As the previous chapter has shown, gerontological theories are deeply embedded in the temporal and spatial regimes in which they operate and consequently they reflect the dominant time-spaces of their own historical locations. However, as key writers such as Giddens, Appadurai and Beck note, we are in the midst of a relatively long process of the re-spatialisation of the social, political, cultural and economic spheres. An important dimension of this has been a shift away from the national time-space operating as the dominant spatial logic (Giddens 1991b, Smart 1992, Appadurai 1996, Beck 1999). This has also brought about a reorganisation of the temporal and spatial coordinates of later life. Consequently, gerontological theories that explain ageing and later life in relation to national frameworks need to be reassessed. This is particularly important given that gerontology has yet to address the nature and form of this new world order. Chris Phillipson notes:

Our aim in this chapter is to address this challenge and to contribute to the growing academic interest in the spatial relations of ageing and later life. Interest in environmental or geographical gerontology has grown apace over the past two decades. This has produced a range of work from retirement migration (Warnes et al 1999, King et al 2000, Warnes 2006), residential arrangements (McHugh 2000a, McHugh and Larson- Keagy 2005, Peace et al 2007) and the use of domestic space (Percival 2002). Up until the mid-1990s, however, the focus was very empirical. While this was important for exposing inequalities between older people in different places, the relative dearth of theoretical engagement was additionally problematic. From the mid-1990s onwards there were calls for more engagement with the cultural turn and for more critical analyses of the impact of geographical perspectives on our theories of ageing. In their review of the field Harper and Laws (1995: 200) identified two key areas that required investigation:

‘… the age variable itself, its social and spatial construction … and, secondly, the geographical implication of the ageing of all societies’.