Cities of (In)Difference: A Mixed-Methods Analysis of Place and Wellbeing in Later Life A Dissertation SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA BY Jessica M. Finlay IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Dr. Susan Craddock June 2018 © Jessica M. Finlay, 2018 Acknowledgements This dissertation is testament to the patience, care, and kindness of a large number of people. I am grateful to the enthusiastic and inspirational participants who readily welcomed me into their homes and workplaces. Thank you, in particular, to the six ethnographic participants who allowed me to become a part of their lives. Their tolerance for a curious and probing “youth” was remarkable. Thank you to friends and colleagues for listening to my half-formed ideas, responding to early drafts, and providing moral support. At the University of Minnesota, I am grateful to Kwame Adovor, Kai Bosworth, Jay Bowman, Ding Fei, Joe Getzoff, and Melinda Kernik in the Department of Geography, Environment, and Society for helpful feedback in the development stage. Particular thanks are due to Joe Witek, who has provided written comments on numerous draft papers over the years, and to my writing partner Hillary Waters for the countless cups of tea and coffee, loaves of fresh bread, dog walks, and productive conversations throughout our many days spent together. Thank you to the Geography faculty members and staff who provided sound guidance and enthusiastic support throughout the process, particularly Sara Braun, Dan Griffin, Kurt Kipfmueller, Lorena Muñoz, Glen Powell, and Abdi Samatar. I was fortunate to have fantastic research assistance from Jay Bowman, Wendy Chao, Jessa Hohnstein, Joann Khong, Naomi Klionsky, and Alec Trenda. On the East Bank of campus, I am grateful to Heather Davila, Eric Jutkowitz, Rosalie Kane, Ellen McCreedy, Mary Whipple, and other members of the Aging Studies Interdisciplinary Graduate Group. Hayley McCarron, Lauren Mitchell, Colleen Peterson, Tamara Statz, and Rachel Zmora quickly transitioned from professional acquaintances into wonderful colleagues and co-authors. All of the above individuals provided warm support throughout dissertation fieldwork and writing. Beyond the University of Minnesota, I am indebted to Derek Gregory, Anne Martin-Matthews, Heather McKay, and Joanie Sims-Gould at the University of British Columbia. Thanks are also due to inspiring colleagues and mentors across the globe including Francesco Emiliani, Anne Godlewska, Robin Kearns, Lindsay Kobayashi, Mark Rosenberg, and Graham Rowles. i I am fortunate to have committee members that provided a unique and challenging blend of intellectual stimulation and multidisciplinary critical commentary. Beyond their thought-provoking and helpful substantive inputs, my committee also provided a depth of emotional support. Thank you to Abby Neely for her unwavering faith in me from my early days as a Master’s student, and for the opportunity to spend a wonderful semester at Dartmouth College post-fieldwork. It was a productive and stimulating writing retreat amidst New England’s fall splendor. To fellow Canadian Bruce Braun, thank you for encouraging me to think through ideas while away from my desk. Bike rides and runs provided unexpected clarity during this journey. I am deeply grateful to Bob Kane, who was a tireless advocate for applied critical learning and staunch supporter of emerging gerontologists. He instilled in me the confidence to pursue gerontology. Joe Gaugler generously stepped in after Bob’s passing and quickly became a trusted mentor and guide. His upbeat encouragement and genuine enthusiasm in the final “lap” of my PhD was greatly appreciated. To Susan Craddock, my advisor and friend, it is difficult to express the depths of my gratitude. I greatly appreciate her considerable time investment, patience, support through my stumbles and ‘aha’ moments, thoughtful and critical guidance, and commitment during every stage of the journey. Most of all I will remain indebted to Susan’s encouragement to pursue this daunting project, especially during the times when I felt unequal to the task. I was able to complete my research through generous funding from the University of Minnesota Doctoral Dissertation Research Fellowship, Interdisciplinary Doctoral Fellowship, Joseph-Kordell Scholarship, and College of Liberal Arts and Department of Geography, Environment, and Society research grants. External sources included the National Sciences Foundation Geography and Spatial Sciences Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grant (grant number 1558577), Queen’s University Alfred Bader Fellowship, Minnesota Gerontological Society Gerald Bloedow Scholarship, and Philanthropic Educational Organization Scholar Award. Finally, it is a pleasure to acknowledge the unwavering support of my family, friends, and community. Thank you to Mill City Running for hosting weekly group runs just a block away from my home through which to unwind and recharge. My running ii buddies provided countless therapeutic miles together along the Mississippi River, lakes, and greenway trail system – even on dark, cold, snowy winter nights. I am grateful to friends across Minneapolis, Vancouver, Edmonton, Hanover, and Ontario for constantly checking in. Thank you to my parents, brother, grandparents, and wonderful Tiampo family members for providing unwavering support from all sides. Finally, thank you to my husband Matt who has been the steadfast anchor throughout this process. Over the past five years he bore my range of moods throughout the research process that ranged from sadness and overtired crankiness to exhilaration and pure joy. I am forever grateful for his unfailing encouragement, patience, and love. iii Abstract Where one lives constitutes an important determinant of health and quality of later life. Yet few studies to date focus explicitly on the everyday experiences, contexts, and needs of individuals to age well within their physical and social environments. While aging in place represents a widespread goal of individuals, service providers, and policymakers, it remains an ambiguous, problematic, and uncritical concept. This can have devastating consequences as it is frequently applied with little consideration of the places themselves. This study investigated aging in a harsh continental climate with a strong focus on underrepresented low-income and racially diverse older adults. Three case study areas across the Minneapolis (Minnesota, USA) metropolitan area purposefully contrasted socio-demographic and geographic characteristics. Seated and mobile interviews were conducted with independent-dwelling men and women (n=125, mean age 71 years) from May to October, 2015. A geospatial audit evaluated participants’ homes at the dwelling, street, and neighborhood level. Ethnography with six participants over twelve months (September, 2015 – August, 2016) and semi-structured interviews with ten local policymakers and community service providers (May – October, 2016) deepened understanding. The findings depict how built, social, and natural environments contribute to aging in very particular ways. Older bodies literally express structured advantages and disadvantages of their surrounding contexts. Aging in place efforts can exacerbate the deeply uneven conditions of American cities and the vulnerabilities of those aging ‘in the margins’. Theoretical analyses unpack and unsettle discourses about aging in order to address problematic assumptions, blind spots, and unchallenged and unconsidered modes of thought upon which geography rests. The chapters engage political, economic, feminist, critical race, disability, health, and urban theories to enrich not only geographic scholarship, but also the lives of older adults. The dissertation destabilizes the foundations of age-friendly governance and generates novel possibilities for more just and inclusive modes of urban form. It creates more room for alternative ways of ‘being in the world’ based upon a richer understanding of people, place, and space across the life course. iv Table of Contents List of Tables ................................................................................................................... viii List of Figures .................................................................................................................... ix Chapter 1. Introduction ................................................................................................... 1 Prologue .......................................................................................................................... 1 The Aging Context .......................................................................................................... 3 The Appeal of Aging in Place ..................................................................................... 3 A Not-So-Perfect Fit .................................................................................................... 5 Opening Up Possibilities for Aging in the Right Place ............................................... 6 Geographies of Aging ..................................................................................................... 7 Spatial Distributions and Contexts of Aging ............................................................... 7 Place, Care, and Embodiment ...................................................................................... 9 Ripe opportunity .......................................................................................................