Monday, October 1, 2007

[EQ] Global Age-friendly Cities: A Guide

     

Global Age-friendly Cities: A Guide

World Health Organization, WHO, October 2007

Available online as PDF file [82p.] at:  http://www.who.int/ageing/publications/Global_age_friendly_cities_Guide_English.pdf

LONDON/GENEVA -- WHO today releases the first guide on age-friendly cities. The guide, which is based on consultations with older people in 33 cities in 22 countries, has identified the key physical, social and services attributes of age-friendly urban settings. Istanbul, London, Melbourne, Mexico City, Moscow, Nairobi, New Delhi, New York, Rio de Janeiro, Shanghai, and Tokyo were part of the consultation along with many other regional centres and towns.

Aimed at urban planners

The guide is aimed primarily at urban planners, but older citizens can use it to monitor progress towards more age-friendly cities. At its heart is a checklist of age-friendly features. For example, an age-friendly city has sufficient public benches that are well-situated, well-maintained and safe, as well as sufficient public toilets that are clean, secure, accessible by people with disabilities and well-indicated. Other key features of an age-friendly city include:

  • well-maintained and well-lit sidewalks;
  • public buildings that are fully accessible to people with disabilities;
  • city bus drivers who wait until older people are seated before starting off and priority seating on buses;
  • enough reserved parking spots for people with disabilities;
  • housing integrated in the community that accommodates changing needs and abilities as people grow older;
  • friendly, personalized service and information instead of automated answering services;
  • easy-to-read written information in plain language;
  • public and commercial services and stores in neighbourhoods close to where people live, rather than concentrated outside the city; and
  • a civic culture that respects and includes older persons.

The growing proportion of older people in our population is an established trend. Their share in the global population is predicted to double from 11% in 2006 to 22% in 2050. At the same time, our world is growing increasingly urban: as of 2007, more than half of the global population are urban dwellers and by 2030 about three out of every five people in the world are expected to live in cities.

These trends are occurring at a much faster rate in the developing world: currently, the number of older people in developing countries is about twice the number in developed countries. By 2050, some 80% of the older people will be living in less developed regions.

Content:

Introduction
Part 1. Global ageing and urbanization: meeting the challenge of  humanity’s success
Part 2. Active ageing: a framework for age-friendly cities
Part 3. How the Guide was developed
Part 4. How to use the Guide
Part 5. Outdoor spaces and buildings
Part 6. Transportation
Part 7. Housing
Part 8. Social participation
Part 9. Respect and social inclusion
Part 10. Civic participation and employment
Part 11. Communication and information
Part 12. Community support and health services
Part 13. Wrapping up and moving forward
References

 

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