The thinking, making and living of architecture as a method for evaluating the Impact of aged people and dementia friendly environments on users' social and economic inclusion

The United Nations reports that the global population is ageing rapidly, with 11% of the world’s population currently over 60 years old; this figure is projected to double by 2050. Studies highlight the importance of the relationship between people and spaces and how environments can positively affect the well-being of people as they age in place. This study investigates the impact of this approach upon older adults in the early stages of dementia with a specific focus on examining whether existing urban and architectural factors enable them to be active in their communities and cities. The first stage of this study is a literature review, with the second stage characterised by a case studies Post-Occupancy Evaluation (POE). The development and creation of a POE tool is influenced by a specific participatory design approach: a living lab developed with the following partners: Liverpool John Moores University, Mersey Care NHS Trust, HLP and MA architecture, Liverpool Service User Reference Forum – Dementia, and the Liverpool Dementia Action Alliance – Liverpool who will be actively involved in the methodological and data collection phases of the study. In addition, a number of case studies will be analysed through a one-time POE; this analysis phase will be characterised by three parts: the thinking, the making, and the living of architecture or urbanism. The aim of the analysis phase is to critically evaluate identified design strategies while teasing out their uniqueness in order to create an innovative architectural theory.