Ageing in urban environments : Developing 'age-friendly' cities

Developing environments responsive to the aspirations and needs of
older people has become a major concern for social and public policy.
This article aims to provide a critical perspective on what has been
termed 'age-friendly cities' by shifting the focus from questions such
as 'What is an ideal city for older people?' to the question of 'How agefriendly
are cities?' This approach, it is argued, might be more suited to
deal with the complexities of cities as sites of interlocking and conflicting
commercial, social, and political interests. This theme is developed
by examining: first, the main factors driving the age-friendly debate;
second, constraints and opportunities for older people living in urban
environments; third, options for a critical social policy; and, fourth,
examples of involving older people in the development of age-friendly
environments. The article concludes with a brief summary of current
tensions and contradictions in the age-friendly debate.