Inicio  /  Urban Science  /  Vol: 2 Núm: 3 Par: Septemb (2018)  /  Artículo
ARTÍCULO
TITULO

Prioritization of Local Indicators for the Development of an Age-Friendly City: A Community Perspective

Atiq Uz Zaman and Katharine Thornton    

Resumen

Due to the rapid transition of growing ageing populations around the world, there is an urgency to change in attitudes, policies and practices at all levels of governance to fulfil the potential of ageing in the 21st century. The World Health Organization (WHO) proposed an age-friendly checklist as a guideline for urban cities. However, the WHO’s age-friendly indicators are generalized and overarching, and need modification by considering local needs. Therefore, localizing age-friendly indicators based on local priority is the first step in implementing a global age-friendly city agenda. This study aims to identify the priority indicators for age-friendly development at local government level in South Australia. The study considers the City of Unley, a local government organization in South Australia, as a case study. The study conducts a community perception survey to identify the important indicators, followed by a focus group consultation to identify the priority indicators based on local settings. The study identifies 25 indicators as priority indicators for the City of Unley that need to be considered for the development of age-friendly Unley. In addition, the study proposes several demonstration project ideas for local government to initiate participatory age-friendly projects for the local community. The findings of the study are important in assisting local government to develop age-friendly strategies by considering their local priority and achieving the global sustainability agenda.