Golden Years in Lund: A qualitative study of how the elderly experience space and inclusivity in Lund

Abstract: The global population is in a process of ageing. As living standards in most countries are rising and modern medicine is advancing, we face a demographic shift towards an older population. With this comes not only economic challenges but also a need to adapt and change society in order to accommodate the growing number of elderly. This thesis studies how the elderly experience space and their relation to Lund, a town in Sweden primarily associated with students and higher education. Observational fieldwork and semi-structured interviews were conducted and analyzed using the World Health Organization’s guide to age-friendly cities as a framework. The results of this study shows that the presence of student culture has a positive impact on the elderly and that they feel included in Lund despite its profile as a town for students. The thesis also shows how efforts to change physical space to improve accessibility can be counterproductive due to the familiarity and emotional bonds that individuals form with space.