HYPOTHESIS AND THEORY article
Front. Aging
Sec. Healthy Longevity
Volume 6 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fragi.2025.1632041
The thin space between individuals and contexts as affordance for healthy longevity: A psychological perspective for Aging in Place studies
Provisionally accepted
- 1University of Bergamo, Bergamo, Italy
- 2Center for Healthy Longevity - University of Bergamo, Bergamo, Italy
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
ABSTRACT: It seems likely that the growing number of older adults and increasing urbanization will be among the most significant demographic and societal trends in the near future. These two global phenomena will undoubtedly have a profound effect on the demographic and geographical makeup of our world. In view of these changes, it is crucial that the health and social sciences consider how the concept of Aging in Place could play a valuable role in longevity studies. Considering this topic as correlated to different important themes such as functional, symbolic, and emotional attachment and importance of homes, neighborhoods, and communities - resumed in the categories of people, place and time - we introduce a new perspective in Aging in (urban) Place studies from a psychological perspective based on situated and embodied cognition, with the purpose of deeply analyzing the thin space between people and their context, viewing place not as a neutral backdrop but as a continuous opportunity for individuals to act. Only through an analysis of urban spaces as limits or possibilities in everyday life can we grasp how the city can be an adequate place to empower individuals' healthy longevity.
Keywords: Aging in place, healthy aging, affordance, Healthy longevity, Urban aging, AIP study methodology, Urbanization
Received: 20 May 2025; Accepted: 23 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Butti and Morganti. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Stefania Butti, stefania.butti@unibg.it
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.