Ageing in place in cities - Manchester Urban Aging Research Group

Ageing in place in cities

What does an age-friendly city look like?

‘Age-friendly’ cities aspire to be places where people of all ages feel involved, valued, and supported with infrastructure and services that meet their preferences, needs and aspirations (World Health Organization). However, age-friendly will mean different things to different people, and it will require different approaches and priorities in different cities.

The Ageing in Place research project is exploring how cities can meet the needs of the diverse range of older people to become more age-friendly. The research is drawing on insights from Akita, Bilbao, Brno, Brussels, Manchester, Oslo and Québec. The project relies on collaborations with many stakeholders across the seven cities, these include officers from local councils, community and private sector organisations, researchers from a range of institutions and older residents in the cities.

As part of the Ageing in Place project, we asked older people what ‘age-friendly’ meant to them. This film shares some of what they said.

The older people in the film are residents of their cities, volunteers at community centres, members of older people boards and recipients of age-friendly services. Their views and opinions represent a diversity of experience and involvement in age-friendly cities and communities. We hear in the film about transitions into retirement and older age, the desire to be useful and take part in activities, and the need for services that meet their changing needs. We also hear about changing urban environments and what this means for people ageing in cities.

Across all the cities older people have stories to tell and experiences to share. The key message the film shares is that to make cities great places to age, the voices of older people must be central.