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Do you remember the images from last winter? In many cities, walking down the street became a test of nerve because far too little was done to clear the snow and ice. Even for younger people, the conditions were a challenge.
A city can be exemplary in its accessibility during the summer and still turn into a trap once winter arrives. Older people feel this most of all, as icy pavements, uncleared streets and the fear of falling keep them shut inside their own homes for weeks on end. What begins as a physical confinement soon becomes social isolation.
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Just how deeply this affects even fit and well-connected people became clear in the Norwegian city of Bodø. When the diagnostic study „Ageing in the Arctic” was discussed in the city council, the oldest member at the time, 92-year-old Agnete Tjærandsen, told her colleagues that during one particularly harsh spell she had not left her home for four weeks straight.
Siri Arntzen heads „Fabric+” at the Norwegian architecture practice AT arkitektur. Together with her team of designers, planners, architects and economic development specialists, she works on projects across the Arctic regions. She has studied how cities can adapt to an ageing population when the winter lasts for as long as seven months.
Even in places where we never face snow and ice on that scale, there is a great deal we can learn from her findings. In this interview she explains why the cold season is still underestimated in urban planning, how the cycle of fear, withdrawal and loneliness can be broken, and what older people and those close to them can do to get through the winter safely.
What awaits you in this interview:
- Why winter is still underestimated in urban planning,
- how the cycle of fear, withdrawal and loneliness takes hold and can be broken again,
- what cities can learn from arctic regions like Bodø, and
- which practical steps older people and their families can take to get safely through the cold season.
SBC: Snow and icy conditions can significantly restrict older people’s mobility in Germany and Austria, too. In Bodø, you explored how winter affects their everyday lives. What surprised you most in those conversations, and was there a particular story that has stayed with you?
Arntzen: What has surprised us the most, is how the winter and icy conditions affected people’s ability to leave their homes. The climate and weather was a direct result of social isolation in many cases, and particularly those who had already experienced a fall, and those who lived alone (perhaps after losing a partner – an arm to hold on daily errands).
We were also surprised that this hit also elderly people who on the surface were very capable with many resources. Our insights report, Ageing in the Arctic, was debated in the City Council when it first came out. Norway’s (then) eldest city council member, Agnete Tjærandsen of 92, informed the council that she hadn’t left her home for 4 weeks in a row during a particularly bad patch of the winter period. She explained what that did to her confidence, her strength and balance at that age. That was an eye-opener to many, who believed the winter only affected those who were very frail.
SBC: One of your study’s key findings is that a city can be age-friendly in summer yet become considerably less accessible in winter. Snow, ice and poorly cleared paths can undo the benefits of accessible design. Why do you think this seasonal effect still receives too little attention in urban planning? What would need to change to ensure year-round accessibility?
Arntzen: This is a very good question, and I can’t speak for everyone. I have a hunch that we as planners have a “blueprint” in our head of the structures of the city, and in that blueprint, winter conditions isn’t as prevalent as it is in real life. I think we should start with the “whiteprint” more often than not.
We also tend to borrow and get inspired by designs from cities that have a completely different climate than us. And we forget to sufficiently adapt these inspirations to our own local context.
I think there’s a lot of levers we can pull to improve this. For example:
- increase the focus on weather and climate in relevant educations
- We need more opportunities to visualise the weather in the tools used by architects and landscape architects – sometimes we can’t simulate the real weather.
- We need to work more inter-disciplinary with this topic, including financially. Falls and isolation affect individuals, and hit the health and care budget. It can be solved by planners, transport actors and plowing. We will only achieve better winter accessibility through good design, clever plowing/sanding routines, shared responsibilities between public/private, and the right budget allocation.
SBC: Your study describes a close link between fear of falling, social withdrawal and loneliness. People who venture out less often also have fewer opportunities to stay active and connect with others. Where do you see the greatest opportunity to break this cycle? Are there now examples of approaches in Bodø or other Norwegian municipalities that have worked particularly well?
Arntzen: We can intervene on so many levels here. Having people live in a neighbourhood with a strong social fabric is perhaps the most important. That has to do with housing policy – where and how people live in later part of life – and how close-knit the networks of neighbours, friends and family, neighbourhood interest groups are around the particular person. We need to set up for helping each other out, as well as depending on public services.
Next, focusing on making the streets safer and providing some predictability to pedestrians, so they know better what to expect. Sometimes the streets are cleared, but if this information haven’t reached Elsa (84) who uses a walking-aid, she will likely opt out of going because she won’t take the risk. We have developed two solutions that are showing promising results:
- A slip and falls mapping survey that provide geographical information about where falls happen and why, information that can help the city identify dangerous areas and intervene.
- Accessible routes – predictable routes that have higher priorities, based on important meeting points and transport links for the population.
- Transport that can compensate from lack of accessibility is another.
SBC: In your study, people living alone were more likely to report feeling unsafe and lonely. The interviews also highlight particular concern for older widowers, especially regarding nutrition and social connections. What does this mean for how support services should be designed? How can local authorities and communities reach people who rarely seek help themselves?
Arntzen: I believe that we should pay greater attention to people in life’s big transitions, also in older age. As a society, we agree that help may be needed in the transition of becoming a parent, buying your first home for example.
Retirement can be a big transition, loss of function, and maybe particularly the loss of a life-long partner, either through divorce, illness or death. I think we need to pay greater attention to understanding people’s needs and providing alternatives in life’s later stages as well, providing bridges into new relationships, communities and support that you wouldn’t necessarily seek out.
What particular service or offer, would differ on the service mix, what institutions/organisations are active, and needs of the population at hand. I believe in trial, error and iterations to understand the effects of what you do. And of course in partnerships. There are many who could provide support, and those choices need to be local.
SBC: In your study, preventive services are described as particularly vulnerable to cuts when municipalities need to reduce spending. At the same time, falls can have a lasting impact on a person’s independence and lead to substantial long-term costs. Which services should municipalities make every effort to preserve, even when budgets are tight?
Arntzen: There are so many ways of doing preventative services, and it’s no one right answer to what services provide the best effect. I believe predictability is more important, so allowing some services the peace of mind to develop, get to know the needs of the population, strengthen their teams, rather than constantly feeling vulnerable to cuts. In order to know which services to invest in, there also needs to be a relationship to the contributions and results over time.
Preventative services often have great effects that no one knows about – so making sure they show and tell their services and their feedback to decision-makers, is super important to prioritise to strengthen their own case of survival.
SBC: How can older people, together with family members or others close to them, prepare for winter so they can get around safely, have their everyday needs met and stay socially connected? What practical steps would you particularly recommend?
Arntzen: I strongly believe in investing in the social fabric of the neighbourhood. Incentivising neighbourhood groups and acitivities that make it easier to get to know one another, and organise help and support on the hyper-local level. At least in Norway, we are retreating more into our own homes and pulling away from the collective, which increases the reliance on our inner circle and on public services.
Strengthening neighbourhood ties also increases the chance of getting through to the local authorities if there are severe accessibility issues.
I also think that good housing- and living opportunities is very important. Good models to be able to transition to a more accessible building with fewer demands, better transport links, and less maintanence. But we often lack good models or incentives to make this transition in time.
SBC: Based on your study, what challenges do you see municipalities facing in the years ahead?
Arntzen: Most municipalities will face the challenge of an ageing demographic, and fewer caring hands. The competition to attract the working-age population is fierce, so we can’t fall into the trap of only focusing on the older age population. We need communities that strive for good quality of life throughout the lifespan, where kids can grow up safely, and young people see opportunities for settling. The challenge is to balance all these needs, in a more unstable economy. I think the “winners” will be those who dare to be innovative within tighter frames – based on a good understanding of their populations’ needs.
Thank you for the interview!
Siri Arntzen works on developing places, above all through what happens in and around buildings: how to strengthen the local economy, improve services and foster both attractiveness and inclusion. She lives in Bodø and leads Fabric+, a team of designers, economic development specialists, planners and architects working on projects across the Arctic regions.
She holds a master’s in Local Economic Development from the London School of Economics, a BSc in Societal Security from UiT, the Arctic University of Norway, and a degree in photography. She lived and worked in London for five years before moving back north. To her, it is one of the most exciting regions in the world to do the work she does. Read more about Fabric+ here
Diagnostic Study: Ageing in the arctic
Author: Anja Herberth
Chefredakteurin
