The 'Double Risk' of Aging: Examining Vulnerability and (Un)supportive Built Environments in Canadian Cities

The confluence of rapid population aging and the overwhelming desire of older adults to age in place begs the question: Do our cities support the health and well-being of aging populations? Using a neighbourhood-by-neighbourhood approach, this macro-scale investigation explores the "double risk" that many older adults live with - the potential of being disadvantaged by socio-demographic risk factors (being older, living alone, low income) and by living in an unsupportive built environment. It is an integration of what we know about supportive built form for older adults and applies this knowledge to Canadian cities, using a spectrum approach to classifying built environments. We found that most older adults with socio-demographic risk factors are living in unsupportive built environments in Canada; however, the distribution between built environments along the spectrum and between municipalities reveals a variegated landscape of double risk. Previous research suggests that unsupportive built environments can be supplemented with services, small-scale improvements in the built environment, and larger-scale retrofitting of neighbourhoods. Since the spatial distribution of vulnerability varies greatly within the 33 Canadian cities analysed, it highlights the need for this kind of inquiry to target age-friendly policy interventions. La confluence du vieillissement rapide de la population et du d & eacute;sir pr & eacute;dominant des personnes & acirc;g & eacute;es de vieillir chez elles soul & egrave;ve la question suivante: nos villes favorisent-elles la sant & eacute; et le bien-& ecirc;tre des populations vieillissantes? Men & eacute;e quartier par quartier, cette & eacute;tude & agrave; grande & eacute;chelle explore le << double risque >> que vivent de nombreuses personnes & acirc;g & eacute;es - celui d'& ecirc;tre d & eacute;savantag & eacute; par des facteurs de risque sociod & eacute;mographiques (& ecirc;tre plus & acirc;g & eacute;, vivre seul, avoir de faibles revenus) et celui de vivre dans un environnement b & acirc;ti qui ne les soutient pas. L'& eacute;tude int & egrave;gre ce que nous savons sur les formes b & acirc;ties favorables aux personnes & acirc;g & eacute;es et applique ces connaissances aux villes canadiennes au moyen d'une m & eacute;thode de classification spectrale des environnements b & acirc;tis. Nous avons constat & eacute; que la majorit & eacute; des personnes & acirc;g & eacute;es pr & eacute;sentant des facteurs de risque sociod & eacute;mographiques vivent dans des environnements b & acirc;tis peu favorables au Canada, mais la r & eacute;partition des environnements b & acirc;tis le long du spectre et entre les municipalit & eacute;s r & eacute;v & egrave;le un paysage disparate de << double risque >>. Des recherches ant & eacute;rieures sugg & egrave;rent que des services, des am & eacute;liorations & agrave; petite & eacute;chelle de l'environnement b & acirc;ti et des r & eacute;am & eacute;nagements & agrave; grande & eacute;chelle des quartiers peuvent bonifier les environnements b & acirc;tis d & eacute;favorables. La variation consid & eacute;rable de la r & eacute;partition de la vuln & eacute;rabilit & eacute; dans les 33 villes canadiennes analys & eacute;es souligne la n & eacute;cessit & eacute; de ce type d'enqu & ecirc;te pour cibler des interventions politiques favorables aux personnes & acirc;g & eacute;es.