Geography’s blind spot: the age-old urban question

Abstract

Aging is one of the most significant social transformations of the twenty-first century. Older populations dramatically shape cities and urbanization, yet remain largely overlooked within geography. This paper critically examines evolving socio-spatial manifestations of old age in American cities. Age is an openly-stated and deeply important social relation shaping urbanization and private capital regeneration. The “age-friendly cities and communities” movement aims to make areas more supportive, convenient, and comfortable for resident aging populations. In practice, however, they may primarily benefit private capital by generating new forms of investment and growth, and the neoliberal state by minimizing its obligations to older citizens. Age-friendly development can exacerbate deeply uneven conditions of American cities and vulnerabilities of marginalized older adults. The paper develops three overarching strategies to employ the strengths of geography to question the foundations of age-friendly governance and generate novel theoretical and applied possibilities for more just and inclusive urban transformation.

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