Lisbon: Apartments for Ageing in Place

Alvalade district in Lisbon is presented as an example on how to become an age-friendly neighborhood to deal with a new demographic reality: Portugal is the 5th most aged society in the world (until 2050 only the age groups above 65 are expected to grow). Providing housing conditions for the elderly to age in place, at the city center of Lisbon where they’ve always lived is urgent, especially because most people prefer to age in place, in their home and friendly neighborhood, instead of moving out into an institution like a nursing home. Based on case studies, the author shows, proposes and discusses how to refurbish the existing apartment buildings in order to become age-friendly, allowing its residents to stay and age in place. Small scale interventions are presented and discussed, turning the normal apartment building into an assisted living facility for the coexistence of different generations. A similar approach is presented and discussed towards the urban space around these selected buildings, developing small scale urban design solutions necessary for an age-friendly Lisbon, in a human-friendly urban environment.