Very excited to share the latest publication from the Population and Place Research Lab!
The ‘Double Risk’ of Aging: Examining Vulnerability and (Un)Supportive Built Environments in Canadian Cities in the Canadian Journal on Aging.
Led by Pop Place Affiliated Researcher Samantha Biligeri and co-authored by Pop Place Director Maxwell Hartt, this study examines whether our cities support the health and well-being of aging populations by exploring the “double risk” that many older adults live with – the potential of being disadvantaged by socio-demographic risk factors (being older, living alone, low income) and by living in an unsupportive built environment. They found that most older adults with socio-demographic risk factors are living in unsupportive built environments in Canada; however, the distribution between built environments along the spectrum and between municipalities reveals a variegated landscape of double risk. The spatial distribution of vulnerability varies greatly within the 33 Canadian cities analyzed, which highlights the need for this kind of inquiry to target age-friendly policy interventions.