Navigating Places and Spaces in Old Age: Exploring the Rights of Older Roma to Age Well in Urban Environments

Background: The paper examines the ageing experiences of older Roma (aged 40+) in three UK cities - Glasgow, Luton, and Peterborough - as part of the ongoing RomaPlacePage project. While the concept of ageing in place is widely promoted in policy and research as a means to support wellbeing in later life, the spatial dimensions of ageing among Roma communities remain critically underexplored. Much of the existing literature on ageing-in-place assumes access to stable housing, safe environments, and supportive services, conditions that are often absent in the lives of marginalised ethnic groups. Accordingly this study offers a unique perspective on the experiences of older Roma people living in the UK.

Approach: RomaPlaceAge employs a qualitative community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach, working with Roma community members as partners and co-researchers throughout the design, data collection, and interpretation phases of the research. This paper draws on over 65 semi-structured interviews (at the point of abstract submission) conducted by Roma community co-researchers, undertaken with older Roma adults across the three study sites. The interviews explored participants' everyday experiences of ageing in place, focusing on how individuals navigate home environments, community spaces, and urban infrastructures.

Findings: Findings reveal significant barriers to ageing well in place, including navigating hove and community responsibilities, opportunities for social participation, feelings of belonging and attachment to outdoor spaces, and issues of respect and inclusion in health and social care settings. We reflect on some of the ways space is highly gendered in old age within Roma communities, including issues of safety and security, balancing caregiving roles in mid to later life and visibility within public space.

Implications: The paper contributes to a more inclusive and context-sensitive understanding of ageing in place, offering critical insights into how ethnicity, gender, and spatial inequality shape experiences for Roma people as they age. It concludes by offering recommendations for urban policy, planning, and ageing frameworks - particularly the age-friendly cities and communities' agenda - to better reflect the lived realities of Roma communities. In doing so, the paper highlights the importance of designing and governing urban environments in ways that recognise diversity in ageing and promote dignity, belonging, and inclusion for all.