It is evident that the world, including Hong Kong, is witnessing a demographic transformation, and an ageing society is an international phenomenon. With improvements in life expectancy across the globe, ageing has become an imminent issue which requires proactive and prompt actions to ensure healthy and happy ageing. Previously, we have proposed 8 elements that age-friendly living environments shall have. In this article, we will feature 5 international cases to demonstrate how the elements can be implemented in real life.

Have you ever imagined what physical elements of the neighbourhood could help nurture and sustain older adults’ health and well-being?

The built environment is crucial to older adults’ well-being, serving as the primary living and activity area for ageing-in-place. Based on our research of existing literature, and the prevailing international and local guidelines, we have identified eight key design elements of an age-friendly neighbourhood that will help improve older adults’ health and well-being in the long run. Those design elements can also benefit other age groups or individuals of varying capacity levels.