The role of the age-friendly cities movement in the framework of active aging policies against the socioeconomic risks of demographic aging

Abstract

Aging, a common problem in almost all countries, both developed and developing, is expressed in terms of a decrease in global birth and death rates or, from a different perspective, an increase in mean life expectancy. Demographic aging, which may be regarded as both a threat and an opportunity, affects a very broad sphere, including basic health, the economy, social security, the saving-consumption balance, living arrangements, urbanization, and the family structure, and therefore brings different disciplines together. Looked at in greater detail, it is a subject that requires reflection and planning since it affects such areas as change in a country’s population structure, economic growth, labor markets, labor supply and productivity, development policies, public borrowing, health and social security policies, education policies, and urbanization policies. The fact that demographic aging is a common problem of both developed and developing countries raises the question of active and healthy aging policies. These policies are thought to play an important role in measures created or potentially created by aging. Discovery of the importance of individual capital accumulation and wide social capital has prepared the dissemination of active-healthy aging policies out of the idea that investment in individuals’ health, education, and participation opportunities will benefit both the individual and the community. The emergence of the ‘Age-Friendly Cities’ movement initiated by the World Health Organization is one concrete outcome of these policies. The first section of this study will discuss the concept of demographic aging and its relationship with active-healthy aging. The economic and social effects of demographic aging will then be discussed. Another section of the study will discuss the concept of age-friendly cities, their relationship with active aging, and their role against the impacts of demographic aging.