As the average life span increases and more generations are alive at once, there is an increasing need for spaces that meet two needs: (1) they must be appropriately accessible for everyone from the very young to the very old, and (2) they must encourage interaction between the generations so that the young and old can benefit from each other’s company. Generations United and the Eisner Foundation call such spaces “intergenerational shared sites,”² which are intentionally designed places that provide services and programs to multiple generations at the same time and foster meaningful relationships between people of different ages.

Creating environments that are suitable for all the generations that are alive today may bring about opportunities to build or reconstruct the built environment. Construction methods and building materials themselves can have a significant impact on the environment and on human health. For example, some scientists are developing new construction materials that cut down on CO2 emissions compared to current materials, such as bendable concrete.³ There is also opportunity to ensure that structures are built without contaminants and that pollution by airborne particles is mitigated.

Spending time in “green spaces” has been shown to have great physical and mental health benefits. For example, according to a study from the Harvard School of Public Health, women living in areas with higher levels of green vegetation had a 12% lower rate of death compared with women whose homes had the lowest level of greenness.⁴ This is also an area of significant inequality; in the US, poorer neighborhoods have 25% less tree canopy on average than neighborhoods with very few people in poverty.⁵ Around the world, people of higher socioeconomic status are more likely than people of lower socioeconomic status to have access to urban green spaces, including in African, Asian, and Latin American cities.⁶