Why is play only for children? Play improves physical and mental health, strengthens social cohesion, and increases sense of belonging. Play has the potential to address many of the physical and mental challenges that can come with aging while simultaneously countering social isolation and loneliness. Aging Playfully is the first research project to extensively examine older adult play and the built environment.

Learn more about the project, people, and publications.

Quietly Shrinking Cities: Canadian Urban Population Loss in an Age of Growth is the first major study of past, current, and future urban population loss in Canada – and what we can do about it. The book argues that shrinking cities need to rethink their planning and economic development strategies in response to a new demographic reality, and questions whether population loss and prosperity are indeed mutually exclusive.

Interested to learn more? Order the book today!

Society is asking big questions about the kind of world we want to live in as we age. What better way to explore this than through listening to the voices of diverse older people? The Aging People, Aging Places project started as a book and has now evolved into an online catalogue of stories sharing the joys, struggles, and everyday lives of older adults.

Want to contribute? Submit your story!

Online participatory planning processes are cheaper, easier, and may reach a broader audience than in-person techniques. However, they are also vulnerable to disruption from automated social bots. This is the first study to explore the potential impact of automated social media bots on participatory planning.

You can follow the automated member of our research team Urbanist Uma on Twitter.

The global population is aging. But not all built environments are suitable for an older population. High-rise neighbourhoods have the potential to support the physical and social needs of older adults, but as they age they become incredibly difficult to renovate or retrofit. This collaborative project explores the notion of double aging: people aging in aging built environments. Specifically, we explored how to manage the linked concerns of demographic and physical aging of high-rise neighbourhoods.

Project has concluded but materials are still available on the website.