Thresholds of Care: Research by Design as a Mode of Inquiry in Environmental Gerontology

Environmental gerontology has largely studied care-supporting environments after they are built, through surveys, observation, and post-occupancy evaluation. This article asks what a complementary, anticipatory mode of inquiry can offer – research by design. Drawing on situated knowledge and the concept of care as a spatial quality, it examines how designing can contribute to producing knowledge about aging and environment by formulating and qualifying spatial propositions before construction. The argument is illustrated on a project for an urban block in Prague, where three design episodes show how this approach can contribute to the discussion of care-supporting environments and where its limits lie.