Active ageing in urban environments: a reflexive critique of simplistic binaries

This reflexive piece critically engages with Avoiding ‘Bungalow Legs’: Active Ageing and the Built Environment by Gilroy and Townshend (2024), which argues that fostering healthy ageing requires urban design that transcends simplistic binaries, addressing the multi-faceted challenges of contemporary urbanization. They identify a range of trends driving interest in this topic, including the promotion of ‘age-friendly’ communities, the growth of more positive attitudes to ageing, and an increased focus on self-health care. Central to their work is the argument that ‘Active and Healthy Ageing’ frameworks often rely on unhelpful binaries that oversimplify the needs of ageing populations. In particular, they note the tendency to see engagement with ‘nature/greenspace’ as inherently beneficial, in contrast with what may be viewed as the less positive aspects of urban environments. They also highlight tensions between a ‘pro-disability’ perspective which views age as a form of impairment, and an approach that respects the diversity and plurality of ageing experiences.