Architects have long been complicit in the ‘othering’ of older people, perpetuating a state of spatial ageism that strips older people of their complexity and agency. In this lecture, Mark will explore the different ways that architects have conceptualised older people - as patient, customer and citizen - reflecting on his current research with older housing activists in Manchester, UK. He will explore how older people have responded to issues of gentrification and austerity through creativity, performance and protest, and how the group co-produced vision of a new type of ‘retirement community’ grounded in joy, inclusion and collective action.

Mark Hammond (he/him) is a Senior Lecturer at Manchester School of Architecture. His research focuses on the intersections between architecture and urban ageing within the home, community and city, with a specific interest in housing inequality and spatial justice.