Multigenerational House Nurnberg, Germany (2007)
The German Government underwrites Multigenerational Houses (Mehrgenarationenhauser). The project aims to increase interaction between the younger generations and the older generations at the community level. They had established more than 200 houses by 2007, and 450 houses will be active in 2012. These houses opened community drop-in centers, providing a variety of services to all generations at a low budget, and encouraging honorary and voluntary participation, using the expertise and potentials of all generations.
1toit2ages, Belgium
The Belgian association 1toit2ages attempts to reconcile two needs: that of students in search of confortable, inexpensive accommodation and that of the elderly living alone and looking for company. The association helps students find a room with an elderly person in return for a bit of company during the evening and a reassuring presence at night.
More info: www.intergeneration.be/orga.php?id_asso=202
Designing intergenerational housing: Pulication in French (Belgium): www.frw.be/fileadmin/user_upload/frw/publications/CT3_logement_intergeneration.pdf
ensemble2générations, France
Created in 2006, ensemble2générations aims at enabling students and seniors to live together.
The older person who host a student provides him with cheap accommodation in compensation for services, but also with a place to live, meet and share. A written agreement states what is expected from both parties and a follow-up is ensured. The objective of the project is to create social links and foster exchange and solidarity between both generations, which can help address current societal challenges.
900 students and older people are part of the project, run by 13 agencies in France.
Read a presentation in French
Similar initiative in the city of Colombes:
Integration of intergenerational aspect in housing and urban planning
More and more, regional and local housing and urban planning are increasingly taking into account the ageing dimension. The UK
strategy “Lifetime homes, Lifetime neighbourhoods” contains tools and recommendations for local authorities to aid planning, for example projections
of older households and their size at district level. The city of Longwy in France surveyed the actual routes and services used by elderly people and set
up a plan to ensure better accessibility. Lastly, the World Health Organisation developed a methodology called Age Friendly Cities to help municipalities
adapt to the needs of their ageing population. The checklist of essential features of an age-friendly city was developed following a consultation in 33 cities
in 22 countries. Those features seek to create an intergenerational environment.
For more information, https://www.who.int/ageing/publications/Age_friendly_cities_checklist.pdf
