We look out for the oldest – and youngest – residents of our cities as we explore how design can combat loneliness among the elderly, and how children in Helsinki can learn while enjoying public playgrounds. We also check in with the originator of the ‘sponge city’ concept. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Hello, and welcome to the Urbanist, Monocle's program all about the built environment.
I'm your host, Andrew Tuck.
Coming up, the Surgeon General in the United States equated loneliness to having 15 cigarettes a day, a worse problem in terms of reducing lifespan than even obesity.
So loneliness and social isolation is a direct health crisis.
We look out for the youngest and oldest residents of our cities as we explore how to make them more accommodating for all generations.
From a senior housing project in the Bronx using design to combat loneliness amongst the older residents, to the design of a new playground in Helsinki incorporating learning into play.
And before we go, we also check in with the originator of the sponge city concept to see how their initiative was soaked up by cities around the globe.
That's all coming up over the next 30 minutes right here on the Urbanist.
With me, Andrew Tuck.
Cities are undergoing a loneliness epidemic, and isolation is often felt most acutely in the older generations.
Reports have found that more than one third of adults 45 and older feel lonely, and one fourth of adults over 65 feel socially isolated.
Loneliness and social isolation have been linked to serious health risks in seniors, including dementia and an increased risk of premature death.
So how can we design to help counter this?
A partnership between the Volunteers of America Greater New York and Magnussen Architecture and Planning aims to put design into action on this issue with a new affordable housing project for seniors in the Bronx that aims to encourage socialization and eliminate senior loneliness.
Montcal's Carlota Rebello was joined by Jeffrey Ginsberg, the CEO of Voagny, and Fernando Villa, principal at Magnussen Architecture and Planning.
Carlotta began by asking Geoffrey for an overview of this project and how his organization got involved.
I run an organization called Volunteers of America New York, one of the largest organizations trying to reduce and hopefully end homelessness and the affordable housing crisis and the poverty crisis that is facing New Yorkers right now.
And particularly, we're facing a dramatically aging population and a population that needs housing and support as it is growing older than we've ever sort of seen in modern history.
So a group like ours is a big role to play in trying to address that problem.
And we're doing several things about it.