Project R-9350

Lifelong living in South Limburg villages (Research)

Many municipalities implement a policy on lifelong living, and are increasingly trying to take into account the influence of the greying of the population, that also characterizes the Leader area. In 2020, in each Leader municipality, at least 25% of the inhabitants will be 60 years of age or older; in 2030 this percentage will increase to +/- 33% (Steunpunt sociale planning, 2013). The goal of this project is to learn from how a number of residents at this very moment are already practicing 'lifelong living' in smaller villages in three rural communities in the South of Limburg: Gingelom, Nieuwerkerken and Borgloon. We will collaborate with children (3rd grade of primary education) of the aforementioned rural communities who will set up a discussion with older residents themselves, in order to map out their living practices. Together with these actors, we want to learn about the role of their home in their village, learn about mobility, a social network, facilities, the link with the municipality, ... Ultimately, this project aims to provide insight into these living practices for a broader audience, so that people get inspired to work together on lifelong living. In order to trigger inspiration, we will work with an innovative type of output that appeals to large groups of people: stop-motion films. These films will document existing housing practices in a user-friendly way and will be distributed via an exhibition, publications, websites and social media.

01 January 2019 - 30 June 2022