Age-friendly cities: A housing challenge for the future

Imagine growing old in a city that was never designed for you, climbing stairs you can no longer manage, living far from healthcare, isolated from the community, and struggling to remain independent.

This is becoming the reality for millions of older persons as cities expand and populations age across the world.

During the 13th World Urban Forum in Baku, Azerbaijan, one of the key conversations was making cities age-friendly.

Michael Kimuhu from Kenya, who is also a leader in age-friendly advocacy programmes, argued that to have good cities, discussions should integrate inclusive policies and engage older people and everybody else early in the process to ensure that all their issues are addressed.

Kimuhu wondered whether urban authorities know the international laws that govern housing with regard to older people. 

“If they do, is there the political goodwill to actualise them? I believe that those people who are put in those dockets should fully understand the legal architecture of housing at the international level and also be knowledgeable about the obligations that are placed on their own countries,” he said.

He added that all housing developments, public or private, should enforce universal design in their building projects to ensure that it is everybody’s city.

Kimuhu emphasised the need for governments to avoid gentrification, arguing that the more people whose buildings are demolished, the greater the population in informal settlements becomes. 

“When people in Nairobi have their houses demolished in Mukuru, they move to relatives in Mathare and Kibera. So we have more people in households, but we have fewer formal settlement dwellings,” he noted.

Anacláudia Rossbach, the executive director of UN-Habitat, stressed that cities of the future need to be prepared for the ageing population.

“Over 57 per cent of all older persons are living in cities today. And then we have urbanisation ongoing, with 2 billion people coming to cities; we need to be prepared for that,” she explained. 

Rossbach further highlighted the importance of care and how the whole urban system operates to ensure that elderly people receive the care they need.  

“Usually, it is women who end up at home being responsible for the care of the family and the children, and so there is an extra burden on women who have to be there because the systems are not designed, the cities are not designed, and they don’t have services in place,” she noted.

Rossbach also noted that how houses are designed, public spaces, and the cities themselves are factors in addressing the needs and aspirations of their people. 

She said this is one of the reasons some places end up becoming ghost towns. “Young people don’t want to live there for different reasons, and then you have the isolation of the elder population in these areas and also vacant spaces, vacant homes, and vacant houses,” said Rossbach.

Hamas Bah, minister of lands, regional government and religious affairs of the Gambia, said during his presentation that his country recognises that older people are the custodians of history, culture, and community and have contributed immensely to sustaining society.

“Yet too often, they face challenges of exclusion, inadequate housing, limited access to healthcare, and gaps in social protection,” noted Bah.

He added that as cities grow and urbanisation accelerates, older persons mustn’t be left behind.

“At the international level, as part of the core group of sponsors alongside Argentina, Brazil, the Philippines, and Slovenia, we have supported the rights of older persons. We jointly drafted the resolution of the UN Human Rights Council establishing the open-ended intergovernmental working group tasked with drafting a legally binding international treaty on the rights of older persons,” he said.

Social aspect

Bah explained the extended family system in Africa, where everybody is everybody’s gatekeeper. Where there are no homes for the old, African communities believe that the family cares for you up to the end of your life.

“This system has some disadvantages, of course. There are practical implications that come with it. Some people may not work, and others may carry the burden. But at the end of the day, the social aspect of it is a very important element,” he said.

According to Fulong Wu, a professor of planning, with the growth of the elderly population from 18 per cent in 2015 to around 40 per cent now, changes were necessary.

In Shanghai, they believe older people should not be lonely at home, and it is very important to set up different gathering spaces in communities and neighbourhoods. “We learnt this from the countryside. In villages, people often gather together in a corner of the village. So today in the city, we have created what we call public living rooms and living corners,” said Wu. 

He added that, following his research, he found that older people today are not like those he met in previous decades. In the past, the idea was that older people mainly needed help.

But today’s older people are much more active. They want to learn new knowledge and new skills. 

“So, I propose that we should create a system that rewards learning. If you start learning, even if you fail, you are still recognised. Success is not the only thing that matters. We should still give people awards and encouragement,” said Wu.

He added that cities should create more public activities that bring generations together.  The host country, Azerbaijan, represented by Member of Parliament Nigar Arpadarai, emphasised the theme of the 13th Session of the World Urban Forum, “Housing for All”. 

She clarified gender differences, noting that the ageing process does not affect women and men in the same way.

“Because older women, in particular, are more likely to face challenges related to living alone, lower income, informal caregiving burdens, and limited access to adequate housing,” said Arpadarai. 

“Therefore, it is essential to promote gender-sensitive housing and urban policies, create safe and inclusive public spaces, and strengthen social protection mechanisms for older women.”

Arpadarai added that social isolation is also a serious problem today. Rapid urbanisation has left many older people outside family and community support systems, increasing both psychological and social risks.

“One of the most important issues in this field is strengthening the approach of age-friendly cities. Universal design principles should be applied in housing projects, and public transport and services should become more accessible for older people,” she said.

She also said that social housing programmes for the elderly should be expanded by the state and municipalities and that their participation in decision-making mechanisms should be ensured.

Increasing digital literacy is also important, since many services have already moved to digital platforms.

“The integration of older people into these systems is considered an important element of social equality,” said Arpadarai.

In the modern era, digital technologies have become one of the main tools of coordination. Electronic healthcare systems, smart home technologies, and social service platforms significantly improve the safety of older people and their access to services.