Making a Home in the City: The Age-Friendly Community Movement

Abstract

sin resumen The concomitant growth of cities and of an older popu- lation within those cities has come to generate a disjunc- ture between physical infrastructure and resident needs. Modern economic growth results largely from private sec- tor investments and incentives which pay little heed to the concerns of vulnerable populations. Housing and trans- portation shortcomings head the list of challenges older city dwellers face, yet these, in turn, degrade the social, health, and economic circumstances of these residents. Toward meeting such challenges, the age-friendly commu- nity (AFC) movement—intended to address what Lawton termed the “competency-environmental press”—has recently emerged. Designed foremost to promote aging-in- place, the movement seeks to engage political actors, ser- vice providers, and community organizations in ways to better accommodate the needs and preferences of older and frequently frail citizens.