Sociologický časopis / Czech Sociological Review 2012, 48(1): 107-130 | DOI: 10.13060/00380288.2012.48.1.05

Seniors in the City: On the Periphery of a Big Issue

Dana Sýkorová
Fakulta sociálních studií OU v Ostravě

In this article the author presents the outcome of the first 'qualitative' stage of the project 'Old Age in Space: Regeneration, Gentrification and Social Exclusion as New Issues of Environmental Gerontology'. She responds to research questions on how seniors residing in urban centres interpret the town environment, contemporary urban processes, ageing and old age, and how they maintain control over their situation given their state of health, physical performance, financial resources, and the specific spatial resources of urban neighbourhoods (personal strategies). In the article the author briefly sums up the theoretical starting points of the issue, describes the focus and methodology of the research project, and presents the research's findings on changes to urban space, population structure, local social networks and seniors' attachment-to-place. In the conclusion the author highlights the importance of research on old age or the elderly and on the urban environment being open and free of ageist and anti-urbanist tendencies, and she outlines directions of further study in gerontosociology and urban sociology.

Keywords: : ageing, old age, seniors, town, urban processes, environmental gerontology.

Published: February 1, 2012Show citation

ACS AIP APA ASA Harvard Chicago IEEE ISO690 MLA NLM Turabian Vancouver
Sýkorová, D. (2012). Seniors in the City: On the Periphery of a Big Issue. Sociologický časopis / Czech Sociological Review, 48(1), 107-130. doi: 10.13060/00380288.2012.48.1.05.
Download citation
  • BibTeX (.bib)
  • Bookends (.ris)
  • EasyBib (.ris)
  • EndNote (.enw)
  • EndNote 8 (.xml)
  • ISI WoS (.isi)
  • Medlars (.medlars)
  • Mendeley (.ris)
  • MODS (.xml)
  • Papers (.ris)
  • RefWorks (.txt)
  • RefManager (.ris)
  • RIS (.ris)
  • MS Word (.xml)
  • Zotero (.ris)
    • Open full article

    References

    1. Andrews, G. J., D. R. Phillips (eds.). 2005. Ageing and Place. Perspectives, Policy, Practice. London: Routledge.
    2. Atchley, R. C. 1989. "A Continuity Theory of Normal Aging." The Gerontologist 29 (2): 183-190. Go to original source...
    3. Baltes, P. B., J. Smith. 1999. "Multilevel and Systemic Analyses of Old Age: Theoretical and Empirical Evidence for a Fourth Age." Pp. 153-173 in V. L. Bengtson, K. W. Schaie (eds.). Handbook of Theories of Aging. New York: Springer.
    4. Bauman, Z. 2002. Tekutá modernita. Praha: Mladá fronta.
    5. Bauman, Z. 2004. Individualizovaná společnost. Praha: Mladá fronta.
    6. Birren, J. E. 1969. "The Aged in Cities." The Gerontologist 9 (3): 163-169. Go to original source...
    7. Birren, J. 1970. "The Abuse of the Urban Aged." Psychology Today 3 (10): 36-38.
    8. Carp, F. M. 1975. "Ego-Defense or Cognitive Consistency Effects of Environmental Evaluations." Journal of Gerontology 30 (6): 707-711. Go to original source...
    9. Clark, M. 1971. "Patterns of Aging Among the Elderly Poor of the Inner City." The Gerontologist 11 (1): 58-66. Go to original source...
    10. Davis, M. 2002. Dead Cities. New York: New Press.
    11. Douglas, M. 1991. "The Idea of a Home: A Kind of Space." Social Research 58 (1): 287-307.
    12. Eade, J. (ed.). 1997. Living the Global City. London: Routledge.
    13. Freeman, L., F. Braconi. 2004. "Gentrification and Displacement: New York City in the 1990´s." Journal of the American Planning Association 70 (1): 39-52. Go to original source...
    14. Gans, H. 1972. People and Plans: Essays on Urban Problems and Solutions. London: Routledge.
    15. Gieryn, T. F. 2000. "A Space for Place in Sociology." Annual Review of Sociology 26: 463-496. Go to original source...
    16. Grier, G., E. E. Grier. 1978. Urban Displacement: A Reconnaissance. Washington, D.C.: U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
    17. Hamm, B., B. Jałowiecki. 1990. "Introduction." Pp. 7-15 in B. Hamm, B. Jałowiecki (eds.). The Social Nature of Space. Warszawa: Państwowe wydawnictwo naukowe.
    18. Hamnett, Ch. 2003. "Gentrification and the Middle-Class Remaking of Inner London, 1961-2001." Urban Studies 40 (12): 2401-2426. Go to original source...
    19. Heathcote, G. 2000. "Autonomy, Health and Ageing: Transnational Perspectives." Health Education Research 15 (1): 13-24. Go to original source...
    20. Heckhausen, J. 1993. "Optimisation by Selection and Compensation: Balancing Primary and Secondary Control in Life Span Development." International Journal of Behavioral Development 16 (2): 287-303. Go to original source...
    21. Hendricks, J., A. Achenbaum. 1999. "Historical Development of Theories of Aging." Pp. 21-39 in V. L. Bengtson, K. W. Schaie (eds.). Handbook of Theories of Aging. New York: Springer.
    22. Hendricks, J., C. D. Hendricks. 1986. Aging in Mass Society. Myth and Realities. Boston, Toronto: Little, Brown and Comp.
    23. Hledíková, M. 2009. "Několik environmentálních pohledů na město." Pp. 69-92 in S. Ferenčuhová, M. Hledíková, L. Galčanová, B. Vacková (eds.). Město: Proměnlivá ne/samozřejmost. Brno: Pavel Mervart, Masarykova univerzita.
    24. Janata, M. 2009. "Urbanismus, ekologie - rozhovor se sociologem Janem Kellerem." http://www.4-construction.com [online] 06. 06. 2009 [cit. 15. 10. 2010]. Dostupné z: <http://www.4-construction.com/cz/clanek/urbanismus-ekologie-rozhovor-se-sociologem-janem-kellerem>.
    25. Jerde, J. 2001. "The Revitalised City. The Urban Myth." Tate Art Mag 24: 28-31.
    26. Kearns, R. A., G. J. Andrews. 2005. "Placing Ageing. Positionings in the Study of Older People." Pp. 13-23 in G. J. Andrews, D. R. Phillips (eds.). Ageing and Place. Perspectives, Policy, Practice. London: Routledge.
    27. Kendig, H. 2003. "Directions in Environmental Gerontology: A Multidisciplinary Field." The Gerontologist 43 (5): 611-615. Go to original source...
    28. Klinefelter, D. S. 1984. "Aging, Autonomy, and the Value of Life." Journal of Applied Gerontology 3 (1): 7-19. Go to original source...
    29. Laws, G. 1997. "Spatiality and Age Relations." Pp. 90-101 in A. Jamieson, S. Harper, C. Victor (eds.). Critical Approaches to Ageing and Later Life. Buckingham, Philadephia: Open University Press.
    30. Lawton, M. P. 1980. Environment and Aging. Monterey, CA: Brooks/Cole.
    31. Lawton, M. P. 1989. "Environmental Proactivity and Affect in Older People." Pp. 135-164 in S. Spacapan, S. Oskamp (eds.). The Social Psychology of Aging. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
    32. Lawton, M. P., M. H. Kleban. 1971. "The Aged Resident of the Inner City." The Gerontologist 11 (4): 277-283. Go to original source...
    33. Lawton, M. P., B. Simon. 1968. "The Ecology of Social Relationships in Housing for the Elderly." The Gerontologist 8 (2): 108-115. Go to original source...
    34. Litwak, E., C. F. Longino, Jr. 1987. "Migration Patterns Among the Elderly: A Developmental Perspective." The Gerontologist 27 (3): 266-272. Go to original source...
    35. Logan, J. R., G. Spitze. 1994. "Family Neighbors." American Journal of Sociology 100 (2): 453-476. Go to original source...
    36. London, J., J. J. Palen. 1984. "Introduction: Some Theoretical and Practical Issues Regarding Inner-City Revitalization." Pp. 4-26 in J. J. Palen, B. London (eds.). Gentrification, Displacement and Neighborhood Revitalization. Albany: State University of New York Press.
    37. Loučková, I. 2010. Integrovaný přístup v sociálně vědním výzkumu. Praha: Sociologické nakladatelství (SLON).
    38. Mangen, S. P. 2004. Social Exclusion and Inner City Europe: Regulating Urban Regeneration. Hamshire: Palgrave Macmillan.
    39. Marshall, V. W. 1995. "Social Models of Aging." Canadian Journal on Aging 14 (1): 12-34. Go to original source...
    40. Mulíček, O. 2009. "Prostorové vzorce postindustriálního Brna." Pp. 153-175 in S. Ferenčuhová, M. Hledíková, L. Galčanová, B. Vacková (eds.). Město: Proměnlivá ne/samozřejmost. Brno: Pavel Mervart, Masarykova univerzita.
    41. Musil, J. 1967. Sociologie soudobého města. Praha: Svoboda.
    42. Musil, J. 2006. "Prostor a svět věcí - poněkud zanedbávaná dimenze v naší sociologii." Příspěvek přednesený na konferenci Čím žije česká sociologie? Přitažlivost sociologie na prahu nového století. Brno, 19.-20. 1. 2006.
    43. Musil, J. et al. 1985. Lidé a sídliště. Praha: Svoboda.
    44. Ouředníček, M. 2010. "S Martinem Ouředníčkem o podobách a proměnách měst." ihned.cz [online] 1.-3. 2. 2010 [cit. 3. 2. 2012]. Dostupné z: <http://respekt.ihned.cz/rozhovory/c1-40254190-s-martinem-ourednickem-o-podobach-a-promenach-mest>.
    45. Peace, S. M., C. Holland, L. Kellaher. 2005. "Making Space for Identity." Pp. 188-204 in G. J. Andrews, D. R. Phillips (eds.). Ageing and Place. Perspectives, Policy, Practice. London: Routledge.
    46. Phillips, D. R., O. L. Siu, H. C. K. Cheng, A. G. O. Yeh. 2005. "Ageing and the Urban Environment." Pp. 147-165 in G. Andrews, D. R. Phillips (eds.). Ageing and Place: Perspectives, Policy and Practice. London: Routledge.
    47. Phillipson, C. 2004. "Urbanisation and Ageing: Towards a New Environmental Gerontology." Ageing & Society 24 (6): 963-972. Go to original source...
    48. Phillipson, C. 2007. "The 'Elected' and the 'Excluded': Sociological Perspectives on the Experience of Place and Community in Old Age." Ageing & Society 27: 321-342. Go to original source...
    49. Phillipson, C., M. Bernard, J. Phillips, J. Ogg. 2001. The Family and Community Life of Older People: Social Support and Social Networks in Three Urban Areas. London: Routledge.
    50. Phillipson, C., T. Scharf. 2005. "Rural and Urban Perspectives on Growing Old: Developing a New Research Agenda." European Journal of Ageing 2 (2): 67-75. Go to original source...
    51. Rowles, G. D., H. Ravdal. 2002. "Aging, Place, and Meaning in the Face of Changing Circumstances." Pp. 81-114 in R. S. Weiss, S. A. Bass (eds.). Challenges of The Third Age. Meaning and Purpose in Later Life. New York: Oxford University Press.
    52. Savage, M., A. Warde, K. Ward. 2003. Urban Sociology, Capitalism and Modernity. New York, London: Palgrave Macmillan. Go to original source...
    53. Settersten, R. A. Jr. 2002. "Social Sources of Meaning in Later Life." Pp. 55-79 in R. S. Weiss, S. A. Bass (eds.). Challenges of The Third Age. Meaning and Purpose in Later Life. New York: Oxford University Press.
    54. Scharf, T., C. Phillipson, A. E. Smith, P. Kingston. 2002. Growing Older in Socially Deprived Areas. London: Help the Aged.
    55. Scharf, T., M. van der Meer, F. Thissen. 2003. European Study of Adult Well-Being: (ESAW). Contextualising Adult Well-Being in Europe: Report on Socio-Cultural Differences in ESAW Nations. Report to European Commission, Brussels, Centre for Social Policy Research and Development, Institute for Medical and Social Care Research. Bangor: University of Wales.
    56. Schooler, K. K. 1969. "The Relationship Between Social Interaction and Morale of the Elderly as a Function of Environmental Characteristic." The Gerontologist 9 (1): 25-29. Go to original source...
    57. Steinführer, A., J. Pospíšilová, J. Grohmannová. 2009. "Ne/nápadné proměny vnitřního města v postsocialistickém období." Pp. 129-152 in S. Ferenčuhová, M. Hledíková, L. Galčanová, B. Vacková (eds.). Město: Proměnlivá ne/samozřejmost. Brno: Pavel Mervart, Masarykova univerzita.
    58. Strassoldo, R. 1990. "The Social Construction and Sociological Analysis of Space." Pp. 19-47 in B. Hamm, B. Jałowiecki (eds.). The Social Nature of Space. Warszawa: Państwowe wydawnictwo naukowe.
    59. Strauss, A., J. Corbin. 1999. Základy kvalitativního výzkumu. Boskovice: František Šale - Albert.
    60. Svobodová, K. 2009. "Bydlení seniorů v České republice." Fórum sociální politiky 3 (5): 2-8.
    61. Sýkorová, D. 1996. Prázdné hnízdo - šance nebo břemeno? Olomouc: Vydavatelství Univerzity Palackého.
    62. Sýkorová, D. 2006. "Senioři v České republice. Mýty a jejich dekonstrukce." Sociológia 38 (2): 151-164.
    63. Sýkorová, D. 2007. Autonomie ve stáří. Kapitoly z gerontosociologie. Praha: Sociologické nakladatelství (SLON).
    64. Sýkorová, D. 2008. "Prostor a věci v kontextu stáří." Sociologický časopis / Czech Sociological Review 44 (2): 401-421.
    65. Sýkorová, D. 2010. "Prostor (Město) a stáří - znovuobjevované souvislosti." Sociální studia 7 (3): 117-123
    66. Šilhánková, V. 2000. "Revitalizace centrálních částí měst." Urbanismus a územní rozvoj 3 (3): 2-6.
    67. Temelová, J., N. Dvořáková, A. Slezáková. 2010. "Rezidenční spokojenost seniorů v proměňujících se čtvrtích Prahy." Sociální studia 7 (3): 95-113. Go to original source...
    68. Turowski, J. 1976. "Kształtowanie się zbiorowości osiedlowych w wielkich miastach." Studia socjologiczne 16 (1): 203-233.
    69. Vidovićová, L., E. Gregorová. 2010. "Nová města a staří lidé." Sociální studia 7 (3): 81-93.
    70. Wahl, H. W., F. R. Lang. 2003. "Ageing in Context Across the Adult Life Course: Integrating Physical and Social Environmental Research Perspectives." Pp. 1-34 in H. W. Wahl, R. Scheidt, P. Windley (eds.). Aging in the Context: Socio-Physical Environments. (Annual Review of Gerontology and Geriatrics 23). New York: Springer.
    71. Wahl, H. W., G. D. Weisman. 2003. "Environmental Gerontology at the Beginning of the New Millennium: Reflections on Its Historical, Empirical, and Theoretical Development." The Gerontologist 43 (5): 616-627. Go to original source...

    This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0), which permits use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original publication is properly cited. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.


    Return to the content