Scientific project leader:
Prof. Dr Kathrin Boerner
Dr Milena von Kutzleben

Operational project management (please contact if you have any questions about the project):
Adele Grenz, M.Sc.

Student assistant:
Casper Espelage (2024/25)

Project partner, City of Oldenburg:
Susanne Jungkunz, Strategic Social Planning / Demography – Inclusion – Social Affairs, Department for Participation and Social Affairs
Carina Fugel, Co-ordination Office for Elderly Care, Department for Participation and Social Affairs

Project period:
2025–2026

Project funding:
Own funds

Project description:
Society is ageing – the proportion of older people is rising steadily, both worldwide and in Germany. At the same time, old age is a long phase of life: whilst many people remain active and independent for a long time, the need for support and care often increases with age. These demographic changes present challenges for cities and local authorities – particularly in the areas of prevention, care provision and social participation.

A key task of local health and care planning is to design urban spaces in such a way that they promote active and healthy ageing by optimising health, supporting social participation and enabling well-being in old age.

Although measures to make towns and cities age-friendly are already being implemented in many places, older people are still frequently treated as a homogeneous group. In reality, however, their needs vary greatly – depending on their stage of life, state of health, housing situation or social resources. This is where our project comes in.

Through a combination of document analysis of demographic strategies and the participatory Photovoice method, the study examines how older people in Oldenburg experience their everyday lives, what barriers they perceive and what resources are available to them. The perspectives gained are explored in greater depth through interviews and subsequently discussed in a focus group together with representatives from local government, planning bodies and civil society. The aim is to develop evidence-based recommendations for a nuanced, life-stage-oriented and prevention-focused approach to urban development.

The project builds on the‘Age-Friendly Oldenburg’project, which in 2024 surveyed over 900 people aged 65 and over about their views on the city. Both projects form part of the strategic collaboration between the City of Oldenburg and the Department of Prevention and Rehabilitation Research at the University of Oldenburg.