Intergenerational Living
ScrollThree European changemakers are tackling the challenge of intergenerational living.
As populations age and cities become more crowded, forward-thinkers in Europe are designing places and programs that create community, safety and belonging for people of all generations.
Intergenerational living is a concept as old as humankind, but design that centres interaction between young and old is still relatively nascent, especially in Australia. We are just now beginning to explore the positive practical outcomes of intergenerational design. It can minimise segregation, stress and feelings of isolation while encouraging social connection and wellbeing.
From flexible housing models to community skillshare programs to fully accessible facilities, intergenerational design is exploring new ways of living together and creating community. Here are three changemakers in Denmark and broader Europe whose projects are shaping the future of design and lifestyle.
Intergenerational living can minimise segregation, stress and feelings of isolation while encouraging social connection and wellbeing.
Generationernes Hus (Denmark)
Generationernes Hus (‘The House of Generations’) is a proposed intergenerational apartment complex in Aarhus which will consist of dwellings designed for people of different ages and abilities, as well as communal areas to encourage social interaction. These will include youth housing units, family homes, disability housing, a daycare centre, nursing homes and housing for the elderly. The project aims to facilitate people of all ages living together easily and in harmony.
Lange Eng (Denmark)
Lange Eng is a co-housing community in Albertslund, Denmark comprised of 54 houses and apartments with shared facilities. Home to over 100 adults and 100 children, Lange Eng’s dwellings are wrapped around a communal garden which is accessible to all residents. Other communal facilities include a kitchen and dining space, a playroom, a screening room, a cafe and a bar. The space’s human-centred design and the openness of its residents to communal life have fostered a unique sense of mutual support.
mix@ges – Intergenerational Bonding via Creative New Media (European partnership)
mix@ges was an intergenerational education project that brought together teens and elderly people through collaborative digital media projects and workshops. Participants had the chance to collaborate with people they might not normally interact with, learning about their intergenerational similarities and common interests. Older people shared experience and social skills with the youth, who taught them their own set of innovative skills.
Intergenerational living and programming might still seem like uncharted territory, but good design isn’t: all these projects were the outcomes of considered consultation with the people they were created for. We can make sure the outcomes of design best fit people’s lives by putting community at the centre of decision-making.
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Words by Local Peoples
Photos by Matthew_T_Rader, Nikoline Arns, John Moeses Bauan, Humphrey Muleba
