The ability to access care from nearby.ĭesigning for the elderly is complex. Affordable housing for the elderly whose health needs are more delicate and urgent.Public and private affordable rent that can provide suitable housing conditions.Renovating housing for the elderly population needs to affordable.Accessible interiors guaranteeing free movement in all rooms and corridors.Well built and designed housing, providing safety, comfort, and shelter.Affordable maintenance services and support.Enough affordable housing in safe areas and near services and community support.Save this picture! Maggie’s Oldham / dRMM. Enough public toilets in external and internal areas, in good conditions.Good signage inside and outside of buildings, with enough seats and bathrooms, lifts, ramps and accessible stairs.Special customer service, such as separate waiting lines.Services should be placed near each other and accessible.Good lighting, police surveillance, and community education.Bike lanes separated from the pedestrian area.Pedestrians must have priority in crossings.Safe crosswalks adapted to different needs, having anti-slipping paving, visual and audio communication signals, and adequate crossing time.Anti-slipping flooring wide enough for a wheelchair.Paved sidewalks, free of obstacles, and exclusive to pedestrians.Provide safe and well-kept seats and green areas.Public spaces should be clean and pleasant.Many guides found online can be used as a starting point in the creation of one’s own.įor those in search of something practical and to the point, this is the check-list suggested by WHO when it comes to physical aspects. All these items impact the health and well-being of the elderly. Public space and public buildings designĪmong these items, we should consider the ability to traverse the city, the accessibility of public spaces, buildings, and means of transportation, and the ability to afford housing and security.When it comes to the physical environment, it lists the following items: To aid the quest for better quality of life for the elderly in cities, the United Nations launched the guide “ Measuring the age-friendliness of cities – A guide to using core indicators”. It is little considering that the city is home to around 1.4 million elders a huge field for architects and urban planners. Together, these centers serve about 15 thousand people”, says the City Hall. “Currently, the City Hall’s social assistance network has 134 specific services aimed for the elderly, such as Day Centers and Reference Centers for daytime activities, and special Living Centers and long-stay institutions for refuge. Now there are 670 cities studying and promoting initiatives in the State. In 2012, the State of Sao Paulo created a program called “the elderly-friendly city,” but it was only until January 2018 that the city has adhered to it. Save this picture! Maggie’s Manchester / Foster + Partners. We rely a lot on political will, but our associations can add pressure to make them a reality. If we cross this data with the districts that have the largest number of older people, it is possible to draw a focused and efficient improvement plan. To see the entire rank, access this link. In the last positions, we find the districts of Iguatemi, José Bonifácio, and Cachoeirinha. It is clear from the findings that the expanded city center offers better conditions, Bráz being the first district on the list, followed by República and Sé. A recent study from USP (Sao Paulo University) analyzed the databases of bus lines, subway, and trains, senior and disabled people exclusive parking spaces relief and grade as well as the accessibility of service and retail establishments in the city of Sao Paulo. Regarding cities, the most important problems are related to accessibility, public transportation, and services. We can work with the macro scale of cities and the small scale of dwellings. Save this picture! Cortesia de Flavia Ranieriīut how do we keep the elderly population active? There are four pillars that are currently considered: health, continued learning and education, social participation and security, and protection.Īs architects and urban planners, there is a lot we can contribute, be it on the public policy front or directly in the physical environment.

Senior landscape architect