City Space

How can cities prepare for a rapidly aging population?

05.02.2023 - By The Globe and MailPlay

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Our population is getting older – and fast. By 2046, Canada expects its seniors to outnumber children by 2:1. And by 2050, the number of people over 65 worldwide is expected to reach 2 billion. These demographic changes have huge impacts on how our cities run, from work to health care to design. So how should we reimagine and redesign cities as they become increasingly populated by the elderly – which, if you’re lucky, will one day include you? In this episode, we hear from Joy Loverde, an advisor in aging and eldercare-related issues and the author of Who Will Take Care of Me When I’m Old and The Complete Eldercare Planner. Adrian also explores the case study of Toyama, a Japanese city with one of the oldest populations in the world, to discover if there are lessons Canadian cities can adopt. And finally, we hear from Thiago Hérick de Sá, who leads the Department of Age-Friendly Environments at the World Health Organization, to learn how the WHO is trying to help more cities reach a higher age-friendly standard.

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