Joana Salles

I am a PhD candidate in Sociology (2021-2024) working within the Manchester Institute for Collaborative Research on Ageing (MICRA) and the Manchester Urban Ageing Research Group (MUARG). My research project explores the subjective experiences of older people living in gentrifying neighbourhoods in Manchester and Brussels. Drawing on theories of spatial justice and the right to the city, I am looking at how older people can build and maintain their sense of place attachment in urban environments by being involved in the development and management of the urban commons. Using audio-visual and co-production research methods, I aim to provide a platform for marginalised voices, especially those of older people living on a low-income and from minoritised ethnic communities. I also hope to offer new modes of representation as well as inform community and policy initiatives.

My PhD is part of the Urbanisation and Population Ageing: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Understanding 'Ageing in Place' project, funded by the Leverhulme Trust (PI: Dr. Tine Buffel)

I graduated from the University of Manchester with a BAEcon in Economics and Social Sciences in 2018 and a MA in Visual Anthropology at the Granada Centre for Visual Anthropology in 2020.

My main research interests focus on urban change, the exploration of place in relation to ageing, community leadership and resilience. I am also interested in creative research methods such as filmmaking and other audio-visual mediums as a means of co-producing and sharing knowledge. 

For my masters thesis, I worked with a community-led group of older residents living in Hulme, a gentrifying neighbourhood of Manchester, who used creative writing to build resilience and become agents of social change. With my PhD, I hope to explore these themes further and develop an understanding of the processes behind decision-making in cities. I also discuss the role of alternatives modes of governance and ownership to understand how we can build more just, sustainable and diverse cities.