Aled’s work considers the crossovers between the fields of ‘placemaking’ [human geography, architecture, planning and urban design] and gerontology. The latter study of the ageing population is starting to find its place within academia and public life as society realises that the median age is going up virtually everywhere in the World.
This research within Swansea University’s Centre for Innovative Ageing is an urban ethnography to consider wellbeing as people develop a relationship and attachment to place over their lifecourse. Through the use of GPS-mapped walk-along interviews mixed methods are intended to help society make sense of how people emotionally relate to, and negotiate, their local neighbourhoods; for example streets, green spaces, shops and public spaces.
The fieldwork will be conducted in Britain and take a ‘lifecourse’ approach to consider the relationships between place and health: how people in places have developed over time. The intention is to work closely with community-based organisations and artists who want to take a lead in making places age-friendly for their own localities.
Aled is Vice President of the Swansea University Postgraduate Research Society.
Recent articles
Singleton, A., 2016. Ageing Issues. British Society of Gerontology Blog
Available at: https://ageingissues.wordpress.com/2016/09/27/thoughts-ahead-of-mobility-mood-place-habitats-for-happy-healthy-ageing-conference/
Singleton, A., 2016. Ageing Issues. British Society of Gerontology Blog
Available at: https://ageingissues.wordpress.com/2016/10/21/mobility-mood-and-place-conference-reflections/
Conference presentations
Singleton, A., & Schifferes, J (2012). Reflections on action research towards resilience-building measures in an economically-deprived place. Paper presented at Cardiff International Conference on Sustainable Place-Making, Cardiff University
Singleton, A.,(2016). Is there a home within online place branding for dementia-friendly communities? Paper presented at British Society of Gerontology Conference, University of Stirling
Singleton, A.,(2016). Affect, emotion & place attachment: comparisons between methodologies in human geography & social psychology. Paper presented at College of Human and Health Sciences Postgraduate Conference, Swansea University