Emerging evolution trends of studies on age-friendly cities and communities: a scientometric review

Abstract

Population ageing, together with urbanisation, has become one of the greatest challenges throughout the world in the 21st century. Approximately one million people turn 60 each month worldwide. By 2050, more than 20 per cent of the global population is predicted to be 60 years old or above. Thus, an increasing need is evident for age-friendly communities, services and structures. Numerous studies on age-friendly cities and communities (AFCCs) have been conducted over the past decade. The large volume literature makes it necessary to figure out key areas and the evolution trends of studies on AFCCs. Therefore, this paper aims to provide a comprehensive review of existing literature pertaining to AFCCs. A total of 231 collected publications are analysed and visualised by CiteSpace. According to the keywords and document co-citation networks that are generated, the foundation, hot topics and domains of AFCC research are grouped. Three major themes, namely the characteristics of AFCCs, the application of the World Health Organization's framework in urban and rural areas worldwide, and the measurement of cities’ and communities’ age-friendliness, are identified. In addition, a roadmap of AFCC research is developed. The results of this research will therefore benefit researchers and practitioners.

A Policy Framework for Producing Age-Friendly Communities from the Perspective of Production of Space

“…Ten of these literature reviews are traditional qualitative studies [ 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 ], and there are only two emerging scientometric studies on age-friendly communities. Xiang et al’s systematic review illustrates the evolutionary trend of age-friendly community studies [ 40 ]. De Oliveira et al proposed some suggestions for age-friendly community development in their scientometric research [ 41 ].…”

Researching Compassionate Communities From an Interdisciplinary Perspective: The Case of the Compassionate Communities Center of Expertise

“…However, in recent years, interest in the role of the community in palliative & end-of-life care has grown and evidence on community contributions is slowly building . In addition, much of the current A c c e p t e d M a n u s c r i p t 7 research on community initiatives aimed at aging in place (e.g., caring neighborhoods, age-friendly initiatives, healthy cities) does not include the topics of serious illness, death, dying and loss -indeed a recent scientometric review of the Age-Friendly Communities & Cities literature does not mention these topics (Xiang et al, 2021). This may be because these topics have traditionally been considered to be clinical and professional matters (Kellehear, 2020).…”

Ageing population and society: a scientometric analysis

“…Several scientometric analyses have been carried out on ageing population as a transformative social phenomenon. For instance, (a) Álvarez-García et al ( 2019 ) examined the literature on the issue of older adults and digital society, (b) Dominko and Verbič ( 2019 ) explored the topic of subjective wellbeing among the elderly, (c) Mahmood & Dhakal ( 2022 ) examined the aging-related studies in selected countries of the Asia Pacific region, (d) Müller et al ( 2016 ) carried out a bibliometric analysis on the theme of physical activity and ageing, and (e) Xiang et al ( 2020 ) examined the theme of age-friendly cities and communities. However, studies on the APS nexus remain fragmented, and this paper responds to this gap.…”