Finland is an aging nation, with a declining birth rate and a proportionally increasing number of elderly people, challenging the welfare state's sustainability and service structure. Additionally, the loneliness and vulnerability experienced by the elderly have increased. At the same time, people around the world are fleeing war, hunger, persecution, and other life-threatening situations, with some of them ending up in Finland as refugees. However, integration and employment in Finland can be challenging for them.
Third Space - My diploma thesis delves into these complex problems with bold questions: Could we bring the elderly and refugees together to form a housing community in which each person's challenges and strengths would create a unique holistic combination? The thesis focuses on what a fruitful environment for this would look like and how it could be made accessible for people in vulnerable positions?
Read short version in English here
Full work here in Finnish
