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Age-Friendly Cities and Communities in International Comparison pp 259–276Cite as

Age Friendliness, Childhood, and Dementia: Toward Generationally Intelligent Environments

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Part of the book series: International Perspectives on Aging ((Int. Perspect. Aging))

Abstract

This chapter is a conceptual piece that examines the assumptions of the age-friendly cities and environments (AFE) phenomenon both in international policy and by drawing on the Australian experience. The age-friendly narrative is discussed, both in terms of a focus on active aging and claims to be ‘for all ages.’ This claim is compared to initiatives around child and dementia friendliness, both to help specify the focus of AFE and to examine the commonalities and differences between these groups when it comes to their access to public space. An argument is developed that examines the assumptive reality of public space and how it excludes certain groups. In many ways, ‘active ageing’ pursues many of the same goals as those that characterize working life, but from the perspective of consumption rather than production. It is therefore less difficult to address the needs of the active ager than to look at children and people living with dementia. The chapter concludes by examining the ways public space affects the performance of identity. We explore how existing assumptions about the negative consequences of public space on identity may be reversed for marginalized age groups, such as people living with dementia. Finally, some of the prerequisites for effective intergenerational interaction are explored through a discussion of props to identity and the meaning of generationally intelligent space.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Note from the editors: for detailed discussions of ‘active ageing’ and ‘age friendly cities,’ see the chapters of Walker, of Kalache and of Moulaert and his colleagues.

  2. 2.

    Note from the editors: in their chapter, Brasher and Winterton present an empirically based critical discussion on the Australian case which completes the present chapter.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Brotherhood of St Laurence Chair of Gerontology and Social Policy, School of Social and Political Sciences, Melbourne University, John Medley Building, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia

    Simon Biggs

  2. School of Social and Political Sciences, Melbourne University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Ashley Carr

  3. Brotherhood of St Laurence, Fitzroy, VIC, Australia

    Ashley Carr

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  1. Simon Biggs
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  2. Ashley Carr
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Université Catholique de Louvain, School of Public Health, Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

    Thibauld Moulaert

  2. and Research Centre on Aging, School of Social Work and Research Centre on Aging, Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada

    Suzanne Garon

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Biggs, S., Carr, A. (2016). Age Friendliness, Childhood, and Dementia: Toward Generationally Intelligent Environments. In: Moulaert, T., Garon, S. (eds) Age-Friendly Cities and Communities in International Comparison. International Perspectives on Aging. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-24031-2_15

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-24031-2_15

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