Building global recognition and understanding of the unique experiences of older people in cities, and arming them with evidence for city-level activism on behalf of their whole community.
Location
Nairobi, Kenya and New Delhi, India
Ageing and Urbanisation: Community Research and Global Advocacy
Organisation
Population
Nairobi – 4.4 million1
New Delhi – 28.5 million1
Growth Rate
Nairobi – 3.94%2
New Delhi – 2.70%2
Key Stakeholders
Older People
Other Stakeholders
Local NGOs, CSOs, CBOs
City Authorities
Other Service Providers
State / Federal Actors
Private Sector
Donors
Multilateral Organisations
Relevant SDGS
Disruption
Sector
Scaleability
International
Summary
Context
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58% of people aged 65+ (highest rate of urban of any age cohort), over 500 million globally, including 23 million in Africa, live in cities.
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More than half (289m) live in low- and middle-income countries, and this will rise to 80% by 2050.
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People aged over 60 are the fastest-growing cohort of urban populations.
Interview
In this interview, Sion Jones, Strategic Policy and Programmes Manager leading HelpAge International’s advocacy and research work on ageing in urban contexts, tells us how people aged over 60 – far from just being ‘left behind in the villages’ – are the fastest-growing cohort of urban populations, why the experiential dimensions of navigating city spaces are as important as physical accessibility, and how to influence inclusive change with and for older people in city neighbourhoods and at the UN.
In the short excerpt below, Sion briefly explains the big idea behind HelpAge’s Ageing and Urbanisation community research and global advocacy approach. For the FULL INTERVIEW, please visit Soundcloud or Spotify.
Key Programme Activities
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Community engagement
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Data/technology
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Policy/advocacy
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Research
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Stakeholder co-ordination, network-building
Key Outcomes
Since 2016, HelpAge International’s work has:
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Organised a coalition to influence the New Urban Agenda guiding declaration (from UN Habitat III) to include far broader and holistic recognition of ageing and the key issues for older people in cities, and significantly increasing the number of mentions of older people from two to 27.
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Conducted research with 1,310 older residents of Nairobi, Kenya and New Delhi, India, to explore their experiences of different aspects of urban life, such as transportation and crime.
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Developed a community action model whereby older people activists, armed with data and evidence they have collected, engage with local municipal stakeholders resulting in neighbourhood changes, such as dealing with a flooded street or maintaining a public park.
- Photo Credits
- – HelpAge International
- Notes
- – 1 Statistics from UN World Urbanization Prospects (2018)
- – 2 Statistics from UN World Urbanization Prospects (2018), Estimated average annual growth rate (2020-25)
