A lunchtime discussion with The Coming Back Out Ball participants.

Sibling recently received a Creative Victoria Grant for intensive research into ageing, and how design can play a role in creating more equitable society for all ages and abilities. As a first step Sibling hosted a day called Designing The Age-friendly City at MPavilion, which investigated what can constitute an age-friendly city, by looking at ageing societies and the opportunities they can bring. In the morning, artist Tai Snaith constructed an intergenerational morning workshop for grandparents and children; in the afternoon, Arup presented an interactive workshop exploring how we might combine personal experiences and new technologies to shape ‘all-ages’ environments; while in the evening, the University of Melbourne’s Hallmark Ageing Research Institute (HARI) brought experts together to discuss on how we can adapt a city to make it more age-friendly.

A grandparent-grandchild workshop as part of the day-long program

“What makes a city age-friendly? It’s a question that’s becoming increasingly urgent.”