„Smart cities for ageing societies” project meeting at the University of Warsaw

“Smart cities for ageing societies” is an interdisciplinary project developed by academics working in the fields of geography, regional studies, humanities and economic sciences from Charles University, Heidelberg University and the University of Warsaw (coordinating institution). It aims to contribute to the enhancement of participation of the elderly in the local community by building an international team studying research problems related to ageing population in the rapidly developing metropolitan environments. To achieve this long-term objective, the project team is co-designing a Master’s thesis seminar during which the students, together with their thesis supervisors, will work on:

• establishing a catalogue of various barriers (related to urban design, health, communication, economics and other factors) inhibiting socially beneficial behaviour of ageing adults,

• creating a database of existing solutions and good practices at the regional and local level,

• analysing the effectiveness of presented solutions.

The Master’s thesis seminar is a step towards more advanced analyses and frontier research projects that could link different academic fields and, potentially, involve local authorities, business and non-profit organisations as well.

During the meeting of 19 February, the participants, including both students and academics, defined the main research themes, discussed relevant databases useful in research on ageing societies and smart cities, and set up a plan for the joint Master’s thesis seminar, due to start imminently. The development of a webinar aiming at establishing interdisciplinary cooperation with Master’s and PhD students was also on the agenda.

For more information about the “Smart cities for ageing societies” project and to express interest in joining the project team, please contact Dr Anna Nicińska (Project Coordinator, Faculty of Economic Sciences, University of Warsaw): .