We present two innovative and impactful interdisciplinary participatory projects highlighting interconnected older adult meanings in relation to UK town centre spaces. We argue older people occupy paradoxical positions within urban policies and planning discourses, highly visibilised as objects of concern, but profoundly marginalised and excluded. Utilising a relational functional significance framework, our findings capture valuable emplaced narratives and embodied lived experiences often wholly underrepresented by 16 older adults (aged 70–88 years). Through live qualitative participatory interview approaches, we identify functionally rich local high street characteristics interconnected with urban histories, memories and identities impacting belonging and well‐being, or underpinning participation, exclusions and vulnerabilities. Reflecting on vividly detailed stories and participatory methods within these empirics, we call for an expanded sense of older people's presence and agency, providing their own implications for enhancing urban settings alongside recommendations for increasing their participation within urban regeneration and related research.

中文翻译：

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“感觉就像他们忘记了你”：提高老年人对城市更新的参与度


我们提出了两个创新且有影响力的跨学科参与式项目，突出了与英国市中心空间相关的相互关联的老年人意义。我们认为，老年人在城市政策和规划话语中占据着自相矛盾的位置，他们被高度视为关注的对象，但却被严重边缘化和排斥。利用关系功能意义框架，我们的研究结果捕捉了有价值的嵌入式叙事和具体的生活经历，而 16 名老年人（70-88 岁）往往完全没有充分代表。通过现场定性参与式访谈方法，我们确定了与影响归属感和幸福感的城市历史、记忆和身份相互关联的功能丰富的当地商业街特征，或支撑参与、排斥和脆弱性。通过反思这些实证研究中生动详细的故事和参与式方法，我们呼吁扩大老年人的存在感和能动性，为改善城市环境提供自身的启示，同时为增加他们参与城市更新和相关研究提供建议。