Living, Moving and Ageing in the City
Re-Thinking Age-Friendly Urban Spaces in Slovenia
T. Korbar (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
Martijn Lugten – Mentor (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
M.M. Dabrowski – Mentor (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
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Abstract
This thesis examines how current urban planning and spatial design in Slovenia address the needs of the elderly population. The accessibility to walking infrastructure and public transport in times of high temperature poses a challenge for people aged 65 and above, especially in central and semi-central districts in Slovenia’s mountainous and hilly regions, where ageing demographics, financial funding and climate pressures intensify spatial exclusion.
Central to this research is the research question: “How can age-friendly design of public spaces support social and physical well-being in response to heat stress challenges for older adults in Slovenia in a spatially just way?”
A mixed-method approach of research, design, personal inputs and pattern language have been used to critically address the challenges of conventional planning and design strategies and demonstrate inclusive and equitable alternatives that sustain the unpredictable future for next generations.
These results conclude that addressing the spatial and social challenges faced by an ageing population requires both long-term, top-down awareness reform and immediate, ground-level action. Urban design, if implemented as a preventive measure, could, in the long term, lead to reduced healthcare demands and increased economic productivity. It also enables urgent, bottom-up improvements to quality of life by placing older adults at the centre of this transition.
The research aims to provide insights and strategies for more inclusive and future-proof urban design, adapted to older adults. The aim is to create environments in which older adults can age actively and adapt to meet their needs. That would demonstrate how the built environment can foster more just and inclusive public spaces that form a social infrastructure of collective care and agency, ultimately enhancing the long-term well-being of older adults.