Short answer
Actively seek out and value the historical knowledge held by elderly community members when undertaking urban regeneration projects to ensure authentic and sustainable heritage preservation.
- Field
- User-Centred Design
- Source
- Land (2023)
- Method
- Qualitative research using Actor-Network Theory, with a bottom-up methodological approach.
- Evidence
- Strong effect
Incorporating the collective memory of elderly residents is crucial for identifying and preserving unique heritage elements during urban regeneration projects in obsolete neighborhoods. This user-centred design research insight is drawn from a 2023 study published in Land. Using Qualitative research using actor-network theory, with a bottom-up methodological approach., researchers explored how this design variable affects real-world outcomes. The key design takeaway: Actively seek out and value the historical knowledge held by elderly community members when undertaking urban regeneration projects to ensure authentic and sustainable heritage preservation.
Elderly Collective Memory as a Driver for Heritage Regeneration in Obsolete Neighborhoods
Incorporating the collective memory of elderly residents is crucial for identifying and preserving unique heritage elements during urban regeneration projects in obsolete neighborhoods.
Land · 2023
Key Findings
- 01The elderly population possesses a deep understanding of the neighborhood's collective memory and can identify elements of emerging heritage.
- 02Integrating the knowledge of elderly residents leads to a more nuanced characterization of a neighborhood's uniqueness.
- 03A bottom-up approach, starting with social agents, is essential for sustainable heritage regeneration.
Application
Design takeaway
Actively seek out and value the historical knowledge held by elderly community members when undertaking urban regeneration projects to ensure authentic and sustainable heritage preservation.
How to apply
When designing for community spaces or heritage sites, conduct in-depth interviews and focus groups with long-term, particularly elderly, residents to understand their personal histories and associations with specific places or objects.
Project actions
- 01When researching a community, make an effort to interview older residents.
- 02Consider how to visually represent or incorporate the stories and memories gathered from community members into your design proposal.
Method & Evidence
Variables
Strengths & Limitations
Strengths
- +Emphasizes a crucial, often overlooked, user group (elderly).
- +Proposes a practical, bottom-up methodological framework.
Limitations
It can be challenging to access and engage older participants, and their memories may be subjective or incomplete. The research is context-specific to urban regeneration.
Reliability & validity
The validity is strengthened by the use of a theoretical framework (Actor-Network Theory) and a case study approach. Reliability might be a concern due to the subjective nature of memory and the qualitative methods employed.
Think critically
To what extent can collective memory be objectively measured and integrated into design processes, and what are the ethical considerations when prioritizing one group's memory over another's?
Design Principles
"Community memory is a valuable, often overlooked, resource in design for heritage and regeneration."
Top-down heritage regeneration often overlooks the lived experiences and nuanced understanding of long-term residents. By actively engaging older populations, design teams can uncover intangible heritage and ensure that regeneration efforts resonate with the community's identity, leading to more sustainable and meaningful outcomes.
What This Means for Your Design
Older people remember things about a place that younger people or experts might miss. Their memories can help decide what parts of an old neighborhood are special and should be saved when it's being redeveloped.
How to use in your project
- 1.Use this research to justify the inclusion of qualitative data from specific demographic groups, like the elderly, in your user research section.
- 2.Cite this study when discussing the importance of community engagement and the value of collective memory in design decision-making.
Add to My Project
Quick Cite
Paragraph starter
This research highlights the critical role of collective memory, particularly from elderly residents, in identifying and valuing unique heritage elements within obsolete neighborhoods undergoing regeneration. By adopting a bottom-up, participatory approach that prioritizes the insights of social agents, designers can ensure that regeneration efforts are sensitive to community identity and lead to more sustainable outcomes, as demonstrated in the case study of Polígono de San Pablo, Seville.
Source
Land
Memory and Identity: Citizen Perception in the Processes of Heritage Enhancement and Regeneration in Obsolete Neighborhoods—The Case of Polígono de San Pablo, Seville
journal · 2023
View sourceQuestions About This Research
- What does the research say about elderly collective memory as a driver for heritage regeneration in obsolete neighborhoods?
- Actively seek out and value the historical knowledge held by elderly community members when undertaking urban regeneration projects to ensure authentic and sustainable heritage preservation. Evidence: Land (2023).
- Why does "Elderly Collective Memory as a Driver for Heritage Regeneration in Obsolete Neighborhoods" matter for design?
- Top-down heritage regeneration often overlooks the lived experiences and nuanced understanding of long-term residents. By actively engaging older populations, design teams can uncover intangible heritage and ensure that regeneration efforts resonate with the community's identity, leading to more sustainable and meaningful outcomes.
- How can designers apply this research?
- Actively seek out and value the historical knowledge held by elderly community members when undertaking urban regeneration projects to ensure authentic and sustainable heritage preservation.
- What were the main findings?
- The elderly population possesses a deep understanding of the neighborhood's collective memory and can identify elements of emerging heritage.. Integrating the knowledge of elderly residents leads to a more nuanced characterization of a neighborhood's uniqueness.. A bottom-up approach, starting with social agents, is essential for sustainable heritage regeneration.
- What research method was used?
- Qualitative research using Actor-Network Theory, with a bottom-up methodological approach..
- How strong is the evidence?
- Evidence strength is rated Strong effect, based on a 2023 journal from Land.
- What should I do differently in my next project?
- When designing for community spaces or heritage sites, conduct in-depth interviews and focus groups with long-term, particularly elderly, residents to understand their personal histories and associations with specific places or objects.
- What are the limitations?
- The findings are specific to the case study neighborhood and may not be universally applicable without adaptation. The reliance on collective memory can be subjective.