Speaker
Description
The growing percentage of seniors as a demographic trend presents significant societal challenges, impacting various aspects of urban life, including housing policy and spatial development (Huang, 2015). On one hand, changing housing needs—such as accessibility features, smaller units, and affordability—demand housing redevelopment (Luciano et al., 2020). On the other hand, there is an increasing mismatch between the rising demand for elderly care and society’s limited capacity to provide it, creating a widening care gap, particularly for low- and middle-income groups (Black, 2020). As the demand for barrier-free, smaller, and more affordable housing units rises, municipalities need to navigate the challenge at the intersection of land policy, social policy, and housing provision to support “ageing in place” (Lowies & Lushington, 2024). Despite the policy emphasis on enabling older adults to remain in their homes and communities, affordable housing for seniors remains an overlooked yet pressing governance issue in rapidly ageing societies, including Switzerland (Schwiter et al., 2018).
This paper examines how municipal, cooperative, and private actors respond to the growing demand for age-appropriate housing arrangements given the institutional context of land policy, social policy, and business interests in the growing elder care sector. Through a multiple case study of five housing projects in the Canton of Bern, I explore the governance of age-appropriate housing provision. The highly decentralized housing, land, and ageing policies in Swiss context provide a rich empirical context for different spatial, social, and economic interests involved in “ageing in place”. Findings suggest that housing cooperatives deploy distinct strategies to integrate housing and care, yet face challenges in affordability, accessibility, and long-term sustainability. Municipal priorities, particularly in efficiency in land allocation and keeping a balanced age composition of residents, significantly shape the extent to which senior housing is developed and how responsibilities for care are negotiated among public, private, and cooperative actors.
By situating age-appropriate housing within broader municipal planning and urban governance debates, this paper raises critical questions about who is responsible for planning and financing housing for changing demographics and how different governance arrangements either enable or constrain the capacity to ensure long-term affordability and care provision to mitigate the growing care gaps, particularly in cities. The study contributes to discussions on municipal planning, cooperative housing models, and the governance of ageing in cities, offering insights into the evolving role of local governments and community-based initiatives in mitigating the housing and care crisis beyond ageing communities.
References
Black, S., 2020. Social reproduction and the city: Toward a feminist political economy of the urban welfare regime. In: Social Reproduction and the City, pp. 19–43.
Huang, S.M., 2015. Urbanizing carescapes of Hong Kong: two systems, one city. Lexington Books.
Luciano, A., Pascale, F., Polverino, F. and Pooley, A., 2020. Measuring age-friendly housing: A framework. Sustainability, 12(3). Available at: https://doi.org/10.3390/su12030848
Lowies, B. and Lushington, K., 2024. Ageing-in-place. In: Research Handbook on Housing, the Home and Society. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing, pp. 387–411.
Schwiter, K., Berndt, C. and Truong, J., 2018. Neoliberal austerity and the marketisation of elderly care. Social & Cultural Geography, 19(3), pp. 379–399. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/14649365.2015.1059473
| Keywords | housing cooperatives; ageing in place; care crisis; land policy |
|---|---|
| Best Congress Paper Award | No |
