Sustainable Places: Housing for Resilient Ageing Communities
Join us for an online event exploring how housing can help ageing communities to be more resilient to climate change.

Older people and communities are facing major ecological and societal changes created by the climate crisis, and in this event we will explore how the resilience of ageing communities can be shaped by their living environments.
This online Sustainable Places event will explore ways that housing for ageing communities can become more resilient to changes like the climate crisis, using the charitable almshouse dwelling model as an example.
About this event
In this Sustainable Places: Housing for Resilient Ageing Communities event we’ll explore how housing for ageing communities can become more resilient to changes like the climate crisis. The resilience of older people is closely linked with their homes and living environments. In the UK around 33,500 people live in almshouses, which are low-cost housing dwellings managed as a charitable trust. Most almshouse residents are older adults.
Join this discussion with researchers from the Almshouse Resilient Communities for the Future project where we will explore how the built environment can adapt to change and contribute to community resilience. We will present initial findings from the project and examine how insights from the almshouse housing model can be applied to older people. We will reflect on places, communities and governance, and how they can jointly enable resilience to the climate crisis.
Recording and accessibility
The session will be recorded, and the recording and written transcript will be shared with attendees after the event.
We want to make our events accessible for everyone, and we encourage you to let us know if you have any accessibility requirements including:
- Presentation slides in advance for screen readers
- Live closed captions during the event
- Live British Sign Language interpretation during the event
- Any other requirements
Please contact Alma Daskalaki, Bartlett Faculty Events Officer at a.daskalaki@ucl.ac.uk with accessibility requirements. Please note we require two working days' notice for requests.
Newsletter signup
Join this monthly event series from The Bartlett, UCL’s Faculty of the Built Environment, where we ignite new ideas and explore solutions to construct a sustainable world for everyone.
Sign up for the Sustainable Places mailing list to receive monthly event details.
More events in this series
Dr Niamh Murtagh is a Principal Research Fellow at the Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction, University College London (UCL). An environmental psychologist by discipline, Niamh’s research focuses on the built environment and applies psychological theory to understand how behaviour can be encouraged towards greater sustainability and stronger resilience to the changing climate.
Alison Benzimra is Head of Research and Influence at United St Saviour’s Charity. She has gained valuable insight into the almshouse movement and works closely with residents and staff in the co-production of a variety of research projects with academic partners. Alison is a member of the British Society of Gerontology (BSG) and a member of the leadership team for the BSG Ageing, Business and Society Special Interest Group.
Dr Evelyn Callahan is a Research Fellow at University College London (UCL) working with older people living in almshouses. Their other research interests include trans healthcare, healthcare in resource limited settings, and applied qualitative research methods. They have a PhD in sociology from Brunel University London, an MSc in medical anthropology from University College London (UCL), and a BA in anthropology from the University of Connecticut.
Jenny Pannell
Research Associate
University College London (UCL)
Jenny Pannell is a Research Associate at University College London (UCL) on the ARC project. Research interests concern housing, and support and care for older people, with a focus on smaller providers. Jenny’s consultancy work with social housing providers has included governance, resident involvement and service improvement. Prior to her academic career as research fellow and housing lecturer, Jenny was a senior manager with housing associations, local authorities and housing charities.
Dr Alison Pooley leads the Sustainable Healthy Communities theme within the Suffolk Sustainability Institute, University of Suffolk, and has extensive experience within architecture and the built environment, leading both undergraduate and postgraduate courses. Alison worked as a housing officer in East London and in architectural practice prior to her academic career. Her current research is focused on forms of housing that address the future needs of an ageing population.
Further information
Ticketing
Ticketed
Cost
Free
Open to
All
Availability
Yes