About Us
The Manchester Urban Ageing Research Group (MUARG) brings together researchers from a wide variety of disciplinary backgrounds to understand the interplay between population ageing and urban change.
We are committed to working in partnership older people, NGOs and third sector organisations, and national, regional, and local governments to promote ‘age-friendly’ urban environments: a major issue for public policy and an increasingly important area for interdisciplinary research. This approach, initiated by the World Health Organization (WHO), our partner organisation, reflects the need to develop supportive urban communities for older people.
Ensuring that the 'new urban age' produces age-friendly communities is an urgent priority for research and policy.
Paul McGarry / Assistant Director, Greater Manchester Combined Authority
MUARG’s aims
- Lead cutting-edge, interdisciplinary and place-based research, both locally and internationally, to transform how ageing in urban environments is understood, experienced, and addressed.
- Pioneer creative, participatory, and co-produced methodologies by working in partnership with communities, older people, practitioners, and policymakers to drive research, innovation, and societal change.
- Shape the development of inclusive, evidence-based policies at local, regional, national, and international levels to advance social justice and improve the experience of ageing across diverse urban contexts.
Research themes
| Ageing in place | Tackling inequalities | Innovative methods |
|---|---|---|
| Examine how the home, neighbourhood, and urban change shape the everyday lives of older people. | Examine how structural inequalities shape older people’s experiences across a diverse range of urban settings. | Collaborate with minoritised groups of older people to co-produce knowledge that reflects diverse lived experiences. |
| Enhance social connection, participation, and belonging by co-creating community-based support systems. | Understand how social exclusion accumulates over the life course and produce unequal outcomes in later life. | Develop and test innovative community-based interventions that support social inclusion and shape policy and practice. |
| Promote international and cross-sectoral collaboration to advance the global age-friendly movement. | Challenge structural barriers and enhance fairness, voice, and influence in later life by promoting community-led responses. | Partner with cultural organisations and creative sectors to experiment with creative and participatory methods. |
Our work contributes to creating more inclusive and just cities that are socially and environmentally sustainable for current and future generations.
Dr Tine Buffel / Director, Manchester Urban Ageing Research Group
Our research supports the promotion of age-friendly urban environments at the local, regional, national, EU, and global levels. We focus on understanding the challenges of social exclusion and the pressures facing older people in economically declining areas.
Over the past two decades, MUARG members have pioneered innovative research projects in partnership with older people living in areas of multiple deprivations, local authorities, voluntary organisations, and community groups. Our work particularly aligns with United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 11, aiming to make cities more inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable by focusing on the interaction between population ageing and urbanisation.
Our areas of expertise
MUARG's research spans a diverse range of topics crucial to understanding and improving the lives of older people in urban environments. Our expertise includes ageing in cities, addressing inequalities in later life, and tackling social exclusion and poverty. We focus on ageing in place and enhancing social infrastructure, as well as examining the impacts of gentrification, regeneration, and urban change.
Our work also covers the ageing experiences of minoritised groups, including those defined by ethnicity, sexuality, and gender identity. We employ action and participatory research, co-production approaches, and strive to develop age-friendly cities< and promote innovative housing design.
Our values and practices
An important part of the group’s activities is to reflect on what motivates our research and how we put this into practice. During a workshop to discuss our values and practices 'More than minutes' captured some of the discussion in these visual minutes.
Our awards
Winner - Outstanding public engagement initiative
Tess Hartland (PhD student in Sociology) nominated by Tine Buffel, for her co-produced “Echoes of Displacement”.
‘Echoes of Displacement’ is a captivating comic book narrating the collective story of people growing older while seeking sanctuary in the UK. Created collaboratively with participants and refugee charities, the comic is widely used by organisations to raise awareness about refugee experiences.
Winner - Professor Tine Buffel, Researcher of the Year, Distinguised achievement awards.
Professor Tine Buffel’s pioneering research on urban ageing is driving action to enable cities to create supportive environments for older people. Tine’s creation and leadership of the Manchester Urban Ageing Research Group, an interdisciplinary centre bringing together early and mid-career researchers, has brought international recognition for the University’s work in this area, as well as supported a new generation of researchers
Winner - Outstanding benefit to society through research: 'COVID-19, inequality and older people'
Professor Tine Buffel (Sociology), Professor Christopher Phillipson (Sociology) and other MUARG colleagues - Faculty of Humanities
This project highlights the impact of COVID-19 on older people across the region, especially in relation to declining social contact and feelings of mental and physical deterioration. The research identified gaps in service provision for older people arising from the pandemic, in particular groups from minority ethnic communities, people self-identifying as LGTBQ+ , and those at risk of social isolation from low incomes or poor health.
Paul McGarry, Head of Greater Manchester Ageing Hub, has been recognised by the UN Decade of Health Ageing as one of 50 leaders in the field of Health Ageing. The initiate names and honours 50 leaders who have contributed to fostering healthy ageing in their respective area of work.
Sophie Yarker, Deputy Director of MUARG has won Research Staff of the Year in the Faculty of Humanities in the University of Manchester’s Research Staff Excellence Awards 2021/22.
Contributing to sustainable development
Listen to Dr Tine Buffel explain how our research contributes to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
