Session Information
06 SES 04.5 PS, General Poster Session
General Poster Session
Contribution
The ubiquity and transparency of technology provides new ways of experiencing the urban space. These technologies support the development of smart cities, and sensor networks and ubiquitous computing technologies can ensure a better management of infrastructures and utilities. However, cities become smarter when they take full advantage of its its human potential creating new dynamics of wealth and social inclusion (Oliveira & Campolargo, 2015). In face of the constant technological progress and a rapidly aging society, fostering the quality of life, communicative action and reducing social isolation have become relevant, particularly for the elderly who are exposed to greater vulnerability because of biopsychosocial changes (Xie, 2008; Bengtson, Gans, Putney, & Silverstein, 2009; Brossoie, 2009; Ferreira, Torres, Mealha, & Veloso, 2014; Pfeil, Zaphiris, & Wilson, 2009; Saxon, Etten, & Perkin, 2015).
A significant contribution to the quality of life in an advanced age is participation in community activities that help the elderly to feel useful and recognized (Araújo, & Melo, 2011). Intergenerational activities enhance solidarity and social cohesion for young and old by creating space and time for sharing and transforming culture and cultural experiences (Cortellesi & Kernan, 2016). Intergenerational reminiscence, sharing autobiographical memories between generations, is not only potentially beneficial to elderly psychosocial wellbeing, but it also a way to transmit the heritage of folk traditions, triggering the interest of younger generations about their roots (Gaggioli et al., 2014). These experiences are viewed as important since they facilitate learning that might otherwise be diminished due to changing family structures, migration, technological changes and growing age segregation (TOY, 2013). These exchanges can, specifically, enrich the experience and meaning of places, adding layers and facets that are multi-generational to the lived cities.
Although digital technologies are accused of excluding and dividing generations, being referred as one of the main causes of the huge gap between youth and elderly culture (Khoo, Cheok, Nguyen, & Pan, 2008), technology can also be the solution to bring generations together. The combination of digital technologies and reminiscences can be a meeting point for different generations, where they can share, re-elaborate, and read memories and meanings (Morgantiet al., 2016). Technology can also support reminiscing activity by eliciting memories, supporting the creation of representations or the collection of artifacts and sharing them with others, in multimedia, geo-referenced ways.
Having intergenerational activities connected to the city and to heritage also contributes to identifying benefits and challenges of synergistic efforts to create livable cities for all ages (van Vliet, 2011). It is through human activities that urban spaces become "places". How people experience and conceptualize "place" is formed by the scope and range of what happens in that space and those that inhabit it (Wouters, Claes, & Moere, 2015).
VIAS | Viseu InterAge Stories aims to promote interaction between different generations, deepening the sense of belonging to the city and the practice of outdoor activities thru a collaborative app. Using technologies of everyday life, such as "smartphones" and "tablets", and having the city of Viseu as the setting, the project intends to foster the development of intergenerational outdoor activities. The application will include a set of "placemarks" - city places with cultural and natural heritage value. Based on this mapping, the habitants will be invited to create and share stories about their city, collaboratively, while touring and interacting with the various places. The several stories will integrate memories and reminiscences of the elderly, meanings of the present and future expectations of children and youth concerning the same sites. Younger and elder will have the opportunity to walk from place to place making their own stories, uploading new content to the placemarks.
Method
Expected Outcomes
References
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