High streets, ageing and well-being

Despite their perceived decline, local high streets in the UK remain valuable central and well-connected places that can foster ageing in place, yet their potential to sustain well-being in old age has been overlooked. Using qualitative methods, the paper explores what features of local high streets support older people’s well-being in three local town centres in Edinburgh, Scotland. The findings show there are three main domains of local high streets’ public realm that enable older adults’ well-being, namely the streetscape, the spatial organization and accessibility of amenities and services, and the provision of housing that can foster town centre living.