ageing in a deprived neighbourhood – outdoor mobility and the sense of place vanessa stjernborg,...

Ageing in a Deprived Neighbourhood – Outdoor Mobility and the Sense of Place

Vanessa Stjernborg, MSc, Phd studentInstitution of technology and society

Lund university, Sweden

Lund university / Technical Faculty / Technology and society / Transport and roads/ Transed2012

Disposition

• Introduction

• Method

• Results

• Discussion

• Current research


“A sense of personal safety and security is fundamental to a liveable community”…

(Kihl et. al., 2005:60)

Kihl, M. Brennan, D. Gabhawala, N. List, J. Mittal, P. (2005) Livable Communities: An Evaluation Guide, AAP Public Policy Institute.


Introduction

• Demographic changes – increasing older cohorts

• Development of cities – more dispersed, polarised, dangerous etc.

• Feelings of fear – different directions during the life course

• Gaps in research – ageing in urban neighbourhood has mostly been ignored

• Might present additional challenges and risks – feelings of fear and social isolation


Method

• Questionnaire - 2000 randomly collected persons early summer of 2011 (data from the Sound Settlement project)

• Low response rate, 142 responses totally (14 percent) - 39 persons 65 years or older

• Comprising questionnaire – app. 50 questions in Swedish language only, no reminder

• Questions – background, design & shaping, influence, needs, feelings of fear, everyday travel, traffic environment

• Dichotomised variable – secure/unsecure


Study district

• Malmö – Swedens third largest city

• Population app. 300 000

• Old industrial city to a city of knowledge

• Social challenges – segregation and gaps

• Foreign background app. 40 percent

• About 17 percent older persons

World Atlas (2012) http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/eu.htm, 2012-08-06


The neighbourhood

• “Typical” deprived neighbourhood on the fringe

• From the million programme (1965-1975)

• High scale buildings, car free, functionality

• Foreign background app. 60 percent

• About 15 percent older persons

• Low education, low income, high unemployment


Aim of the study…

… is to examine deprived neighbourhoods as places for ageing with a special focus on the everyday life mobility


Description of the sample (%)Men (N=15) Women

(N=24)Total (N=39)

Born in Sweden 53 73 65

Single person household 60 88 77

Living in the area more than 10 years 87 83 85

Leaving the home (daily-couple of times a week) 87 100 95

Drivers license 93 46 64

Access to a car in the household 60 27 41

Most common mode of transport – Car 40 13 23

Most common mode of transport – P.T. 7 46 31

Most common mode of transport – Other 53 42 46

Valuation of the own health (pretty to very satisfied) 50 75 66

Some kind of mobility device (sometimes/always) 14 33 26


Comparison - persons feeling secure/unsecure (%)

Feeling secure (N=16)

Feeling unsecure (N=23)

Total (N=39)

Men 38 39 39

Women 63 61 62

Born in Sweden 53 73 65

Born outside of Sweden 47 27 35

Single person household 88 70 77

Two person household 13 30 23

Access to a car 50 33 41

Satisfied with the own health 67 65 66

Some kind of mobility device 13 35 26


…continuation

Feeling secure (N=16)

Feeling unsecure (N=23)

Total (N=39)

The shaping of my neighbourhood is

beautiful/very beautiful 50 35 41

The architecture of my house is

beautiful/very beautiful 56 39 46

Experience of having an impact on the development in the neighbourhood 44 9 23

Know where to turn if there are problems in the neighbourhood (traffic, security, vandalism etc.) 94 52 69

Participation on meetings or other arrangements in the neighbourhood (at least 1-5 times per year) 69 74 72

Feeling secure on local buses (regarding personal security, integrity and risk of abuse) 81 52 64


Discussion

• Growing older in a deprived area can be about feelings of fear in the neighbourhood

• Reducing effects on the feelings of fear? - Knowing where to turn when there is problems in the neighbourhood - Feelings of having an impact on the development in the neighbourhood

• Feelings of fear on local buses – major threat against everyday life mobility

• Extremely low response rate – alternative research methods?

Feelings of fear a threat to the liveable community and the everyday life mobility


Current research

“Mobilities is not a task to be taken for granted”

Vannini (2012:182)

Vannini, P. (2012)


PhD Project: Urban Gerontomobility – the mobility and everyday life of older people in the neighbourhood

• Deprived urban neighbourhoods in Sweden

• “Mobilities turn” (Sheller , Urry 2006, Hannam, 2006)

• Mobile methods and the ethnographic case study

- participate on meetings and other activities in the

neighbourhood

- semi-structured interviews

- GPS-tracking with follow up interviews


Thank you for your attention

For further information contact [email protected]

ageing in a deprived neighbourhood – outdoor mobility and the sense of place vanessa stjernborg,...

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