Key characteristics of age-friendly cities and communities: a review.

The world is currently experiencing two demographic transitions: population ageing and urbanisation. The focus on ageing populations in cities is because in recent years, the urban environment presents a complex setting in which to promote the wellbeing and contributions of older people. This article will focus on the urban environment and will summarise the current evidence of approaches and interventions used to make our cities more supportive of older persons. The structure of this paper is as follows. First an overview of the literature review methodology is presented. Next, a summary of age-friendly models and frameworks will be outlined. Then, the key findings of the ageing literature are discussed with reference to specific ageing initiatives and interventions within the urban environment. Finally, the concluding critique provides recommendations for potential future research on older persons within the urban environment.