- Der Jungbrunnen (The Fountain of Youth), Lucas Cranach the Elder, 1546

ARC3020Y F
Instructor(s): Shane Williamson
Meeting Section: L0107
Tuesday, 9:00am - 1:00pm, 2:00pm - 6:00pm

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

- Dylan Thomas

 

Global populations are aging—according to the UN, by 2030 the number of citizens aged 60 years or over is projected to grow by 56%, a figure which by 2050 is expected to double again, to a total of 2.1 billion seniors worldwide. This fundamental shift toward more aged populations isn’t the result of evolutionary development but rather a process of societal modernization linked directly to urbanization and industrialization and while we have seen moments in recent history during which society responded to demographic transitions, like the explosive construction of schools in North America in the 1950s and 60s linked to the Baby Boomer generation, we are not seeing equivalent consideration for the same generation as it ages. As a result, we now understand our urban settings to be designed for societies dominated by the young but increasingly populated by the old.

Adding to this demographic shift is the societal tendency towards intergenerational fracturing, in which developed nations have seen a dramatic shift away from multigeneration housing to single-generation housing for the elderly. This shift has manifested itself in several forms with aging-in-place and age-segregated communities reflecting opposite ends of the spectrum. While aging-in-place often holds the ideological high ground in the debate on approaches to housing the elderly, it is not uncommon for “empty nesters” to find themselves socially and spatially isolated from others, and from other retirees, as the neighborhoods in which they live were constructed predominantly around activities of the nuclear family, those focused on childhood and adulthood. Meanwhile, studies show that aging populations fear social isolation and loss of purpose more than death which brings to question the model of aging-in-place where the place proves resistant to shifting demographic needs.

Alternately, age-segregated communities often represent unsustainable low density land development and corresponding disinvestment in the residual public domain while deeply reinforcing societal fracturing across generational lines. While there is much to learn from retirement communities like Sun City in Arizona - described by Italian urban theorist Marco D'Eramo as one of "the most radical social experiments of the twentieth century" – the focus of this research studio will be upon finding common ground amongst generations. Through precedent research and urban analysis, students will broadly examine the issue of aging in the urban realm with a particular emphasis upon resisting the notion of homogeneity while privileging interconnectedness that underwrites vital social life. It is anticipated that students will have unique socio-cultural underpinnings resulting in equally unique research trajectories, sites, and architectural propositions throughout our two-semester studio.

Due to university COVID-related restrictions, international travel is restricted during the fall semester but if circumstances permit in February, we will travel to Denmark to visit the Generationernes Hus in Aarhus along with other notable projects in Copenhagen and environs.