In the 20th century, the socio-gerontological model of irreversible loss dominated the world. Aging was perceived as a state of regression, a time of quiet living and fading away, which was expected to be spent either in the family or in a medical institution. Elderly individuals often found themselves in social isolation and died as independent personalities long before physical death occurred.

Existing concepts of social «exclusion» of older adults considered only chronological age. Thanks to theories such as the disengagement theory (E. Cumming and W.E. Henry), subculture theory (A. Rose), and others, stereotypes of perceiving retirement persisted in industrial society. After reaching a certain age, an individual from this group was perceived as an «outsider,» a person with age-related problems or even a burden. Factors such as education level, work ability, experience, or health status were often not considered when determining the preservation of their previous lifestyle or work.

A little about history of senior housing

Architectural concepts for nursing homes or veterans’ homes for this age group, based on social models of aging from the 20th century, had a very narrow typology. Residential buildings were divided into three categories based on the type of living: apartment or hotel-type houses for independent living with partial supervision by social workers; boarding houses for individuals who could not maintain a household independently; medical institutions for severely ill, low-mobility elderly patients.

Until recently, the architecture of institutions for the older age group assumed living on the outskirts of cities, far from traffic flows, and practically without interaction with the outside world. Thus, aging in industrial society was accompanied by negative changes: medical (deterioration of health, mobility problems), emotional (depression, weak self-identification), and moral (revaluation of values and life goals).

What’s now?

Changes in the social structure of society at the turn of the 21st century led to a weakening of the institution of marriage and intergenerational relationships, as well as a change in the role of grandparents: the younger generation needed less help from older parents, and not all older people had children and grandchildren, which meant their lives became more independent and lonely. Meanwhile, due to the increase in overall life expectancy and the development of medicine, the period of active aging became longer, reaching 20-30 years for women and 10-15 years for men.

At the beginning of the 21st century, American architect Dean Simpson explored the phenomenon of the new active period of aging and introduced the concept of «Young Old,» literally «young elderly,» to define future elderly individuals aged 55+.

A new approach to architectural and urban planning design within the framework of the «New Aging» or «Aging Anew» concept is being developed by a team of modern American specialists – architects from the HWKN bureau, employees of ten other architectural companies (Diller Scofidio+R, L2, Sadar Vuga, Lot_ek, J. Mayer.H. and others), as well as students from the University of Pennsylvania. The goal of their joint international research is to analyze the achievements of recent years in the field of architecture and urban planning, study the lifestyle of older adults, the established typology of their housing, urban infrastructure, and propose new relevant solutions for the reconstruction of cities to meet the needs of older people. The work takes into account the new type of «elderly» – the «future» elderly. The author of the concept, Matthias Hollwich, suggests considering people over 40 as elderly because, in his opinion, earlier recognition of future aging and its characteristics will allow today’s forty-year-olds to better plan the second half of their lives.

The main conclusion of the «New Concept of Aging» is that improving the lives of older adults affects the lives of all population groups. A city designed according to standards that meet the needs of older adults and young parents with strollers is a city convenient for everyone. The age of an older person is not determined by retirement or other commonly accepted frameworks and categories.

Future elderly city residents are thinking, modern, and active individuals. This fact directly determines the choice of alternative social models of the living environment for this and other population categories. The elderly person of 2030 is today’s active middle manager in large cities. They are accustomed to a certain level of comfort and services, travel, and diverse leisure, as well as a rich and active urban life with access to numerous services.

How to solve modern housing problems for the elderly?

Today, there are several state concepts and programs that address the issue of providing older adults with decent housing:

• The idea of individualization: individual strategies should be offered for each age group of older adults for the formation of urban infrastructure objects: social centers for the elderly, shopping centers, social and medical institutions, cultural and recreational, educational clubs, and sports clubs, etc.
• Priority development of urban forms of residence for future residential complex residents.
• Creating an accessible environment. Accessibility should be manifested at all levels: this is not only ergonomic adaptability for the needs of people with disabilities or the elderly but also transport and infrastructure accessibility of social functions, employment places, recreational and leisure institutions.
• Ensuring decentralization of urban infrastructure and the housing system associated with it. The idea of decentralization is a strategy for many modern initiatives, both governmental and developmental. It is particularly relevant for parents with children and the older population. They need access to all vital objects, as well as trade, leisure, and public functions with a minimal radius of movement around the district. However, as the European experience shows, it is impossible to place residential functions for the elderly in all districts with the same density. The «elderly map» of New York even highlights special districts and zones with the most favorable environment for older people: closer to natural complexes and away from industrial zones. The location of objects is influenced by the historical, social, and transport potential of the territory. Therefore, it is essential to develop an algorithm for finding land for the construction of perspective residential quarters, separately standing residential complexes for the elderly.
• Creating an open system and active interaction with the city structure at both functional and spatial levels: preserving an elderly person’s connections with peers, preserving a workplace, the possibility of active leisure and education.

World experience in creating an environment for seniors speaks of the need to create an alternative, variable environment for living.