Ageing well in working-class neighbourhoods: what are the challenges and solutions?

Emilie Moncaut, July 2025

Pays et Quartiers de Nouvelle-Aquitaine, le centre de ressources sur le développement territorial en Nouvelle-Aquitaine (PQNA)

In June 2025, Pays et Quartiers de Nouvelle-Aquitaine (PQN-A) organised a webinar on ageing in working-class neighbourhoods in Aquitaine cities. This highlighted a reality that is still largely overlooked: priority neighbourhoods (QPV) are ageing and the situation of their inhabitants is changing, creating a new context and new needs. What levers are available to address these new challenges?

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I. Ageing in QPVs: what are the realities?

In QPVs, four out of ten residents are under the age of 25, compared to three out of ten nationally. This over-representation of young people has long masked another dynamic: between 1990 and 2010, the number of people over the age of 60 increased by 25%, and the number of people over the age of 75 by 50% (Observatoire National de la Politique de la Ville, 2017). In Nouvelle-Aquitaine, more than 20% of QPV residents are over 60, including 8% over 75, with peaks in certain departments such as Dordogne (24%), Charente-Maritime (17%) and Pyrénées-Atlantiques (64%). What is the typical profile of a senior citizen in a QPV? A single woman, around 75 years old, living on a low income, sometimes cut off from digital technology and the outside world.

These figures hide often difficult realities: socio-economic precariousness of households, social isolation and poor housing conditions that affect the health of their occupants. The isolation of certain neighbourhoods can hinder people’s access to healthcare and limit their access to local services. Growing old in a priority neighbourhood not only means being more vulnerable, but also facing a double stigma: that of ageing in a neighbourhood where young people predominate and that of belonging to a modest social class, objectified by one’s place of residence (Conseil National des Villes, 2021).

Despite these findings, ageing remains an overlooked issue in public policies that affect urban policy, and those involved in supporting healthy ageing do not have a specific approach for priority neighbourhoods, despite the socio-economic and spatial difficulties mentioned above. However, as François Apouey (senior policy and accessibility advisor at Domofrance) pointed out, many of these senior citizens do not yet require major adaptations to their homes: a strong signal to take action now, at an early stage.

As Raphaël Rogay (head of public and territorial action at Gérontopôle Nouvelle-Aquitaine) pointed out, urban policy has historically targeted young people. Today’s seniors are yesterday’s young people: they grew up in homes built in the 1960s and 1970s, where they often still live today, and to which they feel a strong attachment.

As for urban policy, it is part of the movement initiated by the law of 28 December 2015 on adapting society to ageing. This law aims to anticipate the consequences of this process by responding as much as possible to people’s needs in terms of housing, transport, social life and citizenship. In most cases, city contracts take the ageing of residents into account in their assessments and guidelines, with priorities given to preventing isolation, adapting housing and living environments, and building specific housing. However, in terms of programming, few actions concern older people: only 2% of the actions in city contracts funded in 2016 concerned exclusively older people, despite their growing demographic weight.

II. Adapting housing and the living environment: a concrete challenge

Faced with an ageing population, adapting housing is becoming an essential lever. Domofrance, a major player in social housing with 40,000 homes, has already noted that a third of its elderly tenants have been victims of falls, often in the absence of support from carers. This highlights the urgent need to adapt not only housing but also the living environment of these groups.

As Raphaël Rogay pointed out, accessibility and adaptation are two complementary concepts. The former, which is legal in nature, aims to ensure smooth and safe movement within the building: access to the entrance, common areas and lifts. Although accessibility standards have recently been relaxed, they remain essential. Adaptation, on the other hand, focuses more on responding to the specific needs of residents: redesigned bathrooms, ergonomic furniture and home automation. This often involves medical and social expertise, particularly that of occupational therapists.

Manon Ribaut (urban renewal project manager at the Pau Béarn Pyrénées Urban Community) presented the city policy district of Zaragoza, whose project illustrates an integrated approach to these issues (see the document attached below). Of the 1,400 homes renovated, the landlord Pau Béarn Habitat took a holistic approach to residential living, improving the entire chain of movement: from the apartment to local shops and services. Staircases were redesigned with handrails, building lobbies were better lit, furniture was varied, fountains were made accessible, signage was clear: everything has been designed to remove barriers to mobility. Some homes have even been adapted to accommodate carers. These best practices have been compiled in the Us’âges guide, available online.

These best practices are now inspiring a new project led by Domofrance in the priority neighbourhood of Gershwin in Pau (64). The idea is to go beyond traditional thermal renovation by incorporating specific features for ageing. Three levels of intervention are envisaged:

But adapting housing is not enough. The role of landlords extends far beyond the technical response. They can act on three levels:

It is at this last level that cooperation with local authorities and actors takes on its full meaning, particularly in terms of developing a range of services and maintaining social ties. This is what Domofrance hopes to develop in the long term, building on the momentum generated by the Pau conurbation.

The challenge is all the greater given that the failure to adapt has a significant social cost: every year, there are more than 10,000 deaths and 100,000 hospitalisations related to falls. Aid does exist (such as property tax relief or agreements with pension funds), but it remains insufficient to enable widespread intervention.

Finally, timing is crucial. Intervening too late often means accepting a break in the course of life. Conversely, anticipating means overcoming the stigma of age and thinking about flexible, adaptable housing that is open to the neighbourhood.

Beyond the built environment, a major challenge remains: that of social ties and access to services. Because beyond the walls, it is indeed the ties, networks and human presence that enable older people to continue to live with dignity. In QPVs, where there are many obstacles – mobility, access to care, linguistic or digital isolation, etc. – what solutions can be deployed to recreate ties? What roles can landlords, local authorities and professionals working in the field of healthy ageing play?

III. Older people and social ties: levers to be exploited

Raphaël Rogay reiterated the importance of distinguishing between loneliness and isolation: the former is subjective and refers to the perceived quality of relationships, while the latter is more quantitative and linked to the number of ties maintained. Social isolation combines these two dimensions, reflecting a situation of suffering and vulnerability. According to the Fondation de France, social isolation affects all generations, but concerns around two million people over the age of 60. In priority neighbourhoods, this ‘relational poverty’ often adds to other forms of precariousness. It can have serious health consequences, leading to an increased risk of obesity, depression and even cognitive disorders among those affected. A lack of relationships is associated with a 30% increased risk of premature death. At the collective level, it also leads to additional costs, hospitalisations and absenteeism at work. It is in this context that the Monalisa initiative (National Mobilisation Against the Isolation of Older People) was launched, rolled out nationwide as part of the law on adapting society to ageing.

1. The Thouars neighbourhood experiment in Talence

Since 2022, Domofrance has been trialling a project in collaboration with several partners to combat the isolation of senior citizens in the Thouars neighbourhood of Talence. Of the 860 homes in the neighbourhood, more than 150 are occupied by people over the age of 65, half of whom live alone, often in total isolation. The project draws on local resources (shops, services) and cooperation between various stakeholders: young people doing community service through the Faits de cœur association, secondary school pupils with the support of CarréVie, and the Bonjour les Hirondelles association to create a web radio station. Thanks to funding from Action Logement and the Caisse de Garantie du Logement Locatif Social (CGLLS), premises have been renovated with the Compagnons Bâtisseurs, becoming a place for meetings and activities. A team of ten senior citizens has been formed, supported by the CCAS and Monalisa, playing an active role in the life of the neighbourhood. In particular, it will contribute to the redevelopment project planned for 2026, which will involve 850 homes, demolitions and the transformation of public spaces.

2. In Pau: an ecosystem mobilised around social ties

In Pau, in the Saragosse neighbourhood, a dense network of associations plays a key role in serving the elderly. Several initiatives are being carried out to encourage socialising: the creation of friendly spaces, activities as part of urban renewal, regular board game meetings, and the presence of ‘neighbourhood managers’ who act as a link between residents and associations. In 2018, the city also adopted an ‘anti-loneliness plan’, spearheaded by the mayor, to encourage the people of Pau to meet and rebuild local ties, particularly through opportunities for discussion and civic engagement.

3. The concept of outreach to combat social isolation

Raphaël Rogay also emphasised the importance of outreach, particularly in neighbourhoods covered by the city’s policy, which are often isolated and where precariousness is more pronounced. He presented several examples of mobile solutions, such as the ‘Ella car’, the occupational therapy bus set up by Gironde Habitat, which offers advice on adapting housing (technical assistance, home automation), while raising awareness through cultural mediation. These mobile approaches help to build bridges with residents while relying on local actors to avoid a top-down approach and encourage the adoption of tools and systems.

IV. Ageing in priority neighbourhoods: a public health issue

Cécile Tagliana, Deputy Director General of the ARS, pointed out that ageing in priority neighbourhoods is a public health issue. The experiences and life trajectories of these individuals reflect greater social precariousness. She emphasised that 80% of health determinants are external to the healthcare system: these are all the factors that influence our daily health, such as housing, diet, social relationships, education and working conditions. The environment in priority neighbourhoods, which is often less favourable than in other neighbourhoods, therefore has a direct impact on health. Isolation and a lack of social interaction also affect healthy ageing.

What can be done?

1. Improve access to healthcare

2. Strengthen prevention

3. Mobilise medical and social services

4. Promoting integrated territorial governance

Sources

To go further