| Summary: | A critical concern for society at the present time is the detrimental effects of human
activity on the ecosystems. However, while there is raised awareness about issues such as
global warming and the thinning ozone layer, humans still plan and develop the urban
landscape from the perspective of the Cartesian worldview. This is also apparent in
planning for the aging population. Although there is a large body of literature on
population aging and sustainable urban development as well as a significant amount of
material on aging and urban planning, the three issues of sustainability, urban planning
and population aging are seldom addressed simultaneously.
This thesis addresses the question of how sustainability planning principles can be
integrated with planning for population aging. To this end, I investigate the underlying
paradigms of both planning and the sociology of aging to gain an understanding of the
values that underscore the policy directions in both these fields. I also review the
literature on population aging, as well as housing and health service planning to highlight
some needs, preferences and beliefs of the older population. Finally, I survey the
literature on sustainable urban planning to elucidate some points of intersection between
the needs and preferences of an aging population and the dominant principles
underwriting a more sustainable lifestyle.
The most significant themes arising from this investigation are the need for social and
physical restructuring through changing paradigms. It is clear that older people are
treated as a special group and have been segregated either covertly or overtly from
mainstream society. Therefore, a change in values is required normalizing the older
population within the societal structure. At the same time, traditional urban planning
supports increasing consumption of material and energy resources leading to greater
environmental degradation. Physical urban restructuring that reduces fossil fuel
consumption and waste production will move society towards sustainability. Social
ecology and ecological planning principles underwrite such social and ecological
restructuring.
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