Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORCs)

We welcome two speakers offering UK-Canadian perspectives on how Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORCs) can be developed to promote ageing in place. NORCs are neighbourhoods or housing developments not originally designed for older people but which have, over time, become home to many older residents, offering opportunities to strengthen social connection, mutual support, and access to local services. The session will be chaired by Dr Mark Hammond (Manchester School of Architecture).

Dr Catherine Donnelly (Queen’s University, Canada) will discuss Oasis, a pioneering Canadian NORC-based programme that collaborates with older residents, housing providers, and community organisations to co-design social and practical supports. Catherine will share insights from a five-year longitudinal study that examined the impact of the Oasis programme on health and wellness outcomes.

Niamh Kavanagh (the University of Manchester, UK) will discuss the process of co-creating a Naturally Occurring Retirement Community (NORC) programme in Hopton Court, a high-rise social housing block in Hulme (Manchester), that has been driven by older tenants from the bottom-up to respond to issues of inequality that shape their everyday lives.

Together, the Canadian and UK examples offer important insights about the challenges and opportunities of co-creating NORCs in contrasting contexts.