Neighbourhoods as a Secure Living Environment in the Age of the Anthropocene?
Rondepierre, Damien
Neighbourhoods as a Secure Living Environment in the Age of the Anthropocene? - 2025.
19
The French population is currently facing a major challenge: ageing. At the same time, metropolitan areas in urbanised societies must address the issue of habitability in light of the transformations brought about by the Anthropocene. This era, in which humans have become a geological force in their own right, raises questions about the capacity to maintain peaceful living conditions in urban spaces – particularly for older adults, who overwhelmingly express a desire to age in place. In this context of environmental and social upheaval, local rootedness and neighbourhood dynamics are gaining increasing importance. This article explores how engagement in neighbourhood life can foster secure living conditions for the retirees interviewed, in response to the vulnerabilities they perceive. It draws on a qualitative study combining 11 semi-structured interviews with individuals aged 62 to 85, and in-depth observation of four residential contexts – two participatory housing projects and two co-owned properties – conducted as part of an ongoing doctoral thesis in sociology and geography. The study highlights how these retirees anticipate and adapt their ways of living in response to their experience of ageing, and examines how neighbourhoods can meet their needs for ontological security and social protection. Neighbourhood spaces and the relationships they foster offer a range of material and immaterial supports, enabling older individuals to remain at home despite growing vulnerabilities.
Neighbourhoods as a Secure Living Environment in the Age of the Anthropocene? - 2025.
19
The French population is currently facing a major challenge: ageing. At the same time, metropolitan areas in urbanised societies must address the issue of habitability in light of the transformations brought about by the Anthropocene. This era, in which humans have become a geological force in their own right, raises questions about the capacity to maintain peaceful living conditions in urban spaces – particularly for older adults, who overwhelmingly express a desire to age in place. In this context of environmental and social upheaval, local rootedness and neighbourhood dynamics are gaining increasing importance. This article explores how engagement in neighbourhood life can foster secure living conditions for the retirees interviewed, in response to the vulnerabilities they perceive. It draws on a qualitative study combining 11 semi-structured interviews with individuals aged 62 to 85, and in-depth observation of four residential contexts – two participatory housing projects and two co-owned properties – conducted as part of an ongoing doctoral thesis in sociology and geography. The study highlights how these retirees anticipate and adapt their ways of living in response to their experience of ageing, and examines how neighbourhoods can meet their needs for ontological security and social protection. Neighbourhood spaces and the relationships they foster offer a range of material and immaterial supports, enabling older individuals to remain at home despite growing vulnerabilities.
Réseaux sociaux