Longevity-ready cities should aim to support health over the whole life-course

The increasing share of the older population affects many aspects of society, including the cities. Initiatives for age-friendly cities usually deal only with services for older people but often disregard other elements, such as how the physical environment of young persons impacts their later lives. According to a new study, longevity-ready cities can influence healthy aging and therefore reduce health discrepancies.

The World Health Organization (WHO) lists eight interconnected domains of age-friendly cities framework.

• Physical: Housing, transportation, outdoor spaces, and building, 
• Social: community support and health services, communication and information, civic participation and employment, respect and social inclusion, social participation
  

Half of WHO member states participate in programs and initiatives related to this framework. Even though the goal is to create "age-friendly" cities, there is no standard measure of age-friendliness and when applied, this framework is often translated as elderly-friendly. Almost 80% of age-friendly initiatives listed in WHO's Age-friendly world list (you can find it here) target mainly older adults. Even the description of those initiatives, as compiled on the WHO site, states "Desired outcome for older people". Those actions may, for example, be safe, accessible transportation for older adults, education models to improve dementia knowledge, or cultural car-sharing for seniors. Another action can be a recreational park project. 

An example of a self-proclaimed age-friendly city is Singapore who wants to be a home for the graceful aging of seniors, including

• Age-friendly neighborhoods, which are safe, walkable, with inclusive public transport, engaging and therapeutic
• Nursing homes integrated with communities

Nevertheless, healthy aging is determined by the individual genotype and lifestyle factors throughout life: diet, exercise, socioeconomic status, and physical environment. It is the latter when cities enter the game - in the cumulative effect of the environment on the life-course. A city ready for longevity should plan for a healthy and long life, from the beginning to the end, not only for the last decades.

And how to improve the health and lifespan of city dwellers? Environmental factors have a long-term impact on healthy longevity, from exposure to air and drinking water pollutants, heat stress, or access to green spaces. When planning for longevity-supporting cities, changing climate should also be considered.

An example of such a project may be the Community for All Ages in the Kansas City metropolitan area, focused on physical and social environment improvement, supported by discussion forums and other channels for resident engagement. Almost 20 cities in this region are implementing related actions. 

Nowadays, cities and communities have great opportunities to create longevity-ready cities that will close the gap between healthspan and lifespan.

Source: Nature.com, ura.gov.sg

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