“The Land of Old Age”: Society's Changing Attitudes toward Urban Built Environments for Elderly People

Abstract

Abstract I explore the reciprocity operating between age relations and the built environment by presenting an age-sensitive reading of urban history in the US. By focusing on the segregation of the elderly, intergenerational conflicts are shown to have clear territorial expressions. The resultant built environments of aging occur both by design and default. State policies are implicated in the creation of ageist built environments. In some instances, policies explicitly aimed at the elderly result in age-segregated residential environments while, in other cases, policies directed at the built environment have profound implications for age relations. Further, private-sector views of the consumption potential of elderly people also determine the types of residential environments available to old people. I argue that the urban built environment is simultaneously a cause and an effect of ageist attitudes. Key Words: elderlybuilt environmentsocial constructionageism