Professor Emeritus
Focus Areas
Areas of Specialization
- Gerontology
- Quality of life of older people
- Housing, neighborhood, and community needs of the U.S. older population
- Strengths and weaknesses of alternative shelter and care settings
- Transportation problems and behaviors of older persons
Educational Background
- PhD, University of Washington, 1972
- M.A., University of Toronto, 1969
- B.A., University of Toronto, 1968
In My Own Words
Stephen Golant, Ph.D., a gerontologist and geographer, is a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Geography at the University of Florida. Previously, he was a faculty member in the Committee on Human Development (Department of Behavioral Sciences) and in the Department of Geography at the University of Chicago (1972 – 1980). He received his Ph.D. in social geography and social gerontology from the University of Washington and his B.A. and M.A. degrees in geography from the University of Toronto.
Dr. Golant has been conducting research on the housing, mobility, transportation, and long-term care needs of older adult populations for most of his academic career. He is a Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America and a Fulbright Senior Scholar award recipient. In 2012 he received the Richard M. Kalish award from the Gerontological Society of America in recognition of his insightful and innovative publications on aging and life development in the behavioral and social sciences. This was for his article: “The Quest for Residential Normalcy by Older Adults: Relocation but one Pathway”. The print and internet media have often featured his research and ideas and he has appeared on numerous television and radio programs.
Dr. Golant served on the editorial boards of the Journal of Aging Studies, Research on Aging, Journal of Housing for the Elderly, Seniors Housing & Care Journal, and The Gerontologist. He was formerly Secretary-Treasurer of the Behavioral and Social Sciences Section of the Gerontological Society of America, and Editor-in-Chief of the magazine, Responses to an Aging Florida, published by the Florida Council on Aging.
He is frequently called on by corporations, universities, state government agencies, and national organizations as a lecturer or an adviser and he earlier served as a consultant to the Congressionally appointed Commission on Affordable Housing and Health Facility Needs for Seniors in the 21st Century (Seniors Commission). The Seniors Commission was a bipartisan 14- member panel created by an act of Congress to study the housing and health care needs for the next generation of elderly Americans and to offer specific policy and legislative recommendations to the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.
Recent Publications
Golant, S. M. (2024). Aging in the right places and older people’s adoption of gerontechnology solutions. In Handbook on Aging and Place (pp. 329-350). Edward Elgar Publishing.
Golant, S. M. (2024). Dwellings occupied by mobility-limited older people emerge as strong control centers and more age-friendly places. Journal of Aging Studies, 70, 101245.
Golant, S. M. (2020). The distance to death perceptions of older adults explain why they age in place: A theoretical examination. Journal of Aging Studies, 54, 100863.
Golant, S. M. (2019). Stop bashing the suburbs: Mobility limitations of older residents are less relevant as connectivity options expand. Journal of Aging Studies, 50, 100793.
Golant, S. M. (2017). A theoretical model to explain the smart technology adoption behaviors of elder consumers (Elderadopt). Journal of Aging Studies, 42, 56-73.
Golant, S. M. (2015). Residential normalcy and the aging in place behaviors of older Americans. Progress in Geography, 34(12), 1535-1557.