Invecchiare soli: combattere l'isolamento tramite il diritto alla città

The ageing population and the loneliness spread among the elderly pose sustainability challenges to governments and local welfare. The paper explores the link between living alone, loneliness, social isolation and the right to the city, focusing on autonomous elderly people. The research is conducted in two neighborhoods of Bologna, combining semi-structured interviews and Social Network Analysis. The results highlight the meanings of living alone and the obstacles to the right to the city that reshape the urban geography of the elderly. Eventually, the article reflects on the promotion of a preventive and capacitating welfare approach that enhances the condition of autonomy, mobility and sociability of the elderly and, at the same time, builds formal and informal support networks to be activated in the future.