100 Urban Trends: Aging Population

During the BMW Guggenheim Lab’s 2011 run in New York, one of the more provocative offerings was a two-part workshop led by architect Matthias Hollwich. The workshop dealt with the ways that older people can maintain meaningful, healthy lifestyles in cities through thoughtful design. Hollwich opened with a statement thinly veiled as a dare: “If your age is more than half your expected lifespan, declare yourself old!” His message was clear: stop pretending that getting old happens in gradual stages. Embrace it, get over it, and start living your life as an old person. From this perspective, aging ceases to be relative. “Wow, suddenly “I feel old right now” just gives way to a gentle shrug: “I’m old,” just as someone would say, “I’m right-handed.” More…