, and a culture of consultation and user empowerment amongst decision-makers; and
• A strong local identity and sense of place.”
Harding (2007b)
Cohousing is starting to be developed in the UK as housing for older people integrated within the community.
Cohousing
There is growing interest among older people in cohousing communities, where they can control their own self-contained accommodation and live as a mutually supportive group with some common space. The essence of cohousing, a model based on Danish and Dutch initiatives, is that its members should come to know each other and agree a core set of values for functioning as a group before moving into a building.
Only one cohousing community of over 50s exists, together with four inter- generational communities. The Threshold Centre, in Dorset, is a small group of men and women aged over fifty which is hoping to expand. Full Circle, planned in Somerset, is a group of disabled people over fifty who are seeking local authority support for a development. The Vivarium group is planning a mixed community in Fife, Scotland. The Older Women’s Cohousing Company, London, is a mixed tenure group of women over fifty.
For more information on cohousing in the UK see www.cohousing.org.uk
The Peabody Trust: Darwin Court, Southwark, London107
The Darwin Court residential scheme in Southwark is designed to enhance quality of life and independence for older people through a mix of communal facilities and specialist housing. The building comprises 76 Lifetime Homes properties, 40 of which are supported by an on-site supported housing team. Shared facilities on-site include gardens and a ground-floor community resource centre offering health and fitness facilities. The building also offers health and leisure facilities to the local community, including a restaurant, a swimming pool, a healthcare suite, an IT suite and a multi-purpose room/dance studio for
meetings and social events.
Newham PCT and East London LIFT108
The Centre, Manor Park, opened in 2004 to provide a wide range of community services in Newham. The building includes GP practices, a pharmacy, dental suite, an optometrist, women’s and children’s health clinics, other specialised clinics and a community café with an information resource centre. The Centre was built with environmental efficiency in mind, for example, by using timber cladding that needs little maintenance.
107 See www.peabody.org.uk/.
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