Mapping Caregiving Support Places: Developing a Taxonomy for Sustainable and Inclusive Cities

Abstract

Urban environments often overlook the spatial needs of caregivers, despite their essential role in sustaining social and economic well-being. The increasing demand for care services in the European Union, particularly in Spain, highlights the need for integrated urban planning approaches that prioritise accessible and inclusive caregiving spaces. By framing caregiving as a pillar of sustainable and inclusive urban communities, this research identifies a critical gap between theory and practice in recognising caregiving needs in the urban fabric. To address this, a conceptual review methodology was employed to synthesise academic and policy perspectives, enabling the development of a Caregiving Place Taxonomy, grounded in theory and applicable to spatial diagnostics. Digital data tools—particularly Google Places—were used to enable reproducible and granular urban mapping. This framework is applied in a pilot study in Alicante (Spain), revealing mismatches between care-related infrastructure and caregiving mobility patterns. The findings underline the need for policy interventions that consider the spatial dimension of care work, offering a diagnostic tool for designing inclusive cities.This research has been funded by the University of Alicante (UAFPU2021-52) and the Institute of Education Sciences (ICE) within the scope of the Research Networks Program in University Teaching (2024), ref. 6292 and ref. 6200