Network of cities tackles age-old problems.

The world’s population of people aged over 60 will double from 11% in 2006 to 22% by 2050. Even more dramatic will be the growth in the number of the very old. Between 1950 and 2050, the number of people over the age of 80 will grow from 14 million to 400 million worldwide. At the same time, the pace of urbanization continues unabated: by 2030 an estimated three in five people will be urban dwellers. “All levels of government are starting to realize how important the demographic transition is,” says John Beard, director of the Department of Ageing and Life Course at the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva . “People have been struggling for a number of years in knowing how to respond. WHO’s Age-friendly Cities programme gives them something tangible as a way to address these trends.” The programme encourages leaders in cities as diverse as New York and Nairobi to think constructively about how to improve life for older people, a process that has the potential to enhance city life for everyone. To this end, in 2006, representatives from 33 cities in 22 countries met and examined eight areas where cities might influence healthy ageing: outdoor spaces and buildings, transportation, housing, social participation, respect and social inclusion, civic participation and employment, communication and information, and community support and health services. Following the meeting, a guide and checklist were produced for cities to use to assess their “age friendliness”. “Involving older people in assessing age-friendliness and identifying measurable indicators to