Contribution of older urban residents

Abstract

UN-Habitat’s biennial World Urban Forum (WUF9) took place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia this year from 7-13 February.  Following 18 months after Habitat III, its theme appropriately focused on “Cities 2030, Cities for All”.
I participated as the co-chair of the General Assembly of Partners (GAP) official civil society group for older persons. Given very limited resources, we organized several panels with others: an official 2 hour Older Persons Roundtable; one with GAP Persons with Disabilities on accessibility and universal design; another representing older women as part of the Women’s Assembly; a fourth contributing the civil society perspective to one by Business & Industry; and a fifth organized by City Space Architecture focusing on the importance of safe and accessible public spaces which can reduce isolation faced by many older urban residents.
Urbanisation and population ageing are century defining demographic trends. Over 500 million urban residents are older people. Yet cities everywhere are failing to address the changes brought about by global population ageing with increasing inequality and insecurity. Physical, social and economic barriers prevent older people in particular from fully enjoying their rights and living in dignity and safety in cities. 
By 2030, older persons are expected to account for over 25 percent of the population in Europe and northern America, 17 percent in Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and six percent in Africa. Over half the ageing population, 289 million, currently lives in low- and middle-income countries, and is increasingly concentrated in urban areas. Older persons are the fastest growing population group globally, expected to reach 22% by 2050 (UNDESA 2017). In 2015, 58% of the world’s people aged 60 and over resided in urban areas, up from 50% in 2000.