Imagining intergenerational space in the public realm; seniors, children and materiality
Date
2023-04-12
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Abstract
Intergenerational design is an overlooked design consideration
typically not included into the configuration of urban public spaces.
The expected increase of seniors in city and global scales demands a
reexamination of our urban fabric and an integration of this growing
demographic. Through the use of materiality in architecture as a medium,
it is hypothesized that it can trigger interactions and relationships between
generations. The research builds on existing intergenerational theory,
but attempts to impose it into the public space context. It is through an
intergenerational approach that designers can combat ageism and mend
generational segregation; self inflicted or externally imposed. By analyzing
public space through the lens of material culture and heterotopias, and
introducing the notion of transformative space, the site moves beyond the
static limitations of heterotopia. Chestnut Street in Toronto was chosen
as a place for criticizing and bettering the existing generational social
structure in North American society.
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Keywords
Ageism, children, heterotopias, intergenerational, materiality, protopia, public space, seniors