Urban Ageing, Gender and the Value of the Local Environment: The Experience of Older Women in a Central Neighbourhood of Madrid, Spain

Abstract

Urban ageing is an emerging domain that mixes two challenges of current societies: the ageing of the population and the increasing urbanisation. While ageing in place has demonstrated numerous benefits, some social sectors question whether the city is the right environment for ageing, since cities are home to many of the social problems that characterise contemporary societies. Urban environments are widely described as rootless in most academic articles, with a focus on the impersonality, transience, and segmentation of links between city dwellers. However, this portrayal coexists with contrasting views of urban life that instead emphasise the importance of the local setting and other experiences of attachment to the place of residence. From the age and gender perspectives, in some urban areas, the neighbourhood plays a fundamental role in the lives of many older women, as a natural setting for interaction and an area conducive to collaborative relationships and practical and emotional support in times of need. This article analyses the role that the local space plays in the lives of older women, the value they attach to it and the meaning they attribute to neighbourhood relations in the local urban environment. In order to analyse this reality, the Universidad (Malasaña) neighbourhood, has been selected as a case study, a central area in Madrid (Spain) exposed to numerous processes of transformation, which shows the highest rate of residential mobility in the area. Despite this reality, in a context marked by new difficulties, the conclusion shows that elderly women have a strong attachment to their neighbourhood. This attachment is not necessarily characterised by deep friendships, but by the existence of a significant social network that responds in case of need.

The Importance of Place Attachment in the Understanding of Ageing in Place: “The Stones Know Me”

“…This level of relationship is consistent with the atmosphere of comfort (comfort zone) that is sometimes created in neighbourhoods [ 89 ], also linked to the potential for exchange that is derived from weak ties or absent ties (such as daily greetings) [ 52 ]. This feeling of familiarity is directly linked to the residential stability of the population, which is still present but at risk in certain neighbourhoods due to processes of touristification and gentrification [ 46 ].…”

“…For this reason, a potential change of housing or neighbourhood would have a great impact at the psychosocial level [ 19 ]. This subjective security decreases in situations of instability in the social fabric [ 46 ], and especially in environments with a large number of vacant premises or dwellings or where the dwellings are intended for uses other than residential [ 19 ].…”

“…A clear example of this is the exchange of house keys among neighbours, a practice that implies the psychological security that someone will be able to get in, should there be an emergency [ 46 ]:…”

“…In summary, the identity of place and attachment to the space would represent an added value to the dwelling in which the adult years have been spent before the entry into old age, which could explain the refusal to move from it even when that dwelling does not meet one’s needs or leads to adaptation problems and excessive pressure (in the sense indicated beforehand, and as demonstrated in [ 16 , 19 , 46 ]).…”

“…In this context, reflection on place attachment transcends the dwelling and encompasses the sphere in which people’s daily lives take place, understood as an area that extends beyond the residence itself [ 46 ].…”