Technology-Supported Living and Aging in Place in a Smart Neighborhood: A Multi-level Qualitative Analysis of Success Factors and Barriers
摘要
Population aging and the growing desire for independence in later life increase pressure on health and social care systems and heighten the need for socio-technical solutions that enable healthy living and aging in place. While Ambient Assisted Living (AAL), smart-home technologies, and digital health services are widely discussed as promising approaches, empirical evidence remains largely confined to pilot settings and often reflects only a single stakeholder perspective. Addressing this gap, this paper examines the implementation of socio-technical solutions in an inhabited smart neighborhood. It investigates (RQ1) which success factors and barriers different stakeholder groups identify regarding implementation of socio-technical solutions in a smart neighborhood and (RQ2) how do these success factors and barriers differ across stakeholder groups. Data from semi-structured interviews, focus groups and document analysis were examined using thematic analysis. Results reveal a clear cross-level asymmetry. Macro-level actors emphasize innovation, transferability, and system transformation. Micro-level actors engage pragmatically, prioritizing usability, perceived usefulness, and privacy. Meso-level actors perform the translation work between these domains. Facilitation, spatial infrastructures, and on-site support prove more decisive for stabilizing use than technological sophistication alone. Success factors at one level frequently coexist with barriers at another. By conceptualizing the smart neighborhood as a socio-technical system shaped by cross-level tensions, the study challenges technology-centric narratives of digital aging and highlights the central role of meso-level alignment in bridging strategic ambition and lived experience.