Memory-Friendly Neighbourhoods marked a new, interdisciplinary collaboration between research centres at the Universities of Stirling and Edinburgh. Addressing the policy-prominent concept of 'dementia-friendly communities', the programme met the urgent need for insights to guide the development of environments for ageing-in-place and lifelong social inclusion for those affected by dementia.
Working co-creatively with policy, practice and not-for-profit partners, and experts from Europe and North America, the Memory Friendly Neighbourhoods team synthesised evidence from national and international studies in design for wellbeing and the lived experience of people with dementia.
Setting an agenda for future collaboration, the programme was innovative in using live sites to explore ideas, in using new technologies for both activities and outputs and in integrating robust, academic research into the social networks of people with dementia.