Dr Caterina Nirta was awarded British Academy/Leverhulme Small Grant for ethnographic project entitled ‘Exploring experiences of urban aging at times of crisis’.

This research investigates the impact that experiences of hardship stemming from a moment of crisis have on older adults (65+) in the way they relate to and make use of urban public spaces. Research on the consequences of the Covid-19 crisis or cost of living crisis is growing steadily, but it focuses primarily on youth's socialisation.

There is less understanding of the ramifications of a crisis in relation to older adults, their lifestyle and future-making practices.  Utilising a mixed methodology comprising ethnography, visual research and ‘go-alongs’, this research investigates how older adults navigate urban public spaces during a moment of crisis, how a crisis alters their engagement with and perception of ‘the social’, and the impact this has on habitation and home-making.