Socially Healthy Ageing: The Importance of Third Places, Soft Edges and Walkable Neighbourhoods

Population ageing is a complex subject with implications for public policy and urban and regional planning. A key community responsibility of population ageing is to ensure the health and wellbeing of this cohort. In this respect, planning for socially healthy ageing is a critical area requiring urgent and substantial research. This paper discusses the impacts of physical neighbourhood environments on the social life — a component of social health — of older people. The research is focused on where, in the neighbourhood, the social life of older people takes place. (State of Australian Cities Conference 2015)