ABSTRACT
This chapter examines some of the key impacts upon older people associated with residence in what might be regarded as “difficult settings”—socially deprived neighborhoods of the inner city. The chapter is divided into three parts. First, it explores a number of key changes that have occurred in urban areas over recent decades. Here, emphasis is placed upon the degree to which growing older in changing urban environments may be associated with a range of risks that can potentially limit the quality of older people’s daily lives. Amongst such risks are those posed to individuals’ sense of self-identity as reflected in the degree to which they express attachment to their residential neighborhood and their feelings of security within and beyond the home. Second, the chapter presents findings from an empirical study of older people living in deprived urban areas of England. Data analysis assesses the extent to which a differentiated older population experiences forms of risk, and highlights some of the coping strategies used by older people to manage the challenges of everyday life. Third, in summarizing the empirical data, the chapter seeks to provide evidence of the adaptability of older people to a changing urban environment, and concludes with a discussion of the implications of these findings for future research on aging.
