The term ‘environmental design for dementia’ relates to both the process and outcomes of designing to support or improve cognitive accessibility in physical environments. Environmental design for dementia is evidenced as an effective nonpharmacological intervention for treatment of the symptoms of dementia and is associated with higher levels of independence and wellbeing for people living with a variety of age-related cognitive, physical, and sensory impairments. Evidence-based dementia design principles have been established as a means of supporting both the design and evaluation of environmental design for dementia.

Twenty-minute neighbourhoods highlight the importance of well-connected and mixed-used neighbourhoods and communities with proximate access to employment, essential services, public transport, and open spaces. Shorter distances together with re-prioritised public spaces encourage more active transport choices, resulting in public health benefits and reduced environmental pollution. Higher liveability brought about by mixed-use developments enables people to have equitable access to local facilities, amenities, and employment opportunities, promoting vibrancy, social cohesion, and intergenerational connections. The attributes of 20-minute neighbourhoods also combine to create places, that are acknowledged as friendly for all ages, address changing needs across the life course, and provide better support for the ageing population. Furthermore, there are indications that 20-minute neighbourhoods may be more resilient against many of the negative impacts of stringent public health protocols such as those implemented in periods of lockdown during the Covid-19 pandemic. In this article, we evaluate and compare planning policies and practices aimed at establishing 20-minute neighbourhoods in Melbourne (Australia) and Scotland (the UK). Using case studies, we discuss similarities and differences involved in using place-based approaches of 20-minute neighbourhoods to address 21st-century challenges in key areas of health and wellbeing, equity, environmental sustainability, and community resilience.

A growing majority of people living in Residential Care Facilities (RCFs) for older people have dementia. Yet the implementation of evidence-based Dementia Design Principles (DDPs), known to reduce symptoms and improve wellbeing, remains limited. This paper reports on the development and application of Plan-EAT, a floorplan-based method of assessing dementia design quality in RCFs. Through the analysis of 34 published architectural exemplars, the method identifies strengths and weaknesses in the layouts of residential care buildings, across 39 assessment criteria organized under 9 DDPs. The paper concludes that the Plan-EAT could benefit architectural practice by providing an evidence-based means of assessing layout planning quality, in both existing cases and emerging RCF design proposals. The findings also highlight the need for care, where reliance is placed on published case studies, to inform the design of dementia supportive environments.

The ‘othering’ of ageing is linked to an integrated process of ageism and hinders planning for the future for both individuals and practitioners delivering housing and health services. This paper aims to explore how creative interventions can help personalise, exchange knowledge and lead to system changes that tackle the ‘othering’ of ageing. The Designing Homes for Healthy Cognitive Ageing (DesHCA) project offers new and creative insights through an innovative methodology utilising ‘serious games’ with a co-produced tool called ‘Our House’ that provides insights into how to deliver housing for older people for ageing well in place. In a series of playtests with over 128 people throughout the UK, the findings show that serious games allow interaction, integration and understanding of how ageing affects people professionally and personally. The empirical evidence highlights that the game mechanisms allowed for a more in-depth and nuanced consideration of ageing in a safe and creative environment. These interactions and discussions enable individuals to personalise and project insights to combat the ‘othering’ of ageing. However, the solutions are restrained as overcoming the consequences of ageism is a societal challenge with multilayered solutions. The paper concludes that serious gaming encourages people to think differently about the concept of healthy ageing—both physically and cognitively—with the consideration of scalable and creative solutions to prepare for ageing in place.

Background: Characteristics of the indoor home environment such as temperature, humidity, and air quality are associated with risk of injury, illness, and cognitive decline.Method: 68 passive environment monitoring sensors were installed in the homes of (n = 10) people aged 55 or older, experiencing age related cognitive change, and living in Scotland. The size of the homes ranged from 4‐12 rooms and data collection periods ranged from 2‐7 months. Environment data along with infra‐red based space occupancy data was collected every 60 seconds for the duration of each installation. Analysis included evaluation of sensor based environmental data against participants’ experiential account of their habits and activities whilst living in their homes.Result: Analyses of average usage patterns, showing typical weekday and weekend activity within the homes over the data collection period were used to identify potential influences on the health supporting qualities of indoor home environments. These include regional weather conditions, occupant activity patterns, ventilation, and heating, as well as the influence of fuel poverty.Conclusion: High fuel costs in combination with regional climatic conditions may be increasing the risk of indoor home environments contributing to poor health outcomes, including cognitive decline, amongst older people living in Scotland.