Senior housing that doesn’t isolate, and how community lifts Mexican women farmers
Staff
Senior housing that encourages mixing of age groups is growing
Amenities like cafés that are open to the public bring benefits for residents and nonresidents alike. While 34% of older adults report feeling isolated, studies have shown that regular multigenerational interaction can reduce isolation, lessen depression, and combat ageism.
At North of Main Cafe in Bellevue, Washington, visitors can enjoy all of the typical features of a coffee shop – alongside seniors who live in the apartments above. In Calgary, Alberta, a government-funded pilot at a retirement home offered two discounted apartments to students.
Other spaces host cultural events for the public: The Watermark at Brooklyn Heights in New York features an art gallery and theater. One resident of The Watermark kick-started a summer swim camp after asking if grandchildren could use the pool.
Sources: Fast Company, Global News, University of Michigan
Why We Wrote This
In our progress roundup, the meaning of community expands in senior living spaces when they are intentionally designed to be inviting to the public. And in Oaxaca, Mexico, women farmers who work for the benefit of the group are bringing an Indigenous practice to modern use.
Indigenous Zapotec women learn techniques to conserve water, grow crops, and combat gender inequity
One community in Oaxaca, in southern Mexico, measured a 90% corn crop loss last year. As the region faces increasing threats from climate change, women struggle to make ends meet while cultural mores leave them subordinate to men.
Following the Indigenous practice of tequio, in which individuals are obligated to assist their community, women work with the nonprofit Grupedsac to build 5,300-gallon ferro-cement tanks to collect and filter rainwater. The water is used for crops and household tasks.
Permaculture training has also helped the women become more self-sufficient, and lessons about gender and facilitated group therapy have proved empowering. “I now know my boys need to learn to cook, and help in the house,” said Aurora Perez.
Source: BBC
For the first time in nearly a decade, renewable energy firms are planning new U.K. wind farms
Parliament scrapped rules against new onshore wind farms in its National Planning Policy Framework. In 2015, a previous government had stipulated that turbine projects could be stopped by a single planning objection.
A trade association said that wind farms can take up to seven years to develop, but at least half a dozen developers are seeking sites for new farms. The new Labour Party government aims to reinvigorate efforts to double Britain’s onshore wind capacity by 2030. Onshore wind could enjoy more support than it did 10 years ago, owing to stronger financial incentives for communities and more efficient technology.
In April, the nonprofit Friends of the Earth found that England could produce enough energy to power every household 2.5 times more than currently required by devoting 3% of land to wind and solar power generation.
Source: The Guardian
Working with the ocean – instead of against it – to stave off beach erosion
"Sand motors" are artificial peninsulas that work by using millions of yards of dredged sand to extend a section of the shore out to sea. Over time, waves spread this sand across the coastline and replenish the beach. Though the upfront costs are higher, sand motors last much longer than the typical sand replenishment but aren’t suitable where erosion is more advanced.
“Beach nourishment” is particularly difficult on the Gulf of Guinea, where erosion rates are some of the highest in the world, governments lack the funds for upkeep, and coastal activities are a major driver of the economy. As part of the World Bank’s $594 million West Africa Coastal Areas Management Program, a sand motor built this year in Benin is modeled on the strategy first developed in the Netherlands. The Benin sand motor is near a river, with homes and hotels in between. But experts stress that when possible, communities should stop developing in low-lying areas.
Sources: Grist; World Bank; Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, South Holland
In Southeast Asia, cultural relevance is turning local movies into blockbusters
While Hollywood has been shaken by the pandemic and then by actors and writers strikes in 2023, films in countries such as Thailand have made millions by tapping into contemporary issues with cultural significance for audiences. Prior to the pandemic, Thai films accounted for 20% to 35% of the market share in the country; by June 2024, the percentage had shot up to 69%.
Across the region, viewers have flocked to theaters to see “How To Make Millions Before Grandma Dies.” The Thai film has made $9.1 million at home and become the most popular Thai movie of all time in Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia. Audiences praise it for bridging the gap between younger and older generations and tackling complex subject matters such as poverty.
Other recent movies – such as the Vietnamese romance “Mai” and the Indonesian horror “KKN in Dancer’s Village” – have also broken box-office records.
Source: The Guardian