Abstract:

A quasi-dynamic simulation model based on a simple accounting framework is used to analyze the combined effects of the aging of households & residential buildings on the urban ecology. Three factors effect the spatial integration of different age groups: mobility, nondurable housing, & household dissolution. Hypothetical examples serve to demonstrate the effect of changing the parameters affecting these processes. If all households have the same preferences for proximity to the center, constant population size results in a completely integrated age distribution. In a growing city, new households concentrate at the periphery, creating a gradually outward moving suburban ring of young households. As these neighborhoods become older, an integrated age distribution develops. However, age-specific preferences regarding the demographic composition of neighborhoods & relocation lead to a lasting spatial concentration of elderly households.