Ce travail de thèse porte sur l'analyse de l'appropriation et de la mise en oeuvre de la démarche Villes Amies des Aînés (VADA) par des communes françaises. Sur la base de soixante-dix entretiens semi-directifs, d'une analyse secondaire de données et de l'observation active, nous avons étudié comment treize municipalités françaises se sont engagées dans la démarche VADA.Articulé autour des notions de lutte contre l'âgisme, de consultation des habitants et de transversalité, ce travail de recherche tend à analyser la manière dont les communes françaises ont fait évoluer les politiques publiques locales sur la base de la démarche VADA, en cohérence avec les politiques nationales et les préconisations des organisations internationales, dans un contexte démographique inédit. De cette manière, nous avons pu déterminer des critères principaux susceptibles de générer une modification en profondeur despolitiques publiques initiées dans les collectivités territoriales, leur permettant de s'extraire d'une logique exclusivement médico-sociale d'assistance au profit d'une prise en compte et d'une inclusion des personnes âgées en tant qu'habitants et acteurs de la cité.Réalisée dans le cadre d'un contrat CIFRE au sein du Réseau Francophone des Villes Amies des aînés, cette étude a vu le jour afin de répondre à des objectifs pratiques quant à l'adaptation des dispositifs d'accompagnement et de formation des élus et des professionnels pilotes des démarches. / This PhD work aims to analyse the way French cities seize and implement the Agefriendly Cities approach on their territories. Thanks to seventy semi-guided interviews, a second data analysis and active observation, we studied how thirteen French cities decided to implement the Age-friendly Cities approach.This work of research revolves around ideas about how to combat ageism, about the importance of consulting the inhabitants and of using a cross-disciplinary way of work. Like that, it aims to analyse how French cities adapted their local public policies in coherence with the frame given by the Age-friendly Cities approach, the national policies and the recommendations of the international bodies, all that in an unprecedented demographic context. That way, we have been able to determine some main criteria likely to modify, in depth, the public policies initiated by local authorities, enabling them to go out from amedico-social reasoning of assistance and to get closer to a way of work taking into account older people and considering them as inhabitant and stakeholders of the city.Carried out thanks to a CIFRE contract (a French agreement allowing passing a PhD inside a company) within the Francophone Network of Age-friendly Cities, this study was necessary to answer practical objectives related to the adaptation of training offers and support measures for elected representatives and professionals, in charge of the implementation of the Age-friendly Cities approach in the member cities.

Most parents aspire to raise children who are independent, healthy and productive members of society. In this pursuit, parents struggle to balance freedom and safety. Current theory and research suggests that North American society has gone too far in the quest for safety and control, shielding children from necessary experiences. While confined in backyards and schools and spending increasing amounts of time in front of televisions and computers, children fail to build connections with the natural world and the wider community. In 1991, Canada ratified the United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of the Child. This convention grants children specific rights, ranging from the right to clean water to the right to be heard on issues that affect them. While Canadian children fare well on many of the requirements, they are rarely consulted on decisions that affect their well-being. Public spaces, beyond schools and playgrounds, are not designed for or with children. Children’s free time is restricted, and outdoor play takes place within confined areas. Children have limited access to natural areas, and are trained to fear and avoid these spaces. These trends are disturbing from physical, social and mental health perspectives, as well as that of long-term environmental sustainability. The UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) program, Child Friendly Cities, offers guidelines for improving the way children are addressed at the municipal level. This research uses the City of Waterloo, Ontario, as a case study to document these issues and offer possible solutions. The research was designed to answer the following questions: “How do urban children perceive and interact with their communities?” “What is the relationship between children and the natural environment within urban settings?” “To what extent are children consulted or considered in community planning and decision-making?” and “Can the Child Friendly City model be used to re-connect children with the natural environment?” Fifty-four elementary school students were interviewed, asked to draw pictures of their neighbourhoods and to rate a series of local images. Results were combined with teacher and city official interviews, as well as analyses of strategy and policy documents. This study identifies ways in which Waterloo can help children connect with the natural world and become more active members of their communities. Overall, the research indicated that there are three main areas of concern: the child-nature interaction, the nature-community interaction and the child-community interaction. First, the child-nature interaction could be nurtured through improved access to nature. Children’s access to and use of nature in Waterloo is limited. Only 58.53% of students included a green element in neighbourhood drawings. Many children fear or are banned from natural green spaces. Outdoor education is decreasing, with some teachers avoiding field trips entirely. According to government procedures, children are not considered stakeholders of natural green spaces. Second, the nature-community interaction would improve with more consistent conservation and restoration efforts. While some city policies promote the acquisition and conservation or restoration of urban natural areas, others conflict with their intentions. Rapid development has led to a loss of opportunities for green space development. Third, the child-community interaction can be promoted by involving children in decision-making processes. There are no venues for children to participate in government. While older youth may participate in the Youth Recreation Council, there are no opportunities for younger children. Outreach is limited. Attention to these three main interactions would help the City of Waterloo become more child-, nature- and community- friendly. The UNICEF Child Friendly City program describes a set of goals and a framework that would support these interactions.

Most parents aspire to raise children who are independent, healthy and productive members of society. In this pursuit, parents struggle to balance freedom and safety. Current theory and research suggests that North American society has gone too far in the quest for safety and control, shielding children from necessary experiences. While confined in backyards and schools and spending increasing amounts of time in front of televisions and computers, children fail to build connections with the natural world and the wider community. In 1991, Canada ratified the United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of the Child. This convention grants children specific rights, ranging from the right to clean water to the right to be heard on issues that affect them. While Canadian children fare well on many of the requirements, they are rarely consulted on decisions that affect their well-being. Public spaces, beyond schools and playgrounds, are not designed for or with children. Children’s free time is restricted, and outdoor play takes place within confined areas. Children have limited access to natural areas, and are trained to fear and avoid these spaces. These trends are disturbing from physical, social and mental health perspectives, as well as that of long-term environmental sustainability. The UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) program, Child Friendly Cities, offers guidelines for improving the way children are addressed at the municipal level. This research uses the City of Waterloo, Ontario, as a case study to document these issues and offer possible solutions. The research was designed to answer the following questions: “How do urban children perceive and interact with their communities?” “What is the relationship between children and the natural environment within urban settings?” “To what extent are children consulted or considered in community planning and decision-making?” and “Can the Child Friendly City model be used to re-connect children with the natural environment?” Fifty-four elementary school students were interviewed, asked to draw pictures of their neighbourhoods and to rate a series of local images. Results were combined with teacher and city official interviews, as well as analyses of strategy and policy documents. This study identifies ways in which Waterloo can help children connect with the natural world and become more active members of their communities. Overall, the research indicated that there are three main areas of concern: the child-nature interaction, the nature-community interaction and the child-community interaction. First, the child-nature interaction could be nurtured through improved access to nature. Children’s access to and use of nature in Waterloo is limited. Only 58.53% of students included a green element in neighbourhood drawings. Many children fear or are banned from natural green spaces. Outdoor education is decreasing, with some teachers avoiding field trips entirely. According to government procedures, children are not considered stakeholders of natural green spaces. Second, the nature-community interaction would improve with more consistent conservation and restoration efforts. While some city policies promote the acquisition and conservation or restoration of urban natural areas, others conflict with their intentions. Rapid development has led to a loss of opportunities for green space development. Third, the child-community interaction can be promoted by involving children in decision-making processes. There are no venues for children to participate in government. While older youth may participate in the Youth Recreation Council, there are no opportunities for younger children. Outreach is limited. Attention to these three main interactions would help the City of Waterloo become more child-, nature- and community- friendly. The UNICEF Child Friendly City program describes a set of goals and a framework that would support these interactions.

In the framework of questions like climate protection, healthy lifestyles and more livable cities it is important to increase cycle use and replace motorized traffic. Safe cycling is one of the preconditions for the growth of cycle use, especially considering the more vulnerable user groups. But how important is safety in relation to other factors influencing bicycle friendliness like comfort of the cycle path and bike parking, accessibility or communication? And how is the relation between 'objective safety' - represented by the number of recorded accidents - and 'subjective safety' as the perceived safety feeling ofthe bike users? [From: Introduction]

Cities are facing a major demographic change where the proportion of older people isexpected to increase. This has drawn attention to the need to make cities more age-friendly,and thus promote health, independence and the active lives of the elderly. In 2010, theWorld Health Organization (WHO) created a global network for age-friendly cities andcommunities with the aim of spreading knowledge and information about how to betteradapt cities for older people. Stockholm is one of many cities that have now joined thenetwork and thus committed to making the city more age-friendly. The aim of this thesis hastherefore been to investigate how Stockholm can plan to become an age-friendly city basedon the WHO guidelines and the age-friendly planning processes in other cities.First, a literature study of articles concerning other cities’ age-friendly work was made.Based on this literature study, a theoretical framework was developed around the themesthat emerged as particular important regarding age-friendly planning. The theories werecollaborative planning, institutional capacity and integrated planning. Furthermore, studiesof documents dealing with the future development of Stockholm City were conducted toexamine the elderly perspective in these. Finally, interviews with municipal officials andpoliticians were made to get a deeper understanding of how the cities age-friendly planninglooks today.The study’s results indicate that Stockholm has good opportunities to plan for an agefriendlycity, while there are still several obstacles to overcome. The city’s strengths are thedesire to become more age-friendly, which is evidenced by political support and a givenbudget, as well as the recognition of the importance of including the urban planning office.However, some of the obstacles that remain are the lack of cross-sectorial collaboration(between the urban planning office and the elderly administration office), that the elderlyadministration office comes in too late in urban planning processes, and that the needs ofthe elderly have long been adopted through the accessibility perspective only. The studyends with a number of solutions to help overcome these obstacles. / Världens städer står inför en stor demografisk förändring där andelen äldre människorförväntas öka. Detta har uppmärksammat ett behov av att göra städer mer äldrevänliga, föratt på så sätt främja de äldres hälsa, självständighet och aktiva liv. År 2010 skapadeVärldshälsoorganisationen (WHO) ett globalt nätverk för äldrevänliga städer och kommunermed syftet att sprida information och kunskap om hur man bättre kan anpassa städer föräldre människor. Stockholm är en av många städer som nu har gått med i nätverket ochdärmed åtagit sig att göra staden mer äldrevänlig. Syftet med detta arbete har därför varitatt med hjälp av WHO:s riktlinjer och andra städers äldrevänliga planeringsprocesser,undersöka hur Stockholm kan planera för att bli en mer äldrevänlig stad.Först gjordes en litteraturstudie av artiklar där man forskat om städers äldrevänliga arbeten.Baserat på denna litteraturstudie togs ett teoretiskt ramverk fram kring de teman somframkommit som särskilt viktiga angående en äldrevänlig planering. Teorierna som använtsär kollaborativ planering, institutionell kapacitet samt integrerad planering. Vidaregenomfördes studier av dokument som behandlar Stockholms stads framtida utveckling föratt undersöka äldreperspektivet i dessa. Till sist genomfördes även intervjuer medförvaltningsanställda och politiker inom stadsbyggnad och äldrefrågor för att få en djupareförståelse för hur stadens äldrevänliga planering ser ut idag.Studiens resultat tyder på att det idag finns bra förutsättningar för Stockholm att kunnaplanera för en äldrevänligare stad, samtidigt som det återstår ett antal hinder för arbetet. Destyrkor som staden visar idag är viljan att bli mer äldrevänlig, något som framgår genompolitiskt stöd och en avsatt budget för arbetet, samtidigt som man inser den viktiga roll somstadsbyggnadskontoret kan bidra med. Några av de hinder som dock återstår är bristen påsektorsövergripande samverkan (mellan stadsbyggnadskontoret och äldreförvaltningen), attäldreförvaltningen kommer in för sent i stadsplaneringsprocesser, och att äldres behov längehar antagits tillgodoses genom tillgänglighetsperspektivet. Studien avslutas med ett antalförslag på lösningar för att överkomma dessa hinder.

Due to growing populations and urbanization, a common trend in contemporary Swedish planning is that of densification. Open spaces within cities are being exploited to fit more housing and to prevent urban sprawl. This means that green areas which have traditionally been used by children for play and recreation transition into urban areas.  This study aims to examine how a child perspective has developed within physical planning and how it has transformed over time. Henri Lefebvre's theory about the production of space has been used to gain a greater understanding about the different ways in which adults and children interpret and use public space. Lefebvre's theory has then been used to characterize the literature which this study builds upon. The study also presents two examples of planning in Sweden and examines to what extent children's needs have been met and what level of participation children have had in the planning process. The results show that Lefebvre's third dimension – lived space – is how children view and understand their environment. This is also the dimension that has been given less space in physical planning over time. The implementation of a child perspective within Swedish planning processes has been shown to vary from one municipality to another. These differences stem from a lack of national guidelines regarding how and when children should be included in the planning of the physical environment.

Sweden has made a legal commitment to the UN’s Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and, as such, should ensure children’s rights in urban planning. A vital aspect of a child-friendly city is access to urban green space. However, children’s access to green spaces is threatened by challenges in implementing the CRC in practice; children’s limited opportunities to explore public space; and the general trend of decreasing green spaces in cities. The purpose of this study is threefold: to examine Malmö’s urban planning strategies and their effectiveness in ensuring children’s access to green spaces; to analyse the current state of spatial accessibility; and to identify factors contributing to the perceived child-friendliness of green spaces. A mixed methods approach of content analysis, spatial analysis, observations and in-situ interviews with parents is used to examine children’s access to urban green spaces through various angles. This is further explored through the use of concepts related to spatial justice, children’s right to the city and attributes of a child friendly city. The thesis found ambiguity in the support from Malmö’s plans and strategies related to children’s access to green space and promotion of the child perspective. There seems to be an ambition to work with the child perspective, but challenges in translating this ambition into clear strategies and methods for including children in decisions beyond those relating to schools and kindergartens. Additionally, children were merely implicitly mentioned in relation to green space specifically, which lowers the support for children’s specific access to these spaces. The spatial analysis displayed that neighbourhoods in Malmö have access to some green space, but that the amount of green space differs. The amount of green space was higher in neighbourhoods with a high socioeconomic status and lower in child-dense neighbourhoods, which indicates spatial inequality and displays that children’s access to green space might differ depending on where they live. The perceived child-friendliness of the observed green spaces was largely dependent on the presence of the parents or other trustworthy adults. Additionally, the playground was central in green space usage and perceptions of child-friendliness. Lastly, there was a widespread fear among parents of letting the children visit the green spaces independently. This was related to traffic safety and revealed a duality related to ‘other people’ - strangers were seen as potential threats to their children’s safety, while certain strangers, especially other parents, were seen as increasing the safety of the green space.

Äldreperspektivet i stadsplaneringen är ett nästintill outforskat område i Sverige. Samtidigt står vi i Sverige, precis som i många andra länder, inför stora demografiska utmaningar kopplade till den snabbt åldrande befolkningen. Där stadsplanering med ett äldreperspektiv identifierats som en i raden av insatser som krävs för att möta de utmaningar som en åldrande befolkning för med sig. I den här studien har äldrevänlig stadsplanering undersökts utifrån en fallstudie av stadsutvecklingsprojektet Ulleråker i Uppsala kommun. En kommun som sommaren 2016 gick med i Världshälsoorganisationens (WHO:s) globala nätverk för åldersvänliga städer och samhällen, och därmed precis påbörjat sin resa mot att bli en mer äldrevänlig stad. Då äldreperspektivet är ett nytt fenomen i svensk stadsplanering, saknas kunskapen om vad kommunen bör göra för att tillgodose ett sådant perspektiv, vilket utgjort utgångspunkten för denna studie. Studiens syfte har på så sätt varit att bidra med ökade kunskaper om innebörden av äldrevänlig planering, och hur Uppsala kommun skulle kunna utveckla sitt arbete för att på ett bättre sätt tillgodose ett äldreperspektiv. Materialet som legat till grund för fallstudien baseras på dokumentstudier av styrdokument och planhandlingar, samt intervjuer med aktörer som är involverade i stadsplaneringen utifrån ett äldreperspektiv i Uppsala. I studien identifieras en rad faktorer som inom forskningsvärlden framhävts som betydelsefulla vid planeringen av en äldrevänlig stad. Och resultatet från fallstudien tyder på att kommunen, trots att de inte uttalat arbetar med ett äldreperspektiv i stadsplaneringen idag, indirekt tillgodoser vissa delar av äldreperspektivet i sin planering. Samtidigt identifieras i studien en rad förbättringsområden. Bland annat att synen på äldreperspektivet bör tydliggöras och breddas, samt att kommunen bör anta en gemensam målsättning för äldreperspektivet. Likaså föreslås att hanteringen av äldreperspektivet bör ses över, för att förtydliga vilka delar av den kommunala organisationen som ska vara ansvarig för att uppfylla vilka delar av äldreperspektivet. Fallstudien pekar även på att frågan om äldres boende bör lyftas tidigare i planeringsprocessen än vad som görs idag. Slutresultatet från studien, indikerar att ökad kunskap om äldreperspektivet bidrar till att öka medvetenheten om vilka vi planerar för och hur äldre påverkas av olika beslut gällande stadsmiljön, vilket kan ses som en förutsättning för ett medvetet och hållbart samhällsbyggande. / The elderly perspective is currently missing in urban planning in Sweden. At the same time, Sweden and many other countries are facing demographic challenges in terms of an ageing population. However, the integration of an elderly perspective into the planning process of cities can be considered as one of a number of efforts to meet these challenges. In this study, an elderly-friendly planning approach has been investigated through a case study of the urban development project Ulleråker in Uppsala, Sweden. In 2016, Uppsala municipality became a member of the WHO global network for age-friendly cities and communities. Hence, the municipality of Uppsala has just begun its journey towards becoming an elderly-friendly city. Since the elderly perspective is a comparatively new phenomenon in the planning agenda in Sweden, the municipality lacks the knowledge needed to cater for such a perspective. With this as a starting point, the purpose of this study is to advance knowledge of elderly-friendly planning, as well as identify ways in which Uppsala municipality could improve their planning procedures to better meet the needs of the elderly in the urban environment. The case study is based on document reviews of regulatory and planning documents linked to the development project of Ulleråker. In addition, five in-depth interviews have been carried out with actors involved in the planning process from an elderly perspective in Uppsala. The study identifies a number of factors of importance in creating an elderly-friendly urban environment. On the one hand, the result of the case study indicates that the municipality does not explicitly consider an elderly perspective in the municipal planning process. On the other hand, the same case study reveals that an elderly perspective is considered indirectly to some extent. Furthermore, the study highlights a number of areas of improvement in order to strengthen the elderly perspective in Uppsala. For instance, it is suggested that the municipality should broaden its view of the needs of older people in urban environments. In addition, the municipality’s handling of the issue should be reviewed to determine the extent to which different parts of the municipal organisation should be responsible for ensuring different factors in creating an elderly-friendly urban environment. Moreover, the case study also suggests that the dwelling issue of elderly people should be considered at an earlier stage in the planning process compared to what is done today. The conclusion indicates that increased knowledge about the elderly perspective in urban planning may raise the awareness of who we plan for, and how older people are affected by different decisions concerning the urban environment. Which can be understood as a precondition for sustainable development.

Masters of Art / A child friendly city (CFC) is the embodiment of the rights of the child manifested in the policies, programs, and laws of a city. A critical aspect in the creation of a CFC is the consideration of the natural environment (NE). Premised upon a child participatory perspective, this study explored the manner in which adolescents perceive and attach meaning to the NE, as there is limited research concerning this. The primary aim of the study was to investigate children’s perceptions of the NE, and within this process to elucidate the meanings that children attach to environmental issues, and how these meanings contribute toward the creation of CFC’s. This study employed the broad epistemological position of social constructionism, and the theoretical framework of the Person-environment (P-E) fit theory. Methodologically, a qualitative research design was adopted, employing focus group interviews as the method of data collection. The study was conducted in an impoverished community on the Cape Flats in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. Four focus group interviews were conducted with two groups of 8 children between the ages of 13 and 14 in grade 9. Thematic Analysis was utilised to analyse and interpret the findings. The findings indicate that the participants perceive the NE through the lens of safety as natural areas in the community are characterised by crime, violence, pollution, and a haven for gangsters. The participants’ worldviews appear to be permeated with this milieu of danger which is pervasive in their community. Although the participants express the need to engage in the NE, their mobility is greatly restricted due to their own, parental, or guardians fears of threat. There is evidently incongruence between the participants’ expectations for the NE, and the reality of the unsafe nature of the NE. The participants thus fall outside the prevailing categories of the social and cultural construction of childhood, as they undergo an immense burden of adversity and suffering which breaches what childhood is supposed to signify.Along with many children in South Africa, the participants are exposed to an escalating level of crime and community violence which has a negative impact upon their sense of wellbeing,their ability to negotiate their mobility and to freely explore NE’s, and engage in childled initiatives to counteract impending safety and security concerns within their communities.It was also found that the participants consider the natural world as crucial in the creation of a CFC. Ultimately, the participants revealed that their community is not child friendly, and thereby suggest the requirement for a child and environmentally friendly city. The participants therefore proposed that environmental education (EE) be incorporated into the school curriculum to instil a greater awareness of environmental issues among their peers.

This case study examines the factors that shaped the identity and landscape of a small island-urban-village between the north and south forks of the Middle River and north of an urban area in Broward County, Florida. The purpose of the study is to understand how Wilton Manors was transformed from a “whites only” enclave to the contemporary upscale, diverse, and third gayest city in the U.S. by positing that a dichotomy for urban places exists between their exchange value as seen by Logan and Molotch and the use value produced through everyday activity according to Lefebvre. Qualitative methods were used to gather evidence for reaching conclusions about the relationship among the worldview of residents, the tension between exchange value and use value in the restructuration of the city, and the transformation of Wilton Manors at the end of the 1990s. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with 21 contemporary participants. In addition, thirteen taped CDs of selected members of founding families, previously taped in the 1970s, were analyzed using a grounded theory approach. My findings indicate that Wilton Manors’ residents share a common worldview which incorporates social inclusion as a use value, and individual agency in the community. This shared worldview can be traced to selected city pioneers whose civic mindedness helped shape city identity and laid the foundation for future restructuration. Currently, residents’ quality of life reflected in the city’s use value is more significant than exchange value as a primary force in the decisions that are made about the city’s development. With innovative ideas, buildings emulating the new urban mixed-use design, and a reputation as the third gayest city in the United States, Wilton Manors reflects a worldview where residents protect use value as primary over market value in the decisions they make that shape their city but not without contestation.