Intergenerational Space

Abstract

Book Reviews 187 Intergenerational Space Robert M. Vanderbeck and Nancy Worth, Editors (2015) London: Routledge, 342 pages $171.00 (hardback); ISBN 978-0-415-85531 Quoting the introduction of Intergenerational Space, this book aims to offer insight into the transforming relationships between younger and older members of society (p. 0). The book reveals how different generations negotiate access to each other’s lives, the tendencies toward increasing age segregation, and the ways that members of different age groups could be encouraged to keep in touch. The majority of contributions to the book come from the UK, with chapters from the US, Africa and Asia. No less than 35 authors are engaged in this volume. The collection originates from the conference Intergenerational Geographies: Spaces, Identities, Relationships Encounters at the University of Leeds (UK) in May 2012. In their introduction, the editors explain the urgency of the book. They refer to a widespread discussion on the “clashing’’ of the older and the younger generation. Worries about the lack of intergenerational solidarity are mentioned in reference to issues like social welfare, climate change and the housing market. In Geography, research thus far has mainly been focused on specific age groups, with the field of children’s geographies likely the most advanced. In addition, the number of studies on the elderly has increased. According to the editors, this “bookend” focus makes adulthood as a position and life stage somewhat underconceptualized , and more importantly the interrelationships between different age groups have been only marginally explored. Most of the geographical literature does not combine an interest in both the young and the old. This volume is meant to change that situation. The first of the book’s five sections starts with a focus on intergenerational spaces. How are intergenerational spaces experienced by both young and old, what problems occur, and how can these spaces be better designed? One of the empirical examples comes from a high-rise public housing estate in Singapore where shared venues for children and older people were built that stimulated new encounters between children and their grandparents. The second section treats intergenerational relationships through the lens of memories. Adults’ memories contain many examples of intergenerational contacts when they were young, but also of “missed” chances and barriers to meet people from another generation. Part three considers the negotiation of values and beliefs between different generations. This is, of course, daily practice in families, where parents and children are in a constant process of redefining each other’s positions. When children grow older they often “accuse” adults of “living in different times,” which can create some level of misunderstanding and prejudice. One of the book’s chapters concludes that it can be helpful to start dialogues between generations as this often reduces mutual prejudgments. Section four focuses on issues around education and care. These are domains in life where different generations meet and where the younger generations are frequently confronted with asymmetrical power relations. In their Book Reviews 188 position as adults, caretakers and educators are typically the ones who determine what has to be done by the youngest generation. However, it is also increasingly the case that younger people are taking care of their parents and other older members of society, which is accompanied by shifting power relations between age groups. The last section of this volume focuses on the world-wide process of aging. Elderly people are growing in numbers in many countries, which is challenging people to create better environments for the elderly. Like children, however, the elderly are often defined as out of place. They feel vulnerable in a world that places the greatest value on “being young.” The chapters in this last section reveal diverse solutions to the marginalization of aged people in today’s society from technology to housing. The book by Vanderbeck and Worth shows that it can be valuable to connect different age groups both in research and policies. It is empirically rich and offers some interesting theoretical concepts. It opens the reader’s eyes to the benefits of an intergenerational approach in urban planning. Building a child-friendly city can be very favorable for many older people as well as the other way around...