{"id":10673,"date":"2025-01-31T14:15:24","date_gmt":"2025-01-31T13:15:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.stadtmanufaktur.com\/dementia-friendly-city-why-we-all-benefit-from-it\/"},"modified":"2025-04-30T09:41:59","modified_gmt":"2025-04-30T07:41:59","slug":"dementia-friendly-city-why-we-all-benefit-from-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.stadtmanufaktur.com\/en\/dementia-friendly-city-why-we-all-benefit-from-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Dementia-friendly city: why we all benefit from it"},"content":{"rendered":"

City for all, places for all?<\/h2><\/div>

Public spaces in cities are meeting places, places of exchange and communal living. But what happens when a growing proportion of the population can no longer use these spaces? People with dementia are often excluded from public spaces<\/strong> – not because they want to be, but because cities are not made for them. <\/p>\n

This is a challenge for local authorities, but also an opportunity. Because a dementia-friendly city makes life better for everyone. <\/strong>It shows how societies can combine social participation, orientation and security.<\/p>\n

But how do cities and municipalities achieve dementia-friendliness? How does a city become a city for everyone?<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/div><\/div>

Abstract:<\/strong><\/p>\n

How can cities be designed in such a way that they are accessible to everyone – including people with dementia? This challenge is growing with demographic change. <\/p>\n

Dominik Lorenz<\/strong> shows why dementia-friendly urban planning is important, what solutions are available and how everyone benefits.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

Demographic change – and its effects<\/h2><\/div>

With demographic change, the proportion of older people in Germany is growing rapidly. By 2040, almost a third of the population is expected to be 65 or older,<\/strong> and the number of people with dementia is rising accordingly.<\/p>\n

What initially appears to be a purely medical or care-related problem has a huge impact on our cities: when people with dementia are torn away from their familiar surroundings – whether due to unclear structures, a lack of orientation aids or a lack of security – they withdraw. They lose their autonomy, their social participation and often also their trust in their own environment. <\/p>\n

For local authorities, this not only means higher care costs, but also the loss of a part of their urban society. But this is precisely where an opportunity lies: urban planning that includes people with dementia creates places that are accessible and liveable for everyone.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>

What makes a public space dementia-friendly?<\/h2><\/div>

Accessibility alone is not enough to make public spaces accessible to people with dementia. Rather, fundamental needs must be taken into account – from quality of stay and opportunities for encounters to orientation and safety. <\/p>\n

The quality of a square or park determines whether people want to spend time there.<\/strong> For people with dementia:<\/p>\n