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Social and physical environments in senior communities: the Finnish experience

Social and physical environments in senior communities: the Finnish experience Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss residents' views of social and physical environments in a co‐housing and in a senior housing setting in Finland. Also, the study aims to point out important connections between well‐being and built environment. Design/methodology/approach – The data include interviews and survey responses gathered in the cases. The results and analysis are presented at different case study levels, with the discussion and conclusions following this. Findings – The findings show that the physical environment and common areas have an important role to activate residents. When well‐designed common areas exist, a higher level of engagement can be achieved by getting residents involved in the planning and running of activities. Research limitations/implications – This paper discusses residents' experiences in two Finnish housing settings and it focuses on the housing market in Finland. Practical implications – The findings encourage investors and housing operators to design and invest common areas which could activate residents and create social contacts. Also, investors have to pay attention to the way these developments are managed. Originality/value – This study is the first to investigate the Finnish co‐housing setting and compare social and physical environments in a co‐housing and a senior house. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png International Journal of Housing Markets and Analysis Emerald Publishing

Social and physical environments in senior communities: the Finnish experience

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References (24)

Publisher
Emerald Publishing
Copyright
Copyright © 2011 Emerald Group Publishing Limited. All rights reserved.
ISSN
1753-8270
DOI
10.1108/17538271111152997
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss residents' views of social and physical environments in a co‐housing and in a senior housing setting in Finland. Also, the study aims to point out important connections between well‐being and built environment. Design/methodology/approach – The data include interviews and survey responses gathered in the cases. The results and analysis are presented at different case study levels, with the discussion and conclusions following this. Findings – The findings show that the physical environment and common areas have an important role to activate residents. When well‐designed common areas exist, a higher level of engagement can be achieved by getting residents involved in the planning and running of activities. Research limitations/implications – This paper discusses residents' experiences in two Finnish housing settings and it focuses on the housing market in Finland. Practical implications – The findings encourage investors and housing operators to design and invest common areas which could activate residents and create social contacts. Also, investors have to pay attention to the way these developments are managed. Originality/value – This study is the first to investigate the Finnish co‐housing setting and compare social and physical environments in a co‐housing and a senior house.

Journal

International Journal of Housing Markets and Analysis – Emerald Publishing

Published: Aug 9, 2011

Keywords: Co‐housing; Senior house; Social environment; Physical environment; Finland; Residential property; Design

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