St. Albert residents will have an opportunity to learn about issues related to aging in suburbia during a free talk scheduled for next Thursday.
Researcher Sherrill Johnson will discuss how a community’s design affects the health of its residents.
She hopes that people will take away an increased awareness that the “built environment” influences health.
“We hope to raise awareness and get people to think more about these issues,” Johnson said.
Johnson is an independent researcher who is involved in two “aging in suburbia” studies being conducted by the University of Alberta. One of these studies provided Edmonton seniors with cameras and instructed them to take pictures of places they found to be safe and unsafe.
The study is about half completed but interim results will be part of the presentation. Though she’s an academic, the talk will be aimed at a public audience, Johnson said.
She’s noticed a growing interest in everything related to aging and community design, particularly in the west, where sprawling cities are the norm.
“I’ve been working on things related to built environments and seniors for probably five or six years and it’s only in the last year that I’ve seen a much larger, broader interest take hold,” Johnson said.
The talk is being organized by the City of St. Albert’s planning department. It will be the first in a series of about three talks aimed at providing educational opportunities for members of the community about various planning issues, said manager of planning Carol Bergum.
She’s noticed that city planning is an area of growing interest in St. Albert. Johnson’s talk will grow people’s understanding of the impacts of an aging population.
“What she’s doing is actually getting down to the on-the-ground, nitty-gritty, what exactly does that mean. From that perspective it’s very practical,” Bergum said.
The free session is scheduled for Thurs. Nov. 25 at 7 p.m. at the St. Albert Senior Citizens’ Club. Organizers ask that those who intend to attend register by emailing [email protected] or by calling 780-459-1642.
