A sustainable city is also age-friendly

Many Finnish cities are committed to promoting age-friendliness, but in many places, practical measures are still in their infancy. The needs of older adults are not sufficiently taken into account in urban planning and the development of the urban environment.

This is evident from the final report of the Age-Friendly Urban Environment and Its Development Needs (KARMI) project, which ended in 2025. The project examined how the built environment, urban space, and access to services support the participation, safety, and mobility of older adults.

The key message of the final report is clear: if cities want to respond to the aging population, older adults must be involved in planning to a greater extent than at present.

"A city is not sustainable if it does not also work for people over 80. Age-friendliness is not a separate theme, but part of a sustainable and inclusive city that works for everyone", says Ira Verma, a researcher at Aalto University's Department of Architecture. 

Commitments exist, but practices are lacking

A project funded by the Ministry of the Environment investigated how commitment to the World Health Organization (WHO) Age-Friendly Cities Network is reflected in Finnish cities. The WHO assessment framework helps to identify factors that promote age-friendliness in the built environment.

Seven cities in Finland belong to the network, but according to the study, many of them are still in the early stages of taking age-friendliness into account. The common challenge is recognized, but concrete operating models and decisions are lacking. 

The project combined spatial data analyses by the Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE) and participatory research by Aalto University. The maps produced by SYKE showed, for example, distances to services or green areas, level differences in terrain, and the locations of rest areas. Participatory planning, on the other hand, highlighted the daily routes used by older adults, aiming to avoid steep hills, for example, or which had benches that were unsuitable for older adults.

Age-friendliness is often understood in a narrow sense as simply the provision of housing services for older adults. However, the majority of them live in ordinary residential areas and use the same services as younger age groups.

Age-friendliness requires a new attitude from cities

According to the report, promoting age-friendliness requires a new attitude and closer cooperation from cities and municipalities. Cooperation with pensioner organizations, senior citizen councils, and local residents should be established as part of the planning process.

Although many cities have drawn up proposals for measures, their implementation is often fragmented. The development of age-friendliness should be integrated into cities' welfare plans, sustainable mobility development plans and green space plans.

In addition, measures must be coordinated and their effects monitored systematically. Sharing information between different sectors, prioritizing actions and evaluating their impact are key areas for development.

"The rapid aging of the population challenges urban planning to respond to new needs. The sooner changes are made, the better", Verma emphasizes.

Further information:

Architect, Senior scientist Ira Verma, ira.verma(at)aalto.fi, +358 50 3693 226