Content area
Full Text
Introduction
Rapid ageing and urbanisation, as two historically significant demographic shifts, have exhibited global influence since the beginning of the 21st century. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that approximately one million people turn 60 every month worldwide (WHO, 2019b). More than 20 per cent of the global population is predicted to be 60 years old or above by 2050 (United Nations et al., 2017). Thus, age-friendly cities and communities (AFCCs) with policies, services and structures that are designed to support senior citizens in their daily lives are increasingly needed. Given that major urban centres have social and economic resources to make cities more age-friendly and can set examples for other cities to follow, together with the fact that three-quarters of older persons live in cities in the developed world, making cities age-friendly is one of the most effective approaches in response to the rapid demographic ageing (WHO, 2019b).
The concept of AFCCs can be tracked to the WHO's Active Ageing Framework in 2002, which served as a model to guide the process of developing AFCCs (WHO, 2007a). In the academic field, Kendig (2003) first mentioned that ‘advancing age-friendly societies’ is one of the objectives to develop environmental gerontology. In 2007, the WHO developed the Vancouver Protocol after hosting focus group discussions in 33 developed and developing cities across the world. Eight major areas, namely housing, transportation, outdoor spaces and buildings, community support and health services, communication and information, civic participation and employment, respect and social inclusion, and social participation (WHO, 2007a, 2007b), were outlined for municipalities to assess the age-friendliness of cities; initial checklists related to each area were also created in the Vancouver Protocol (WHO, 2007b).
Globally, numerous efforts have been exerted to promote AFCCs, which are consistent with important global strategic shifts, particularly in the past five years (Figure 1). Aiming at engaging as many cities as possible to make their communities more age-friendly, the Global Age-friendly Cities project focusing on ‘lived’ experience of senior citizens was carried out (WHO, 2019b). As a method to connect cities, communities and organisations worldwide, the WHO Global Network for Age-friendly Cities and Communities (Global Network for AFCCs) was established...