Tropes of Suburban London: Hidden Territories in Plain View

The book chapter discusses issues of urban justice and older citizens ability to partake in urban street-life. Modelled on locations of care homes in London (UK), the essay argues that care homes are often situated in urban locations that are disconnected from public infrastructures and urban life. Whilst plots may be more affordable in these locations, this kind of setting often creates undignified situations for residents who feel disconnected from urban, public and collective life. The essay argues that care homes should be planned in relation to the street and urban life, rather than as an island institution. It further posits that institutional and managerial patterns of control that are put in place to facilitate the running of care homes and for safeguarding, often intentionally or unintentionally deprive care home residents of basic everyday choices and freedoms. Staff shortages and economic pressures can lead to routines and practices that define what is permitted or accepted, segregating spaces and activities into predetermined entities that refute ambiguity or otherness. The essay ends with a call to use architectural and urban techniques to question established rules, codes and spatial modes in order to create more dignified spaces developed in relation to street scapes and urban life rather than in isolation of them.