Spatial inclusion of nursing home residents: cases and reflections from Denmark

For decades the dominant paradigm in Denmark for spatial planning and design of nursing homes has been: “living in quietness.” Furthermore, nursing homes have been separated from city life. Nevertheless, new principles emphasizing nursing home residents’ access to social life and participation in intergenerational city life have emerged in the last decade. The paper introduces how this trend manifests in national or municipal planning and includes cases: 1. A social housing company in Copenhagen is building nursing homes with architecture that stimulates intergenerational contact. Youth flats, a kindergarten, roof gardens for school pupils, and a town square for generations with a cafe in front of the nursing home make it possible for residents to meet citizens from the neigbourhood. 2. In Frederiksberg municipality, which is a member of WHOs Global Age-Friendly Cities, a nursing home and the local football club are going to share areas inside and outside the nursing home to facilitate intergenerational meetings. 3. Architectural reconstruction of several public nursing homes with new living rooms designed to be meeting places. This has been initiated to avoid residents being unwillingly isolated and encourage spontaneous socializing among residents, visiting relatives, and employees.