Past events
The Manchester Urban Ageing Research Group (MUARG) brings together older people, community organisations, researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to exchange ideas and explore how cities and communities can support people to age well.
Our events include the MUARG Conversation Series, public seminars, workshops, exhibitions, conferences, and collaborative activities led with partners in Manchester and internationally.
Through these events, we create opportunities to share research, learn from lived experience, develop new collaborations, and connect evidence with policy and practice.
Celebrating ten years of MUARG
In April 2026, MUARG marked its tenth anniversary with a special event bringing together the people and organisations who have shaped the group’s work over the past decade. Older people, community partners, researchers, policymakers, and practitioners joined us for a day of creative workshops, discussion, reflection, and shared learning.
The event also saw the launch of Collaborative Research for Ageing in Place: Stories of Co-Production in Practice, a collection sharing experiences of researchers and communities working together across different places and projects. The celebration provided an opportunity to reflect on ten years of collaboration and to help shape the next stage of MUARG’s research and partnerships together.
Past MUARG events
2026
- 11 July 2026: Uncertain Futures Workshop: Work, Unpaid Care, and Inequalities in Later Life, with the Uncertain Futures project team, The Coming of Age Symposium, Wellcome Collection, London.
- 10 July 2026: Uncertain Futures Roundtable, with the Uncertain Futures project team, researchers, third-sector organisations, and representatives from the pensions and retirement sector, London.
- 7 July 2026: Research Café: Housing with Care and Creativity with Older LGBTQ People, with Dharman Jeyasingham and Luciana Lang (University of Manchester), Manchester Museum, Manchester.
- 25 June 2026: Symposium: Later-Life Inequalities in Motion: Navigating Migration, Care, Belonging and Digitalisation Among Chinese Older Adults, with Nan Zhang (University of Manchester), British Society of Gerontology (BSG) Annual Conference, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford.
- 24–26 June 2026: Symposium: Participatory Research to Promote Equality in Policy and Practice, chaired by Sarah Wilkinson (Centre for Ageing Better), British Society of Gerontology (BSG) Annual Conference, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford.
- 24–26 June 2026: Launch of the Network for Ethnicity, Migration and Ageing (NEMA), with Sarah Wilkinson (Centre for Ageing Better), Mengxing Ji, and Rohini Sharma Joshi, facilitated by Emily Bradfield, British Society of Gerontology (BSG) Annual Conference, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford.
- 24–26 June 2026: Beyond Basic Demographics: Why LGBTQ+ Invisibility in Datasets Matters, with Sarah Wilkinson (Centre for Ageing Better), British Society of Gerontology (BSG) Annual Conference, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford.
- 23 June 2026: Urban Ageing in the Margins: Global Perspectives, with Jarmin Yeh (University of California, San Francisco, USA), Atiya Mahmood (Simon Fraser University, Canada), Christine Bailey-Catalán (Universidad de Playa Ancha, Chile), Laurent Reyes (University of California, Berkeley, USA), Habib Chaudhury (Simon Fraser University, Canada), and Ngaire Kerse (University of Auckland, New Zealand), in collaboration with Healthier Futures, University of Manchester, Manchester.
- 18 June 2026: Plenary 6: Vision – Looking Ahead, co-moderated by Paul McGarry (Greater Manchester Ageing Hub), 3rd World Congress of Age Friendly Cities and Communities, Kursaal Conference Centre and Auditorium, Donostia / San Sebastián, Spain.
- 16 June 2026: Age-Friendly Cities and Spatial Justice: Insights from Seven International Case Study Cities, with Tine Buffel (University of Manchester), 3rd World Congress of Age Friendly Cities and Communities, Kursaal Conference Centre and Auditorium, Donostia / San Sebastián, Spain.
- 16 June 2026: Age-Friendly Cities and Forced Displacement, with Tess Hartland (University of Manchester), 3rd World Congress of Age Friendly Cities and Communities, Kursaal Conference Centre and Auditorium, Donostia / San Sebastián, Spain.
- 16 June 2026: Working with Older People to Shape Age-Friendly Policies and Programmes: Insights from a Seven-City Study, with Patty Doran (University of Manchester), 3rd World Congress of Age Friendly Cities and Communities, Kursaal Conference Centre and Auditorium, Donostia / San Sebastián, Spain.
- 15 June 2026: Pre-Congress Workshop: Shaping the Global Age-Friendly Futures Research Network, with Patty Doran (University of Manchester), 3rd World Congress of Age Friendly Cities and Communities, Kursaal Conference Centre and Auditorium, Donostia / San Sebastián, Spain.
- 16–18 June 2026: 3rd World Congress of Age Friendly Cities and Communities: Transforming Together! A Connected, Equitable and Sustainable Age-Friendly World for All Generations, with contributions from Patty Doran, Tine Buffel, Tess Hartland, and Paul McGarry, Kursaal Conference Centre and Auditorium, Donostia / San Sebastián, Spain.
- 28 April 2026: Celebrating Ten Years of MUARG: Urban Ageing Research and Action, delivered by the Manchester Urban Ageing Research Group (MUARG), St Thomas Centre, Manchester.
- 23 April 2026: Vivensa Academy Team Achievement Award Presentation, presented to the Manchester Urban Ageing Research Group (MUARG), with Tine Buffel, Niamh Kavanagh, and Elaine Unegbu, Vivensa Foundation Annual Symposium, IET London: Savoy Place, London.
- 23 April 2026: Research Café: Religion, Culture and Community, with Luciana Lang (University of Manchester), Manchester Museum, Manchester.
- 26 March–29 November 2026: The Coming of Age, featuring Uncertain Futures by Suzanne Lacy, Wellcome Collection, London.
- 25 February 2026: MUARG Conversation Series: Disobedient Buildings: An Ethnography of Ageing Bodies in Ageing Buildings, with Inge Daniels (University of Oxford), chaired by Amy Barron (University of Manchester), University of Manchester, Manchester.
- 13 January 2026: MUARG Conversation Series: Experiences of Urban Redevelopment, Community, and Belonging in Later Life, with Felicia F. Tian (Fudan University, China) and Camilla Lewis (University of Manchester), chaired by Jingwen Zhang (University of Manchester), Online via Microsoft Teams.
2025
- 26 November 2025: Engagement@Manchester: Collaborative Practice, with Niamh Kavanagh (University of Manchester) and Tina Cribbin, University of Manchester, Manchester.
- 25 November 2025: Conversation Series: Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORCs), with Catherine Donnelly (Queen’s University, Canada), Niamh Kavanagh (University of Manchester), and Mark Hammond (Manchester School of Architecture), University of Manchester, Manchester.
- 5 November 2025: Hulme Nannas’ Exhibition of (In)Visibility, Community and Urban Change, with Niamh Kavanagh (University of Manchester) and Tina Cribbin, ESRC Festival of Social Science, University of Manchester, Manchester.
- 9 September 2025: MUARG Conversation Series: Travel and Zero-Vehicle Households Among Older Americans, with Shengxiao (Alex) Li (National University of Singapore, Singapore), in collaboration with Manchester Urban Institute (MUI), University of Manchester, Manchester.
- 27 June 2025: Symposium: Ageing in Place in Changing Cities: Spatial Justice, Community, and Identity, with Tine Buffel, Linda Naughton, Joana Salles, Rujin Wang, and Luise Stoisser, British Society of Gerontology (BSG) Annual Conference, University of Surrey, Guildford.
- 26 June 2025: Symposium: Co-creating Inclusive Research with Older People: Applying Authentic Participatory Approaches, with Tine Buffel, British Society of Gerontology (BSG) Annual Conference, University of Surrey, Guildford.
- 26 June 2025: Symposium: Precarious Lives, Powerful Voices: The Multiple Roles and Agency of Older People, with Tine Buffel, Philippa Winship, Tess Hartland, and Patty Doran, British Society of Gerontology (BSG) Annual Conference, University of Surrey, Guildford.
- 26 June 2025: Symposium: Ageing in Low-Income Neighbourhoods: Experiences and Interventions, with Christopher Phillipson, Marion Repetti, Camilla Lewis, Niamh Kavanagh, Stefan White, and Paul McGarry, British Society of Gerontology (BSG) Annual Conference, University of Surrey, Guildford.
- 26 June 2025: Everyday Digital Transformation in the Lives of Older People with Cognitive Impairment, with James Fletcher, British Society of Gerontology (BSG) Annual Conference, University of Surrey, Guildford.
- 26 June 2025: Book Launch — Civic Engagement in Later Life, with Christopher Phillipson, British Society of Gerontology (BSG) Annual Conference, University of Surrey, Guildford.
- 26 June 2025: Cultural Gerontology, Globalisation, and Political Economy: Developing a New Framework for Critical Gerontology, with Christopher Phillipson, British Society of Gerontology (BSG) Annual Conference, University of Surrey, Guildford.
- 23 June 2025: The Northern Health Science Alliance (NHSA) Report Parliamentary Launch, with Anna Dixon MP, House of Commons, London.
- 11–24 June 2025: IN-CITU Exhibition, with James Fletcher, Brunel Square, Bath.
- 5–6 June 2025: Keynote Address: Reimagining Age-Friendly Communities: International Perspectives on Research, Policy, and Practice, with Tine Buffel (University of Manchester), John K. Friesen Conference 2025, Simon Fraser University, British Columbia, Canada.
- 27 May 2025: Our Work at the Manchester Urban Ageing Research Group (MUARG), with Tine Buffel, University of St Andrews, St Andrews.
- 14 May 2025: Age-Friendly Cities and Spatial Justice: Advancing Inclusive Urban Environments for Healthy Ageing, Research Seminar Series 2024/25, with Tine Buffel, PolyU Design, Hong Kong and Online via Zoom.
- 1 May 2025: MUARG Conversation Series: Inclusive Design: Planning the Future of Housing and Tackling Stigma, with Vikki McCall (University of Stirling), University of Manchester, Manchester.
- 28 March 2025: MUARG Work in Progress Spring Session, with Luise Stoisser (Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium, and University of Manchester), University of Manchester, Manchester.
- 26 March 2025: Building Leadership Through Cross-System Collaboration, with Paul McGarry, Tine Buffel, and Stefan White, Age-Friendly Futures Summit, Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, Manchester.
- 26 March 2025: Creating Age-Friendly Homes: Research, Policy, and Practice, with Mark Hammond, Age-Friendly Futures Summit, Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, Manchester.
- 26 March 2025: Stronger Together: Uniting Community, Clinical, and Care for Falls Prevention, with Beth Mitchell, Age-Friendly Futures Summit, Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, Manchester.
- 25 March 2025: Plenary panel: Advancing Spatial Justice in Age-Friendly Work, with Paul McGarry, Stefan White, and Tine Buffel, Age-Friendly Futures Summit, Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, Manchester.
- 25 March 2025: Panel: Future age-friendly cities: Towards Sustainable and Just Urban Ageing, with Mark Hammond and Judith Phillips, Age-Friendly Futures Summit, Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, Manchester.
- 25 March 2025: Panel: Co-Creating Inclusive Age-Friendly Cities: Research Across Disciplines and Sectors, with Stefan White and Niamh Kavanagh, Age-Friendly Futures Summit, Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, Manchester.
- 25 March 2025: Age-Friendly Futures Summit Opening, with Paul McGarry, Age-Friendly Futures Summit, Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, Manchester.
- 25–27 March 2025: Age-Friendly Futures Summit, delivered in partnership by University of Manchester, Centre for Ageing Better (CfAB), World Health Organization (WHO), Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), and Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU), Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, Manchester.
- 19 March 2025: Collyhurst Voices: Community Perspectives on Urban Regeneration, with Philippa Winship, in collaboration with Manchester Urban Film Series, International Anthony Burgess Foundation, Manchester.
- 18 March 2025: The Family and Community Life of Older People in Urban Areas: From Local to Transnational Networks, with Christopher Phillipson, University of Southampton, Southampton, and Online via Teams.
- 5 March 2025: MUARG Conversation Series: Back to the Future: Reconceptualising Environments of Ageing, with Judith Phillips (University of Stirling and University of Manchester), University of Manchester, Manchester.
- 26 February 2025: An Introduction to Participatory Theatre Methods for Social and Legislative Change, with Linda Naughton (University of Manchester), University of Manchester, Manchester.
- 12 February 2025: MUARG Conversation Series: Civic Engagement among Foreign-Born Older Adults in Europe, with Sandra Torres (Uppsala University, Sweden), University of Manchester, Manchester.
- 11 February 2025: Publishing in High Impact Ageing Journals, with Sandra Torres (Uppsala University, Sweden), University of Manchester, Manchester.
Pre-2025
- 5 December 2024: Equity in Community-Centered Models for Ageing: A Virtual Summit, with Tine Buffel (University of Manchester), Emily A. Greenfield and Clara J. Scher (Rutgers University, USA), and Jarmin Yeh (University of California, San Francisco, USA), with Tam E. Perry (Wayne State University, USA) as discussant, Online.
- 21 October 2024: ‘Connecting Through Culture as We Age’: Digital Creative Citizenship, with Helen Manchester (University of Bristol), University of Manchester, Manchester.
- 11 September 2024: Ethical Issues in Age-Friendly Community-Building and Co-Creation, with Barbara Groot-Sluijsmans (VU Amsterdam, Netherlands) and Vanessa Burholt (University of Auckland, New Zealand), chaired by Patty Doran (University of Manchester), University of Manchester, Manchester.
- 7 March 2024–16 February 2025: Uncertain Futures Art Exhibition: Stories of Women, Work and Uncertain Futures, Manchester Art Gallery, Manchester.
- March 2024: A Conversation on Urban Ageing and Brain Health, with Jessica Finlay (University of Colorado Boulder, USA), chaired by James Fletcher (University of Manchester), Online.
- March 2024: A Conversation on Creative Ageing and Theatre, with MaoHui Deng (University of Manchester) and Andy Barry (Royal Exchange Theatre), University of Manchester, Manchester.
- 6 December 2023: Conversations on Urban Ageing, Ethnicity and COVID-19, with Dharmi Kapadia and Christopher Phillipson (University of Manchester), chaired by Patty Doran (University of Manchester), in collaboration with the Centre on Dynamics of Ethnicity (CoDE).
- 1 November 2023: Conversations on Urban Ageing and the Cost of Living Crisis, with Camilla Lewis (University of Manchester), Sarah Wilkinson (Centre for Ageing Better), and Atiha Chaudry, chaired by Sophie Yarker (University of Manchester), in partnership with Manchester School of Architecture and Centre for Ageing Better, University of Manchester, Manchester.
- 10 October 2023: Conversations on Urban Ageing and Sustainable Cities, with Jenny Fisher and James Evans, chaired by Tine Buffel (University of Manchester), in collaboration with Manchester Urban Institute (MUI), University of Manchester, Manchester.
- 4 July 2023: Dismantling and Rebuilding Praxis for Age-Friendly Cities and Communities: Toward an Emancipatory Approach, with Jarmin Yeh (University of California, San Francisco, USA), University of Manchester, Manchester.
- 14 June 2023: Conversations on Urban Ageing and Inclusivity in Manchester’s Rave Scene, with Helen Holmes (University of Manchester), chaired by James Fletcher (University of Manchester), in collaboration with the Morgan Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester, and Online via Zoom.
- 7 February 2023: Conversations on Urban Ageing and Alternative Housing Futures, with Rose Gilroy (Newcastle University), chaired by Mark Hammond, in collaboration with Manchester School of Architecture, University of Manchester, Manchester.
- September 2022–March 2023: Uncertain Futures: The Process, with Suzanne Lacy and the Uncertain Futures project team, Manchester Art Gallery, Manchester.
- 7 June 2022: Conversations on Urban Ageing and Structural Racism, with Dharmi Kapadia (University of Manchester) and Atiha Chaudry, chaired by James Nazroo (University of Manchester).
- 5 April 2022: Conversations on Urban Ageing and Urban Mobility, with Wilbert den Hoed (Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Spain) and Carol Kachadoorian (dblTilde Collaboration, USA).
- 15 February 2022: Conversations on Urban Ageing and Spatial Justice, with Sheila Peace (Open University) and Jarmin Yeh (University of California, San Francisco, USA).
- 23 November 2021: Conversations on Urban Ageing and Social Infrastructure, with Sophie Yarker (University of Manchester) and Paul McGarry (Greater Manchester Combined Authority).
- 19 October 2021: Conversations on Urban Ageing and Co-production, with Liesbeth de Donder (Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium) and Mo Ray (University of Lincoln).
- 24 June 2021–1 May 2022: Suzanne Lacy: Cleaning Conditions and Uncertain Futures, with Suzanne Lacy and the Uncertain Futures project team, Manchester Art Gallery, Manchester.
