Enabling age-friendly environments across Europe
Cities and communities play a key role in enabling people to live longer and healthier lives while fostering more equitable and sustainable societies. WHO/Europe supports the European Healthy Cities Network and the WHO Global Network of Age-friendly Cities and Communities to stimulate and enable cities and communities across Europe to become age-friendly by:
- showing what can be done and how in order to inspire change;
- connecting cities and communities worldwide to facilitate the exchange of information, knowledge and experience; and
- supporting cities and communities to find appropriate innovative and evidence-based solutions.
Creating resilient communities and supportive environments is one of the central tenants underpinning healthy ageing. Age-friendly environments are designed for diversity, inclusion and cohesion across all ages and capacities.
As the number of older individuals increases, so does our knowledge of how the built environment can support or hinder health and well-being. Age-friendly built environments are more accessible, with barrier-free access to buildings and houses as well as safe road and transport infrastructure.
In addition, they enable people to stay active, better connected and able to contribute to their community’s economic, social and cultural vitality. This fosters solidarity among generations and social relationships among residents of all ages.
Finally, age-friendly environments provide mechanisms to reach out to older people at risk of social isolation, falls, injuries or violence through personalized and tailored efforts to ensure access to information. This is critical to the safety and well-being of older adults.
