Publications

Front cover of the final project report. Half and full circles in different colours with the title underneath: Healthy Ageing in a Changing Climate: Creating inclusive, age-friendly, and climate resilient cities and communities in the UK

Final project report

Healthy Ageing in a Changing Climate: Creating inclusive, age-friendly, and climate resilient cities and communities in the UK

Our project identified six key areas that require action to address the threat posed by climate change to the healthy ageing of older adults living in cities and communities throughout the UK:

1) Empowering older people towards climate action
2) Mobilising community and social infrastructure
3) Enhancing mobility and transport for healthy ageing
4) Climate resilient housing for ageing-in-place
5) Healthcare and wellbeing for older adults in extreme weather
6) Intergenerational communities and climate resilience

Here, we outline recommendations that local and national governments should take in partnership with community organisations and older people to address these key areas.

Supporting publications

  • Front cover of community workshop summary: Belfast

    Community workshop summary: Belfast

    On 16th June 2023, the Healthy Ageing in a Changing Climate project team brought people aged 60+ together at the Europa Hotel in Belfast to discuss:

    • what climate change means to you

    • what impact extreme weather events have on you and your community

    • what exists & what is needed in your community to respond to extreme weather

    Read the Belfast summary
  • Front cover of community workshop summary: Rochdale

    Community workshop summary: Rochdale

    On 25th May 2023, the Healthy Ageing in a Changing Climate project team brought people aged 60+ together at the Strand Community Hub in Rochdale to discuss:

    • what climate change means to you

    • what impact extreme weather events have on you and your community

    • what exists & what is needed in your community to respond to extreme weather

    Read the Rochdale summary
  • Front cover of community workshop summary: Cardiff

    Community workshop summary: Cardiff

    On 12th May 2023, the Healthy Ageing in a Changing Climate project team brought people aged 60+ together at the Central Library Hub in Cardiff to discuss:

    • what climate change means to you

    • what impact extreme weather events have on you and your community

    • what exists & what is needed in your community to respond to extreme weather

    Read the Cardiff summary
  • Front cover of community workshop summary: Leith

    Community workshop summary: Leith

    In April 2023, we brought together an intergenerational community group at the Citadel in Leith, Scotland. This is one of four community workshops where we explored the following questions with people aged 60+:

    • what climate change means to you

    • what impact extreme weather events have on you and your community

    • what exists & what is needed in your community to respond to extreme weather

    Read the Leith summary
  • Front page of Event Brief

    Event Brief: Climate Resilient Age-Friendly Cities and Communities

    In December 2022, 45 policymakers and practitioners came together to discuss the policy challenges of climate change and its impact on healthy ageing and age-friendly cities and communities. The aim of the workshop was to identify the priorities and challenges for delivering climate resilient Age-Friendly Cities and Communities (AFCCs). This brief summarises the discussion and key issues raised.

    Read the Event Brief
  • Healthy Ageing conference poster

    Healthy Ageing Conference poster

    In November 2022, we showcased a project poster at the Healthy Ageing conference in London. The conference was run by UKRI’s Healthy Ageing Challenge during Longevity Week (14 – 18 November).

    Read the conference poster

Recent work from our team

Woolrych, R., Sixsmith, J., Duvvuru, J., Portella, A., Fang, M. L., Menezes, D., Henderson, J., Fisher, J., & Lawthom, R. (2022). Cross-National Perspectives on Aging and Place: Implications for Age-Friendly Cities and Communities. Gerontologist, 62(1), 119–129. doi: 10.1093/geront/gnab170

Latter, B. (2022). Climate Change Communication and Engagement With Older People in England. Frontiers in Communication. doi: 10.3389/fcomm.2022.848671

Pengelly, R.J. (2022). Keeping Going…by sharing ways in which to be happily home-based.

Woolrych, R., Sixsmith, J., Fisher, J., Makita, M., Lawthom, R., & Murray, M. (2021). Constructing and negotiating social participation in old age: Experiences of older adults living in urban environments in the United Kingdom. Ageing and Society, 41(Special Issue 6), 1398-1420. doi: 10.1017/S0144686X19001569

Menezes, D., Woolrych, R., Sixsmith, J., Makita, M., Smith, H., Fisher, J., Garcia-Ferrari, S., Lawthom, R., Henderson, J., & Murray, M. (2021). ‘You really do become invisible’: examining older adults’ right to the city in the United Kingdom. Ageing and Society. doi: 10.1017/S0144686X21001793

Woolrych, R., Duvurru, J., Portella, A., Sixsmith, J., Menezes, D., Woolrych, R., Duvurru, J., Portella, A., Sixsmith, J., Menezes, D., Fisher, J., Lawthom, R., Reddy, S., Datta, A., Chakravarty, I., Khan, A. M., Murray, M., Makita, M., Zubair, M., & Pereira, G. (2020). Ageing in Urban Neighbourhoods: Exploring Place Insideness Amongst Older Adults in India, Brazil and the United Kingdom. Psychology and Developing Societies, 32(2), 201-223. doi: 10.1177/0971333620937106

Woolrych, R., Portella, A., Sixsmith, J., Smith, H., Soledad Garcia Ferrari, M., Makita, M., Menezes, D., Fisher, J., Lawthom, R., Murray, M., Crane de Narvaez, S., & Goodman, N. (2019). Place-Making with Older Adults (PLACE-AGE). Towards Age-Friendly Cities and Communities: Policy and Practice Guidelines and Recommendations