NOTE: This webinar will not take place on March 22nd. We hope to be able to reschedule it at a later date.
March 21st is World Home Economics Day. The WHED 2021 theme is Age Friendly Homes & Communities.
This presentation provokes alternative ways that ‘unity’ can be created in neighbourhood communities to support ageing populations through design. Neighbourhood communities are made up of complex networks of housing, pathways, shops, parks, and transportation systems. Neighbourhoods are also inherently contextual (e.g., including many objects, landscaping) and are encountered by people in dynamic and fluid ways that involve seasonal and daily conditions, indoor and outdoor spaces, and more. As people age new needs come into play and capabilities shift, yet people continue to experience the world in an embodied way that includes the physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual. Although designing for ageing populations and people with dementia is challenging, there are some fundamental concepts that are essential to creating friendly, usable, and safe comm/unities. These concepts are illustrated through a series of case studies from cities around the world. This presentation promises to demonstrate how neighbourhood design can encourage choice, dynamic interactions, and wellbeing that support diverse populations.
Megan Strickfaden, PhD, is a design anthropologist and migrant who has lived in seven countries. She currently makes a home in Amiskwaciy Waskahikan Treaty 6 Territory and is a professor at the University of Alberta at the Department of Human Ecology. As a professor Megan solves complicated problems for people who live without sight, move around speedily on wheels, and/or process the world differently from others. Working with community is an essential part of her practice, having co-created 28 films that aim to provoke change including Light in the Borderlands (2013), Dementia Care by Design (2015), and the Illustrated Film Series (2018-21) She has worked as an advisor with various municipalities including, for example, Anger (France), Brussels and Hasselt (Belgium), and the province of Alberta (Canada) to improve inclusion within cities and access to outdoor environments. She firmly believes that all citizens have the right to access transportation, parks, and other public resources within urban and rural spaces.
NOTE: the zoom link will be sent to registered participants a day or two before the session.
