Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities: Our Future for Ageing in Place?

This project investigates Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities, an emerging form of ageing in place in which large numbers of older people live within the same community without it having originally been planned as a retirement setting. As more older Australians seek alternatives to institutional care, these communities are becoming increasingly important yet remain underexplored in the Australian context.

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The project aims to understand the origin, evolution, and dynamic behaviour of Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities in Australia, and to examine how these communities influence independent living and wellbeing in later life. Through an integrated research approach involving spatial analysis, focus groups, workshops, and system dynamics modelling, the project will generate new knowledge and evidence-based policy recommendations to support the future development of these communities.

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The significance of this research lies in its contribution to one of the most pressing issues facing Australia: how to support older Australians’ desire to age in place while responding to growing pressures on housing and aged care systems. By identifying cost-effective and community-based policy pathways, the project aims to improve quality of life for older Australians while helping reduce long-term residential aged care costs for society.