About

POPULATION AGEING

Longevity and a decline in both mortality and fertility rates are major factors behind the increasing proportion of elderly in the population. Population ageing is a global phenomenon now occurring fastest in high and middle-income Countries, being Europe (Italy in top position) and Japan at the first places experiencing an Ageing Society (UN, 2013). Demographic projections show that by 2025 the number of people aged 65 and over will be the 23% of the population, being 32% in 2050.

According to UN (2013), life expectancy in developed world regions at present is 78 years old, rising up to 83 years in 2050. In EU countries 18% of the population is aged 65 or more and life expectancy was estimated at 80.6 years in 2013 (Eurostat, 2015). According to the Italian National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT, 2014), both birth rate and mortality show a negative trend. Italy’s life expectancy is today 83 years old and will increase until reaching 87 years in 2050. Over 65 years people accounts for around 22% of today’s national population, 33% in 2050 (ISTAT, 2014).

URBANISATION

Demographic shifts are occurring globally, joined to the tilt towards an urban planet, started from 2007: by 2025 the 59% of the global population will live in cities and urban agglomerates, being urbanization one of the global trends of the 21st Century (OECD, 2015). According to OECD data, 54% of the world population live in urban areas (in Italy, around 70%).

Living in the city makes it possible to contracts with other people and access to places more easily compared to the countryside, especially for elderly people. Cities are home to 43% of all people 65 years old and above in the OECD regions. In Italy, around 23% of the total urban population is composed by over 65 years old, less than 20% in case of residential suburbs.

Urbanization and ageing are entangled with each other: independent living for the elderly will be one of the most impending urban phenomena of the next years. Elderly people will be both a resource and a challenge for cities: it is crucial to study the unique circumstance to older adults such as the way they move and experience urban places.

WALKABILITY

According to the Age-friendly City framework (WHO, 2007), LONGEVICITY aims at supporting the social inclusion and active ageing of the population in urban settings. To this end, the project is based on methodological and computational tools aimed at assessing the level of walkability and at achieving solutions considering the needs and perceptions of senior citizens with respect to infrastructures and mobility services in the City of Milan.

The attention around the issue of walking in the city grew considerably at the end of the '80s. Designers and urban planners focused on strategies for the development of pedestrian areas and, in general, on promoting walking in urban territories.

According to the General Theory of Walkability proposed by Jeff Speck (2013), to be favored a walk has to satisfy five main condition: it must be useful, safe, comfortable, attractive and legible. The most important characteristics for a pedestrian-friendly environment are: urban density, mixed use of the territory, relatively small neighborhoods, safe and recurring pedestrian crossing, continuous sidewalks.

Improving mobility implies barrier-free buildings, streets maintenance, perceived safety and, in general, place in outdoor activities. The whole community would benefit from an age-friendly environment and, in particular, from the participation of its older members.