“An Accessible City” – A Look from the Perspective of the ‘60+’ Generation

Abstract This paper presents the results of workshop experiments aimed at realising the concept of the accessible city and identifies key considerations for enabling seniors to function better in the city’s public space, based on the real needs of an ageing population. The study used field research (in situ), functional-spatial analysis (case studies) and data synthesis. The latest available data from the Statistics Poland on the demographic situation of senior citizens, government programmes and current legislation – depicting the current and projected situation in Poland were analysed. Faced with alarming data indicating that Poland’s population will continue to grow older until 2050, with the number of people aged 60+ reaching 40.4% of our country’s total population, field research was carried out into the accessibility of selected urban spaces and a set of architectural and urban planning recommendations were presented to address the most important needs and better functioning of the 60+ generation. As the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship is currently home to the largest total population of senior citizens, the region's capital, Kielce, was chosen as the location for the analysis.