# The thin space between individuals and contexts as affordance for healthy longevity: a psychological perspective for aging in place studies

## TL;DR

This paper explores how urban environments can support healthy aging by considering the psychological relationship between individuals and their surroundings.

## Contribution

It introduces a novel psychological perspective on aging in place, emphasizing the role of urban spaces in promoting healthy longevity.

## Key findings

- Urban spaces should be viewed as dynamic contexts that influence aging, not just as passive backdrops.
- A psychological approach to aging in place can reveal how environments empower individuals for healthy longevity.
- The interplay between people and their urban environments is crucial for understanding aging in place.

## Abstract

It seems likely that the growing number of older adults and increasing urbanization will be among the most significant demographic and societal trends in the near future. These two global phenomena will undoubtedly have a profound effect on the demographic and geographical makeup of our world. In view of these changes, it is crucial that the health and social sciences consider how the concept of Aging in Place could play a valuable role in longevity studies. Considering this topic as correlated to different important themes such as functional, symbolic, and emotional attachment and importance of homes, neighborhoods, and communities - resumed in the categories of people, place and time - we introduce a new perspective in Aging in (urban) Place studies from a psychological perspective based on situated and embodied cognition, with the purpose of deeply analyzing the thin space between people and their context, viewing place not as a neutral backdrop but as a continuous opportunity for individuals to act. Only through an analysis of urban spaces as limits or possibilities in everyday life can we grasp how the city can be an adequate place to empower individuals’ healthy longevity.