Silverscapes:Inclusive Urban Design for Aging Well
Malak Mehta
Tautvydas Bokmota is a researcher with a background in geography, spatial planning, and heritage conservation. In the Silverscapes project, he leads fieldwork in Lithuania, using photovoice and walking interviews with older adults to co-design age-friendly environments. His work has been published in journals such as the Lithuanian Journal of Geology and Geography and the Lithuanian Journal of Landscape Architecture. He has presented at OpenLab.brussels (ULB–VUB, Brussels, BE), the 3rd World Conference on Sustainability, Energy and Environment (Berlin, DE), the International Research-Practical Conference on Innovative Solutions in Education (Vilnius, LT), and the UNLEASH Innovation Lab for the SDGs (Kigali, RW). At The Critical, he works as a senior researcher and project manager, coordinating international projects and applying participatory and visual methods to explore sustainability, public space, and inclusive urban design.
Malak Mehta is an architectural researcher and designer passionate about creating spaces that foster well-being and connection. As founder of The Mindful Scapes (TMS), a WELL AP, and a mindfulness coach, she integrates environmental psychology, health-oriented design, and contemplative practices to shape environments that support individual and collective wellbeing. Her interdisciplinary work spans public spaces, interiors, architecture concepts and interactive installations centered on how people connect to their surroundings. As a fellow at the Centre for Conscious Design, she has published articles and contributed to the Conscious Cities Festival (Lima, Peru). She has also presented participatory, interactive exhibits at platforms such as Dutch Design Week (Eindhoven, NL). Drawing on extensive prior research, she leads the conceptual design of Silverscapes, translating evidence-based insights into inclusive spatial interventions that support the wellbeing of older adults.
Silverscapes is a research and design initiative that addresses one of the most urgent yet underexplored challenges in urban spatial culture: how to ensure that cities are inclusive and supportive environments for their aging populations. Initiated by Tautvydas Bokmota (The Critical, Lithuania) and Malak Mehta (The Mindful Scapes, the Netherlands), the project responds to the pressing need for age-friendly public spaces in Vilnius, where elderly residents often experience isolation, limited mobility, and a lack of spatial engagement. Drawing on Dutch best practices and grounded in placemaking, environmental psychology, and participatory design, Silverscapes seeks to co-create public space concepts with seniors, not merely for them.
We initiated the project after identifying a critical gap in Lithuania’s urban development - public spaces often remain inaccessible or irrelevant to older adults. By bringing together interdisciplinary knowledge and fostering cross-cultural exchange, we aim to create design guidelines that are both research-based and context-sensitive. The project unfolds through desk research, focus groups, visual methods (e.g., photovoice), and iterative co-design sessions in three Vilnius districts: Justiniškės, Šeškinė, and Lazdynai.
What makes Silverscapes most impactful is its dual emphasis on lived experience and systemic change. We view spatial culture not only as form and function but as a social contract - one that should reflect care, intergenerational solidarity, and community resilience. The outcomes include three site-specific design concepts, a public resource booklet, and a proposal submitted to Vilnius’ participatory budget programme.
Silverscapes evolve as both a model and a catalyst - encouraging municipalities, designers, and citizens to rethink urban aging not as a problem to fix, but as an opportunity to build more just, joyful, and inclusive cities.