Resident perspectives of age-friendly built environments in naturally occurring retirement communities

Naturally occurring retirement communities (NORCs) are buildings and neighborhoods that house a large proportion (≥30%) of older adult residents. This study explored how residents experience aging in place within the built environments of NORCs to inform age-friendly design and aging in place interventions.

A qualitative case study was conducted across 4 NORC sites in Toronto, Canada. Data sources included resident focus groups, open-ended survey responses, and observational field notes (i.e., windshield surveys). This secondary analysis followed a case-based, deductive approach guided by the built environment domains of the World Health Organization's Age-Friendly Cities Framework: outdoor spaces and buildings, housing, and transportation.

Two condominiums, one housing co-operative, and one social housing residence were examined. Residents' experiences were coded into 8 interrelated subthemes spanning the 3 domains: access to greenspace and public amenities, accessible outdoor infrastructure, safety and belonging, affordability and maintenance, building design, participatory governance, driving cessation, and transportation costs. Findings demonstrated that aging in place was shaped not only by physical accessibility, but also by how the built environment fostered opportunities for social connection, agency, participation, and everyday interaction within shared spaces.

The built environment affects older adults' ability to age in place. NORC-based programs can be a catalyst for changes and optimizations to the built environment, creating spaces and places that are designed with the community and its residents in mind.