The Challenges of Urban Ageing: Making Cities Age-Friendly in Europe
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. The City as an Ideal Place for Older People?
3. Shaping Age-Friendly Cities
4. Building Friendly Places and Inclusive Neighbourhoods for an Ageing Population
5. Technology as a Solution for Urban Ageing?
6. Age-Friendly Cities: Examples from the Netherlands and Poland
7. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Conflicts of Interest
References
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The Netherlands (The Hague) | Poland (Cracow) |
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Social Participation | |
Older people are stimulated to participate in activities, which are affordable. Community centres are run in each neighbourhood. Restaurants in various neighbourhood are made accessible for older people and tuned to their needs. There is extensive collaboration between theatres, care organisations, sports organisations and the municipality in organising activities for seniors. The municipality established a knowledge centre for benefiting from peer knowledge and skills, set up meeting places for meeting with neighbours, and initiated programmes to fight loneliness. Some of the public parks have gym equipment for older people. | There are newly-established so-called Centers of Senior Activities in which persons over 60+ can meet on weekdays for various activities. The Centers need to be opened for at least 4 h per day, are financed from the city’s budget (seniors pay just about 1 € as a membership fee per month). Social participation is also possible via other formal and informal programmes, groups organised by non-governmental organisations, senior clubs, Universities of the Third Age etc. In order to promote the participation of older citizens, there are opportunities to visit museums, theatres, and concert halls for free or at a reduced rate. |
Continues on next page Communication and information | |
The municipality is generating familiarity with the use of modern media and the supply of services through these new media. There are practical solutions for older people who do not use the Internet (yet), including Q&A services for older people in community centres, for instance, supplied by students. Libraries offer courses in the use of computers and tablet computers to older people. All public information for older people is written understandably and, in an age-friendly font. | The communication between and for seniors in Cracow is taking place in various ways like: the government website [94], seminars, information points in locations of the Centers of Seniors Activity and a special issue once per week in local newspapers. There is also an increasing group of seniors using new communication technologies. One of the first free programmes in Poland for increasing ICT competences/skills for seniors has been running in the Regional Library in Cracow (The School of Active Senior with the Polish-German Association). |
Civic participation and employment | |
There is a system of reimbursement of costs when engaging in volunteering activities. The municipality has a stimulus package for increased chances for older people on the labour market. Since the 1980s, The Hague has a structure for the participation of older people in decision making on a municipal level named Stedelijke Ouderen Commissie or Urban Commission Older People. There are various municipal programmes for smart home technologies, and official support groups for informal carers to exchange experiences and get mental support. There are entrepreneurial programmes for older people set up in the municipality of The Hague. One of them is Ouwe Koek, which is a baking programme for older people. The baked products, including biscuits, are sold by volunteers and the money is used for leisurely activities and other programmes. | The great achievement in engaging the older persons in being active citizens was a possibility to establish at the city level so called Seniors’ Councils (Gminne Rady Seniorów) being voluntary, advisory and consultation group of older citizens which do not have a right to vote but to suggest to local policymakers/politicians what is the most urgent to solve. In Cracow there is such a body established, and together with others Councils it created an umbrella organisation called the Coalition of Seniors Councils, in order to be more representative at national level. Also, in Cracow the citizens can vote for the project which is then requested to be financed (Budżety Obywatelskie). Due to relatively lower eligible retirement age compared to other European countries, many Polish pensioners are not interested in employment only when they financial situation requires it. The exception is for well-educated older persons and while Cracow is a university city, it allows these persons to be additionally engaged in different forms of activity. |
Housing | |
The municipality is supporting the development of affordable life-time houses in partnership with social housing associations and project developers. There is a specific focus on the aspects of accessibility in the built environment. One of the main goals in the domain of housing is making people feel safe and secure at home. There are special housing programmes for older people with a LHBT background (Foyer Coloré initiative), or for people from an ethnic minority (such as De Chinese Brug for Chinese seniors or Eekta and Rukun Budi Utama for seniors from Suriname). These initiatives allow like-minded people to spend the latter days of their lives together. | The special housing programme for seniors is not yet widely developed in Poland, meaning affordable and at the desired quality of living conditions. Cracow as one of the oldest cities in the country, and heritage buildings were not destroyed during World War II. The existing old buildings, particularly in the old town’s centre, are not prepared for older persons (such as, no lifts, the cost of heating is high). Managing living conditions that answer to expectations and needs of the ageing population of the city proves challenging. There are private companies that aim to fill the niche and offer flats for seniors but due to the high cost it this is not yet a common form of housing in the city. |
Transportation | |
The municipality takes care of well-maintained bicycle lanes and pavements with even surfaces that allow water to run off after a shower. It also maintains a sufficient number of bicycle parking places in the city centre. Currently bicycle lanes are being broadened. There is free high-frequency public transport for older people, with senior-friendly staff (who received training) and stops close to home. There is a delivery service for medication by a pharmacist to the homes of older clients. There are voluntary taxi services for participation in church life or to go see a medical doctor. There are free rental services for mobility scooters. | In Polish cities such as Cracow the programme of free transportation has been popular for a long time already, such as for seniors aged 70 years or older in Cracow. It increases the mobility and transportation options for seniors who mostly use the public transport to get around in the city. There also exists a collaboration with a taxi company with a special reduced rate/discount if the ride is needed for a senior client (for example, to go see a physician). |
Community support and health services | |
The municipality actively supports social networks for informal care, which includes education and mental support. The municipality looks after an improved quality of home care services. The municipality stimulates the involvement of people aged 60–70 years and over in the provision of care provided to people aged 80 years and over. There is a small financial stimulus for informal carers of several k€. De Boodschappenbegeleidingsdienst (BBD) is a service that assists older people with doing groceries and helps prevent feelings of loneliness. | At the city level, the community support is crucial but besides the social assistance system financed by the city mostly for those with low income, there is more informal and family care practiced. Even neighbourhood relations involved in this type of services. In some local parishes, there are also voluntary groups supporting seniors. In addition, day care centres are needed to be further developed as current numbers are not enough. There is no local/city financial incentive for informal carers to support older adults. Even though there are unique projects that recently tested the use of ICT, telemedicine and telecare technology have not yet been explored enough. |
Outdoor spaces and buildings | |
There are well-maintained green spaces in the neighbourhood, which are cleaned and pruned on a regular basis in order to stimulate older people to go to parks. The municipality takes care of the availability of a sufficient number of outdoor benches, which are high enough and dry. In winter, there is a plan to prevent the accumulation of ice and frost on streets for safety. Mopeds are no longer allowed to use bicycle lanes for improved safety. There are safe and user-friendly ATMs. There are a number of accessible urban farms. | The buildings and the public institutions are more and more prepared for seniors and persons with limitations, as well for families with children to make them easily accessible. In cities there can be observed more and more efforts to create green zones/parks with benches and adequate infrastructure. The outdoor gyms are new in many places in cities, being open and for free for all citizens, regardless of age. |
Respect and social inclusion | |
There is a stimulus package for care and assistance provided by neighbours as informal carers, and this is supported through municipal policies. As the church is withdrawing from daily life, social activities are increasingly important, such as meeting groups, which are supported by the municipality. Schools can adopt a nursing home, and such actions focus on intergenerational interaction between pupils and older people. | The inclusion of older citizens through various activities via Senior Activity Centres (already more than 30 created in Cracow city from public funding, offering various courses), cities offer dancing events for free, outdoor activities (during spring/summer in parks), intergenerational activities (like doing jointly the theatre performances), singing etc. |
The Netherlands (The Hague) | Poland (Cracow) |
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social participation | |
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communication and information | |
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civic participation and employment | |
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housing | |
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transportation | |
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community support and health services | |
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Van Hoof, J.; Kazak, J.K.; Perek-Białas, J.M.; Peek, S.T.M. The Challenges of Urban Ageing: Making Cities Age-Friendly in Europe. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15, 2473. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15112473
Van Hoof J, Kazak JK, Perek-Białas JM, Peek STM. The Challenges of Urban Ageing: Making Cities Age-Friendly in Europe. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2018; 15(11):2473. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15112473
Chicago/Turabian StyleVan Hoof, Joost, Jan K. Kazak, Jolanta M. Perek-Białas, and Sebastiaan T. M. Peek. 2018. "The Challenges of Urban Ageing: Making Cities Age-Friendly in Europe" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 15, no. 11: 2473. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15112473