Designing age friendly streetscapes: A toolkit for Victoria Carmel Boyce, MVCC

Our starting point A number of large shopping centres on its borders (Highpoint, Essendon Fields) which have impacted the vitality and viability of many of the smaller strip shopping areas Exploring methodologies for developing more resilient, robust and vital strip shopping centres. From a re-localising context, in building an increasingly sustainable world for future generations, protecting local and strip shopping centres as walkable and vibrant places which support community and cultural life

Building our Understanding The mutual interdependencies of older people and people with limited mobility and local shopping precincts. many are entirely reliant on local shops to meet daily needs including social connection Provide most regular mid day mid week trade to small businesses Ensure local shopping strips are better positioned to meet needs: physically (universally accessible, age and dementia friendly) the nature of the mutual interdependence elements of business and how to perform these well Tell the story about Jan’s aunt

Our data 16747 people over 65 years of age 6027 disabled parking permit holders 1647+ survey respondents Most older women, most 70-80 years old All with some form of mobility limitation Although they want to do all sorts of things including participation in community life like everyone else, all of them need to shop Mostly identified local shopping as a desire and a significant challenge

Predictions for dementia Essendon Niddrie Moonee Valley 2013 Prevalence 834 859 1738 2050 Prediction 2080 2797 4871 % Change 2013 to 2050 150% 226% 180%

Our Key Questions What are the built environment elements that support people walk into a shopping centre most days? What would a local ‘age, mobility and dementia friendly’ shopping precinct look like ? How far does it extend into the surrounding residential areas? What are the limits and barriers to success of an aged friendly built precinct?

Gathering data on the problems Survey data as part of streetscape reconstruction program from urban designers on street Survey information accessible parking 1647+ respondents) Focus group discussions with accessible parking Walkshops (onstreet) for design for Union Rd shopping centre and specifically for this project

What are the solutions?

What does the toolkit contain?

We will be road testing it If you are interested in being involved contact me cboyce@mvcc.vic.gov.au