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13 January 2026

The Concept of Multifunctional Social Spaces as a High-Quality Intergenerational Premise: Sustainable Environmental Education Impetus

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1
Department of Metrology, Instrumentation and Quality Management, Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University (Saint Petersburg Mining University), 199106 St. Petersburg, Russia
2
Department of Russian Policy, Saint Petersburg State University, 191124 St. Petersburg, Russia
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This article belongs to the Special Issue Adapting Education for a Changing Environment and Sustainable Development

Abstract

This study suggests the concept of multifunctional social spaces (MSSs) as intergenerational communication platforms, contributing to SDG achievement and environment awareness in local communities. Retirees could perform socially significant practices via local MSS premises supported by municipalities and initiative groups. The basic social vector of an MSS is supposed to produce a synergy effect with the educational and environmental impetus of the Sustainable Environmental Education (SEE) approach. Lifelong education underlies the process of adapting various age groups to different local spaces, namely metropolis, suburb, or rural areas. Test qualitative interviews were conducted with pensioners and young people to discover attitudes towards MSS-prescribed functions within different reference groups. These interviews helped to define the preferred communication instruments for MSS operation. General types of MSSs were classified based on mini case studies. MSS introduction is supposed to influence basic social indices such as population health, life expectancy, and fertility levels in the long term, and support several environmental awareness markers. Future studies could examine such influences in detail and discuss more national and regional specifics. Municipal and regional authorities, as well as local community leaders, could use the results of this study to consider local development, SDG strategies, and roadmaps.

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