Publication
A Design For Life: Urban practices for an age-friendly city is a guide for architects, planners, developers and policy-makers about their role in addressing the changing needs and aspirations of an ageing society. It was developed by Dr Mark Hammond as part of his secondment to the GM Ageing Hub, where he worked with government partners to develop research-engaged strategies for age-friendly cities, neighbourhoods and homes.
A Design for Life was created to site alongside the Framework for Creating Age-Friendly Homes in Greater Manchester, a three-year strategy produced by GM Ageing Hub at the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA). The framework sets out the ambitions to deliver quality and equality for older people in relation to the homes they live in, recognising the need for leadership and new ways of thinking about older people in urban environments. This ebook forms the first part of this mission, aiming to foster a culture shift among those involved in urban design and development. The publication was developed collaboratively with members of the GMCA Housing, Planning and Ageing task group, many of whom contributed case studies to the final document.
Through essays and case studies, this ebook highlights the opportunities that arise when urban professionals proactively challenge common stereotypes about the ageing process, and work together to develop practices, policies and designs that value older people as diverse, intersectional citizens.
