University of Manchester study says older people must have a greater say in shaping the future of their communities

Large-scale £6bn regeneration risks leaving older residents feeling culturally displaced unless they are meaningfully involved in shaping the neighbourhoods where they live, new research has warned.

A University of Manchester study examining the experiences of older people in North Manchester found that regeneration must extend beyond new homes and physical infrastructure. The researchers argue that investment is also needed in community centres, faith spaces, local shops and other places where residents build relationships and access informal support.

North Manchester is undergoing one of the largest urban regeneration programmes in the country. The £6bn North Manchester Strategy includes the redevelopment of North Manchester General Hospital, a new mental health facility and the Victoria North housing development.

Victoria North alone is expected to provide up to 15,000 new homes over the next 15 to 20 years and has been selected as one of the government’s New Towns Initiative sites.

The researchers said this investment presents a major opportunity to improve residents’ health and wellbeing. However, its benefits must be shared with the people and communities already living in the area.

Many of the older residents involved in the study had a strong sense of belonging to their neighbourhoods and wanted to remain there as they aged. Some feared, however, that regeneration could result in gentrification, higher housing costs and the loss of familiar community spaces.

Residents also questioned whether the new homes, services and amenities being planned would be accessible to existing communities or primarily benefit people moving into the area.

Dr Camilla Lewis, from the University of Manchester’s Manchester Urban Ageing Research Group, said: “Regeneration could potentially bring enormous benefits to communities, but it is vital that we don’t lose sight of the people who already live in these places.

“Older people have deep connections to their neighbourhoods and have built up knowledge, relationships and networks over many years. These are valuable assets for regeneration, not obstacles to it.

“If we want to create places where people can live well as they grow older, then older residents need to be involved in shaping the future of their communities from the outset.”

The value of social infrastructure

The study highlights the importance of what the researchers describe as ‘social infrastructure’: the organisations, facilities and everyday meeting places that enable relationships to form and communities to function.

Community organisations and volunteers were found to play a particularly important role in supporting older people from ethnically minoritised backgrounds. This included helping residents experiencing isolation, poor health, financial pressures or language barriers.

Local shops, faith settings and community centres also provided opportunities for people from different ethnic, cultural and generational backgrounds to interact. These everyday encounters helped residents maintain a sense of familiarity, belonging and continuity as their neighbourhoods changed.

The researchers warned that this social infrastructure can be overlooked when regeneration programmes concentrate principally on housing numbers, buildings and transport links.

Dr Niamh Kavanagh, from the University of Manchester, said: “Regeneration needs to start by understanding what is already valuable about a place: its people, its relationships, its cultural diversity and the spaces where communities come together.

“Our research shows that these everyday connections matter enormously to older people. They can provide a sense of belonging and continuity at a time when neighbourhoods are undergoing profound change.

“The challenge is to make sure that regeneration strengthens these connections rather than unintentionally disrupting them.”

Implications for housing and regeneration

The report recommends that regeneration programmes should be:

• equitable, ensuring existing residents benefit from investment
• embedded within established communities
• designed collaboratively with older people
• responsive to different cultural needs and experiences
• supported by sustained investment in community organisations and social infrastructure.

As the population becomes older and more ethnically diverse, the researchers argue that successful regeneration will depend on understanding residents’ connections to place and involving them in decisions from the beginning, rather than consulting them after the main plans have already been developed.

Read the full report, Ageing, inequality and urban regeneration: Collaborative research with older people living in North Manchester, here.

Picture credit (c) Christopher Furlong/Manchester City Council