Age-Friendly Cities of Europe

Abstract

This article summarizes how members of the European Healthy Cities Network have applied the 'healthy ageing' approach developed by the World Health Organization in their influential report on Active Ageing. Network Cities can be regarded as social laboratories testing how municipal strategies and interventions can help maintain the health and independence which characterise older people of the third age. Evidence of the orientation and scope of city interventions is derived from a series of Healthy Ageing Sub-Network symposia but principally from responses by 59 member cities to a General Evaluation Questionnaire covering Phase IV (2003)(2004)(2005)(2006)(2007)(2008) of the Network. Cities elaborated four aspects of healthy ageing (a) raising awareness of older people as a resource to society (b) personal and community empowerment (c) access to the full range of services, and (d) supportive physical and social environments. In conclusion, the key message is that by applying healthy ageing strategies to programmes and plans in many sectors, city governments can potentially compress the fourth age of 'decrepitude and dependence' and expand the third age of 'achievement and independence' with more older people contributing to the social and economic life of a city.

Promoting Active Living in Healthy Cities of Europe

“…Other articles in this supplement analyze GEQ responses to eight dimensions of Healthy Cities' activity 10,11 . This article overlaps the analysis on "Healthy Urban Planning" and "Healthy Ageing", for example, covering responses to the question "How did you support older people with age-friendly urban environments?"…”

Urban Health Challenges in Europe

“…The activities of the 19 designated cities that collaborated in the Healthy Aging subnetwork are presented by Green in another article of this special issue. 7 Green reviews how designated Network raised awareness of the status and role of elderly citizens, how they encouraged the elderly to manage their personal lives and also influence decisions that impact on their local community, how these cities have promoted built environments that are user friendly for the elderly, and how they have promoted access to both private and public services. These tangible initiatives reduce functional disability and dependency while promoting healthy aging.…”

O idoso e sua participação - aspectos da vida urbana componentes da cidade amiga do idoso

“…(CENTEIO et al, 2010;COELHO, 2010;KALACHE, 2010;VIANA, 2010;KALACHE, 2011;GRAEFF;DOMINGUES;BESTETTI, 2012;GREEN, 2012;RAUTH;SANTOS;PEDDE, 2012;SMITH;LEHNING;DUNKLE, 2013) Em Aveiro e Porto, duas cidades de Portugal, os idosos sugerem passeios elaborados com roteiro e meios que viabilizem sua inserção . Um dos aspectos mais mencionados pelos idosos é a necessidade de medidas de apoio (serviços sociais, recreativos e de saúde gratuitos e apoio de voluntariado) para grupos de idosos mais vulneráveis: os que vivem sós e/ou apresentam baixos rendimentos (VIANA, 2010;COELHO, 2010).…”

“…O estudo permite afirmar que algumas das cidades da Europa já acataram várias das sugestões apontadas pelos idosos, o que contribuiu para a melhoria dos aspectos da vida urbana apontados para uma cidade amiga do idoso (GREEN, 2012).…”

“…Cinco estudos apontam as possíveis melhorias em relação às cidades amigas dos idosos: impacto do ambiente arquitetônico no envelhecimento, condições adequadas de gestão e gerenciamento das cidades, diretrizes sobre a adequada implantação de cidades amigas dos idosos buscando evidências da experiência da implantação de cidades ou comunidades que se sustentem pela concepção de cidade amiga do idoso (VIANA, 2010;COELHO, 2010;CENTEIO et al, 2010;GREEN, 2012;GRAEFF;DOMINGUES;BESTETTI, 2012) Em nosso estudo, foram preservadas muitas das falas dos sujeitos para garantir-lhes o direito de se expressar e ser aqueles "a ter um papel fundamental como defensores e supervisores de ações que tornem a sua cidade mais amiga dos idosos" (OMS, 2008, p. 5 6. melhoria da educação dentro do transporte público (mas não dizem como) e que os ônibus parem mais perto da guia.…”