Growing Older In Urban Environments: Perspectives from

Japan and the UK A report on a symposium held in Church House

Conference Centre, Westminster, London March 29-30 2011

August 2011 www.ilcuk.org.uk

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This report was first published in August 2011 © ILC-UK 2011

Acknowledgements

I would like to express my appreciation to the speakers at the Symposium and to their consistent support and assistance to the organization of the event. A particular expression of gratitude is appropriate to Japanese delegates who attended very shortly after the earthquake and tsunami in north-east Japan in March. The tragic loss of life and destruction of whole communities – many having large populations of older people – was very much in the minds of delegates attending the Symposium. Speakers from Japan provided powerful testimony to the importance of providing secure and safe environments for all age groups - not least those at especially vulnerable points in their lives. I am grateful to Stephen Struthers of the ESRC for supporting the development of the Symposium and to Brenda Grant for excellent administrative support. The Economic and Social Research Council and the Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science provided essential financial support for the event. Dr. Yoko Nitta from the Research Institute of Science and Technology and Society/Japanese Science and Technology Agency provided extremely helpful advice at various points in the development of the Symposium, as did David Sinclair at the International Longevity Centre (London), Mamiko Kashima at the International Longevity Centre (Tokyo) and Hitomi Tobe at Keele University. I am also grateful to Michael Lake who kindly stepped in to chair the opening session of the Symposium.

About the Author

Chris Phillipson is Professor of Applied Social Studies and Social Gerontology at Keele University where he is Director of the Research Institute for Social Sciences.

Contents

Introduction 4 Background to the Symposium 5 Findings from the Symposium 6

Ageing and urbanisation in Japan and the UK 6

Experiences of ageing in urban environments 8

Ageing in place in urban environments: developing age-friendly communitities 9

Future issues for policy and research on population ageing and urbanisation 13 Impact 16 References and Annexes 17

4

Introduction

The impact of demographic change on urban areas was the subject of a major

Symposium funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), held on

29/30 March in London in association with the Japanese Society for the Promotion of

Science (JSPS) and the International Longevity Centre (Tokyo/London). The event built

upon discussions between ESRC and JSPS about ways of encouraging contact and

collaboration between the UK and Japanese social science research communities. The

chosen topic reflected mutual interest in a priority research area for the ESRC.

Population ageing and urbanisation are major social trends across the world. Urban

areas in industrialised countries are likely to have around one in four of their populations

aged 60 and over by 2020. Developing effective policies to meet the varied social, health

and physical needs of older people will be a key task for urban planning over the coming

decades.

Given this context, the Symposium had four main objectives:

State of the art reviews of research in Japan and the UK on urbanisation and

population ageing.

Case studies of initiatives designed to improve the ‗age friendliness‘ of urban

environments.

Assessment of the main policy challenges around urbanisation and ageing.

Identification of potential research collaborations between Japanese and UK

social scientists on population ageing and urban change.

5

Background to the Symposium

Population ageing and urbanisation have in their different ways become the dominant

social trends of the twenty-first century, with their interaction raising issues for all types of

communities - from the most isolated to the most densely populated. By 2030, two-thirds

of the world‘s population will be residing in cities; by that time the major urban areas of

the developed world will have 25 per cent or more of their population people aged 60 and

over. Cities and the metropolitan regions of which they are a part are themselves

changing. Soja and Kanai use the term ‗global city region‘ to refer to a ‗…new

metropolitan form characterised by sprawling polycentric networks of urban centres

clustered around one or more ―historic‖ urban cores‘ (Soja & Kani, 2006). Such networks

vary in size from one million at the lower level to 10 million and beyond at the upper,

covering well over a billion of the world‘s residents.

Accelerated urbanisation brings advantages and opportunities of different kinds. Soja and

Kanai note the extent to which: ‗Dense and heterogeneous cities and city regions have

become the driving forces of the global economy, generating enormous wealth as well as

technological innovation and cultural creativity‘ (Soja & Kani, 2006). Cities are regarded

as central to economic development, attracting waves of migrants and supporting new

knowledge-based industries. The re-building of many cities – notwithstanding economic

recession – provides opportunities for innovations in housing and services suitable for a

range of age and income groups. However, the extent to which the ‗new urban age‘ will

produce ‗age-friendly‘ communities remains uncertain. Cities produce advantages for

older people in respect of easy access to medical services, provision of cultural and

leisure facilities, shopping and general necessities for daily living. However, they are also

seen as threatening environments, often creating insecurity and feelings of vulnerability

arising from changes to neighbourhoods and communities.

Given the above context, the Symposium explored the challenge of creating what the

World Health Organization (WHO) has termed ‗age-friendly‘ communities.1 These have

been defined as encouraging ‗active ageing by optimizing opportunities for health,

participation and security in order to enhance quality of life as people age‘ (WHO, 2002).

Research by the WHO has identified key areas for action in respect of service provision

(e.g. health services, transportation), the built environment (e.g. housing, outdoor spaces

and buildings), and social aspects (e.g. civic and social participation) (WHO, 2007). In

2010 the WHO launched the ‗Global Network of Age-friendly Cities‘ in an attempt to

encourage implementation of policy recommendations from the 2006 project. The first

group of cities participating in the network included Manchester in the UK and Akita in

Japan.

1 For a review of this area see Phillipson, C. (2011) ‗Developing Age-Friendly Communities: New Approaches to Growing Old in

Urban Communities‘. In Settersten, R. and Angel, J.L. (Eds) Handbook of the Sociology of Aging. New York: Springer

6

Findings from the symposium

Contributors to the Symposium focused upon four main areas:

Characteristics of ageing and urbanisation in Japan and the UK.

Experiences of ageing in urban environments.

Ageing in place in urban environments: developing ‗age friendly‘ communitities.

Future issues for policy and research on population ageing and urbanisation.

Ageing and urbanisation in Japan and the UK

Japan and the UK demonstrate similarities but also important differences in the pathways

taken towards urbanisation and population ageing. Professor Tony Warnes of Sheffield

University highlighted similarities associated with high population densities, low birth

rates and significant proportions of older people (Tables 1 and 2, see Annex 1). Both

countries have also reached a high level of urbanisation with – at the top of the urban

hierarchy – ‗world cities‘ of the standing of Tokyo and London. But the differences are

also important. The UK population has been ageing since the 1870s (most rapidly during

1920-1940 and 1973-2000). Ageing in Japan is of more recent origin, advancing rapidly

from the 1950s (and especially since the 1970s) linked with sharp declines in fertility.

Mean life expectancy at birth (EO) in Japan is the highest in the world: standing in 2009

at 79.6 years for males and 86.4 years for females; EO for the UK for the period 2007-09

was 77.9 years for males and 82.0 for females. The two countries are also on contrasting

population trajectories. Japan has a declining population associated with decreases in

fertility and continuing gains in longevity. This will intensify population ageing with

projections indicating nearly 40 per cent of the population 65 and over by 2050. The UK

is set to increase its population by around 17 per cent in the period to 2033 with a less

intense rise in population ageing: projections indicating around one in four of the

population will be aged 65 and over by 2050 (with centenarians a significant part of this

increase) (Department for Work and Pensions, 2011).

Older people are an important group in all types of areas – whether ‗ageing in place‘ in

rural communities, towns and cities, as migrants to new localities for their retirement, or

moving in late old age to be closer to children. Urban areas will, however, as already

noted, remain important as residential environments for the majority of older people.

Japan and the UK show similarities and differences in their development as urban

societies, with important contrasts relevant to population ageing. Urbanisation –linked

with industrialisation – progressed rapidly in the UK over the course of the 18th and 19th

centuries. By 1851 the majority of the UK population lived in towns and cities, a point not

reached in Japan until around 1955. Presently, around two-thirds of the Japanese

population may be classified as ‗urban residents‘ in contrast with around 90 per cent of

those in the UK. However, a significant aspect of urban development in Japan has been

7

the rise of mega-regions linking different metropolitan areas, these characterised by rapid

population growth. The outstanding example in Japan is the Tokyo-Nagoya-Osaka-

Kyoto-Kobe mega-region which is likely to host 60 million people by 2015 (UN-HABITAT

2010).

Speakers at the Symposium identified a number of issues raised by similarities and

differences in urban development between the two countries:

First, population ageing has been especially significant in rural communities in Japan,

driven by the migration of young people to urban areas. This has produced what

Professor Ogawa (Kumamoto-Gakuen University) referred to as ‗Naturally Occurring

Retirement Communities‘ (NORCS) with policies developed to support older people

ageing in place in rural areas having lessons for urban contexts as well. Equally, many

older people living in Japanese cities are those who migrated from rural areas. Some

may wish to migrate again in later life but the majority are likely to wish to stay within their

existing community – especially with the evolution of policies designed to support ‗ageing

in place‘.

Second, areas with traditional (declining) industries in the UK tend to have above

average proportions of older people -20 per cent or more in some of the largest urban

areas in the UK. These localities may face particular challenges in providing sufficient

resources to develop ‗lifetime neighbourhoods‘ within what may be economically

deprived communities.

Third, an issue identified in the Symposium concerned the extent to which the existing

urban infrastructure remained focused on the needs of younger adults and families with

limited adaptation to ageing populations. Professor Akiyama of the University of Tokyo

highlighted the importance of redesigning both the ‗hard and soft‘ infrastructure of

communities to the meet the challenge posed by population ageing. Relevant issues here

include the decline of multi-generational households and the corresponding increase in

single person households and those comprising solely husbands and wives. Papers by

Professor Warnes, Dr. Yoko Nitta (Research Institute of Science and Technology and

Society/Japanese Science and Technology Agency) and Professor Okamoto (Meji

Gakuin University) highlighted the importance of changing household structures in both

Japan and the UK. In the case of Japan the number of one-person elderly households

increased nearly eight-fold over the period 1975-2009: from 611,000 to 4.63 million.

Households comprising couples alone aged 65 years and over reached 4.68 million in

2009, a nearly 11-fold increase since 1975. Multi-generational living in the UK declined

much earlier, not least with industrialisation during the nineteenth century. Projections for

both countries suggest that what has been termed ‗solo living‘ is likely to become the

norm, reflecting changes in patterns of long-term relationships, availability of housing

(including the growth of retirement communities in urban areas), and rising living

standards. Estimates for the UK based on current trends suggest that 50 per cent of the

1960s cohort will be living alone at age 75 compared with 37 per cent for the 1916-1920

cohort and 41 per cent of the 1940s cohort (Evandrou & Falkingham, 2000). Adapting

8

urban areas to the needs both of ageing populations and the characteristics of single

person households was a major challenge identified in a number of sessions in the

Symposium.

Experiences of ageing in urban environments

Urban environments capture the wide range of circumstances and conditions

characteristic of older populations. In the UK, urban populations of older people may

range from ‗ageing in place‘ baby boomers active in the ‗gentrification‘ of their

neighbourhoods, to highly marginalised populations of elders experiencing loneliness

and poverty. Professor Thomas Scharf (Director of the Irish Centre for Social

Gerontology) and Professor Takiko Okamoto (Meji Gakuin University) explored issues

relating to the latter, identifying a number of common concerns between the two

countries.

Professor Scharf noted the importance of work in the field of environmental gerontology

emphasising the significance of place in the lives of older people. Research had

demonstrated the salience of home and the surrounding neighbourhood as sources of

meaning and self-identity in later life. Both speakers highlighted the urban context as

central in maintaining relationships and networks, as well as providing access to services

and amenities. Professor Scharf drew from ESRC-supported studies to explore the

extent to which cities could be ‗unfriendly‘ and ‗hostile‘ to older people. His research

applied the concept of ‗social exclusion‘ (i.e. failure to participate in key areas of social,

economic and civic life) to the lives of older people living in inner-city communities in

Liverpool, London and Manchester (Scharf, et al., 2002).

Analysis of data collected from older residents highlighted daily experiences of poverty,

social isolation, loneliness, and crime. Professor Scharf drew attention to the multi-

dimensionality of social exclusion in later life, which encompasses such dimensions as: a

lack of material resources; social isolation and loneliness; limited opportunities to engage

in civic activities; a lack of access to basic services; and challenges to feelings of

attachment to place. The risks of exclusion are shown to fall disproportionately on people

who are ageing in multiply disadvantaged urban environments. Subsequent work has

examined ways of overcoming people‘s risks of exclusion: for example, through

developing inter-generational activities; through intensive work with older people from

minority ethnic groups; and supporting community groups in bids for funding and

capacity-building.2

Many of the issues in the UK urban context – such as those relating to poverty and

loneliness – were also encountered in studies of older people in urban areas of Japan.

Professor Okamoto drew upon surveys of older people in Tokyo as well as research

conducted for the World Health Organization suggesting a mix of benefits as well as

barriers facing older people in Japan. The former included: good transportation networks;

2 For more information see http://www.keele.ac.uk/callme/index.htm

9

barrier-free access to public buildings as a legal requirement; and high quality health and

social care. On the other hand, the disadvantages of urban living identified from surveys

included: pressures of living in high-rise apartments; limited resting areas in open areas

in cities; lack of public toilets; accidents in the streets with cars and bicycles; and the

decline of small businesses such as local shops. Professor Okamato identified a

significant group of the urban elderly vulnerable to feelings of loneliness, notably as a

consequence of widowhood, difficulties establishing relationships, or as a result of

residential relocation.

Ageing in place in urban environments: developing age-friendly communities

One response to the above issues, highlighted in the Symposium, was to support the

development of what has already been referred to as ‗age-friendly‘ communities.

Professor Elizabeth Burton (Warwick University) posed the question: ‗why age-friendly

neighbourhoods?‘. She identified the key reasons in terms of increasing numbers of older

people (many with longstanding health and mobility-related problems) and the growing

acknowledgement that we need to increase years of quality life rather than years of life

per se. The reasons for creating an ‗age-friendly‘ environment were related to the fact

that:

Most older people want to remain living at home but if their neighbourhoods are

inaccessible they are effectively trapped inside.

Time spent outdoors enabled residents to enjoy physical and mental exercise

and stimulation which had the capacity to enhance health and well-being.

Access to natural environments reduced stress and aids memory.

Getting out in the neighbourhood facilitated social interaction and the

development of social networks with consequential benefits for physical and

mental health.

Exposure to natural light and being able to see clearly the cycle of change

between day and night and the seasons can enhance health and well-being and

reduce the prevalence of sleep disorders.3

Professor Sheila Peace (The Open University) identified the various factors contributing

to ‗age-friendliness‘, including: continued active participation; sustained independence;

reduced risk of isolation; meeting of basic needs such as good quality housing;

neighbourhood safety; cheap transport; and reliable service information. She noted that

whilst the infrastructure to support age-friendly cities may exist, negative attitudes can

prevent environments from becoming truly age-friendly. Professor Peace drew on

research in an inner city London Borough (Newham) which identified strengths and

barriers to achieving an age-friendly community (Biggs & Tinker, 2007). Strengths in the

area included: community centres which provided activities for older people; good

3 For further information see Burton, E. and Mitchell, L. (2006) Inclusive urban design: streets for life. London: Architectural Press

10

housing provision; and a safe physical environment. Barriers included: the behaviour of

the general public; fear of crime; lack of information about opportunities to lead healthy

active lives; and lack of public toilets. Her work emphasised the need for places where

people regardless of their age, culture or appearance, will feel secure and free - a major

challenge given the pressures from changes in urban areas experienced by different

groups.

Given increasing attention to the idea of ‗ageing in place‘, a number of presentations

explored the basis for redesigning communities to achieve this goal. Professor Hiroko

Akiyma (Institute of Gerontology, University of Tokyo) emphasised the extent to which

such work required the collaboration of a range of stakeholders including different

academic disciplines, government, industry and citizens. She discussed a project aimed

at turning the concept of ―ageing-in-place‖ into reality in Kashiwa, a city 30km away from

Tokyo. The project focuses on the Toyoshikidai housing estate in Kashiwa, which was

built in the 1960s and has been ageing both in terms of its physical structure and resident

population. In collaboration with the municipal government, the Urban Renaissance

Agency (UR), and Toyoshikidai residents, the University of Tokyo has been endeavoring

to redesign the community and building in various components to meet the changing

needs created by population ageing.

The plan includes replacing the old five-story residential buildings with barrier-free

condominium blocks to ensure mobility. The community will offer housing for people at

various life stages, so that they can move to a place which meets their needs best

throughout the life course. A 24-hour care system to support home-based care has also

been mapped out as a key feature of service provision. One of the major objectives of

the redesign is to improve networks among residents and develop various opportunities

for older people to take a role in supporting their own community. A substantial

population of baby boomers who are working in Tokyo will soon retire and return to

suburban communities. The project is planning to create age-friendly work places and

flexible schemes of employment that will provide options for residents to work into their

70s and beyond. The plan utilizes existing ICT to reach out for people to stay safe and

connected, and also tests the application of new technology in the community. The

project is attracting interest from various stakeholders including companies in different

business sectors. This is an ambitious social experiment for agents in different sectors to

work together to create a community supportive of increasing numbers of people living

into late old age. Key areas under development include:

Developing work places for the second half of life (e.g. community farms; after-

school programmes supported by older people).

Developing housing to suit different phases of the life course.

Developing alternative means of transport (car sharing; community buses;

specially-adapted cars; reforms to road systems).

11

Application of ICT (internet shopping; emergency call systems).4

Professor Burton drew upon a research project which had interviewed 200 older people

living in different types of locations, measuring aspects of their well-being through in-

depth interviews linked to detailed assessment of the characteristics of their

neighbourhoods.5 Of the characteristics of urban form investigated in the research, five

were found to be significantly related to different aspects of older people‘s wellbeing –

density, location, the mix of uses, amount of greenery and street layout. Broadly

speaking, older people‘s wellbeing was found to be highest in lower-density, village

locations, in neighbourhoods that were mainly residential or had a fine-grain mix of uses,

had at least a moderate amount of greenery and a distorted grid street layout. For the

UK, low-density, village locations seem to be positive because of safety factors and

through a strong sense of community. City centre locations were viewed in a more

negative light because older people found them both unattractive and unsafe.

However, Professor Burton argued that notwithstanding the apparent popularity of village

locations, there are good reasons why higher-density urban development should be

promoted. The research found very few negatives associated with urban living other than

their perceived unattractiveness. If urban developments could be designed to be more

appealing aesthetically and at the same time to replicate some of the advantages of

village living through good provision for non-motorised traffic and housing layouts which

allow opportunities for social interaction without infringing privacy (e.g. including small

front gardens in terraced housing), then city and town centres could become better

places for older people to live. Incorporation of greenery may provide the key: street

trees and grass verges can offer effective separation of pedestrians from cycle paths, as

well as contributing to attractiveness and general wellbeing. Professor Burton identified

five important challenges in achieving age-friendly designs:

First, built environment interventions have to address a multitude of objectives,

not just those related to healthy ageing (e.g. an intervention to optimise older

people‘s well-being might have negative consequences for energy or heritage

conservation).

Second, built environments are not tailor-made for individuals, they have to be

suitable for everyone i.e. all ages and abilities.

Third, built environments have to be appropriate not just for current residents but

future ones as well.

Fourth, community involvement in design is a challenge in terms of accessing a

cross-section of views – often only the ‗loudest‘ voices are those that get heard.

4 For further information see http://www.iog.u-tokyo.ac.jp/research/research_activity-e.html

5 For further information see www.idgo.ac.uk

12

Fifth, securing ‗age-friendly‘ designs requires combining activities of a variety of

professional groups and stakeholders e.g. architects, planners, engineers,

manufacturers of street furniture etc).

Professor Peace explored the ‗inter-generational‘ dimension to community research and

planning, drawing on research carried in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire (Peace et al.,

2006). Her work raised issues about the benefits of securing the involvement of both the

public and policy-makers in the research process. For the public this required a sense of

personal investment in public spaces; showing the relevance and accessibility of

research; and developing work in inter-generational teams. For policy makers, there was

a requirement to value participation in the research process – with its associated

outcomes; acceptance of the consequences of public participation; and recognising the

need for transparency in the implementation of plans. Professor Peace identified a

number of emerging themes from her research:

The importance of developing inter-generational cooperation and collaboration.

The importance – as a means of achieving social inclusion – of thinking about

what is needed over short distances in local environments e.g. sitting places,

public toilets, even surfaces, good lighting.

The importance – for assisting ageing in place – of applying the life-course

perspective to urban neighbourhoods.

The need for attitudinal change to challenge ageism.

Professor Ogawa, building on experiences from municipalities in Japan which had

experienced population decline and advanced population ageing, identified four

strategies which might be followed:

Population strategies: e.g. use of geographic information systems to identify

districts with clusters of older people together with issues arising from their

spatial location (e.g. distance from shops; transportation issues; ease of access

to health and social care services).

Participation strategies: encouraging participation in activities within urban areas

by older people through a mix of support for voluntary work, encouraging job re-

design for older workers, stimulating services from the private and not-for-profit

sectors, and application of information technology.

Housing and health strategies: development of retirement communities in urban

areas; group homes for people with dementia; specialist clinics supporting home-

based care.

‘Safety’ strategies: development of preventive care linked to improvements to

long-term care and medical and health care.

13

Future issues for policy and research on population ageing and urbanisation

An important theme of the Symposium concerned the need to focus resources and

facilities within neighbourhoods in which many older people had spent a significant

proportion of their lives. Dr. Fumio Isobe (Institution for Future Welfare/International

Longevity Centre, Japan) noted the dramatic shift from death experienced in the context

of the home (for around 80 per cent of older people in Japan in the early-1950s) to that of

the hospital (nearly 88 per cent of people in 2009). He emphasised the need to reverse

this trend with the provision of advanced support in the home or in neighbourhood care

facilities, with a particular need for ‗in-home‘ care support clinics and hospitals with

specialist facilities for ‗end of life care‘. He noted, however, pressures on community care

in Japan arising from shortages of facilities and manpower, the increase in the number of

people living alone, and limitations in the design of housing in urban areas (e.g. lack of

lifts in some multi-story accommodation).

A number of presenters highlighted the complexity of developing neighbourhood-based

strategies to support older people. Professor Scharf highlighted the issue of reconciling

the interest of an increasingly diverse older (urban) population; the challenge of creating

and maintaining neighbourhoods suitable for people of all ages; and identifying

mechanisms for engaging actively and in meaningful ways with older people.

This last point was explored by Dr. Dylan Kneale (International Longevity Centre, UK)

who focused on the challenges posed by moves in the UK towards ‗localism‘ and

attempts to transfer power from central and regional structures into the hands of local

people and voluntary groups (part of the so-called ‗big-society‘ agenda) (Kneale, 2011).

Dr. Kneale identified a number of concerns about the extent to which this process could

actually disadvantage older people living in urban areas in comparison with those in rural

areas. Using data from the British Social Attitudes Survey he presented evidence

suggesting: lower levels of political and civic engagement of older people in urban as

opposed to rural areas; limited cross-generational ties and lower levels of trust; feelings

about a lack of safety in the areas in which they lived; potential issues about lack of

access to information – reflected in the finding that older people in urban areas were 40

per cent less likely to than their rural counterparts to have internet access in the home;

and, finally, lower levels of interest in political issues in comparison with rural residents -

a finding however largely explained by socio-economic (i.e. higher levels of deprivation)

and socio-demographic differences between the two groups. Dr. Kneale made the point

that the problems facing some groups of older people in urban areas might well limit the

type of social and civic engagement assumed within the shift towards localism. His

recommendations to overcome some of these problems included:

Developing new ways of strengthening inter-personal networks in urban areas

with the creation of inclusive spaces and activities.

Developing programmes to engage ‗hard to reach‘ groups e.g. older people

living in areas with very high levels of economic deprivation.

14

Community meetings and referendums structured around the specific needs of

older people.

Minimum standards for the provision of information to facilitate engagement of

groups with limited access to the internet and related ethnology.

A number of speakers highlighted the importance of developing improved services for

people with dementia living in urban areas. Professor Burton emphasised the

significance of the external environment for people with dementia, and the value of good

design in enabling people to continue to negotiate and use their local environment. Dr.

Isobe identified the importance of expanding the number of health care workers with

specialist training and the value of unified community care. Professor Warnes elaborated

on a number of these aspects noting that the rise in the number of people with dementia

would be an increasing challenge for both Japan and the UK. Among the areas for

development he noted the need for:

An expanded network of day care services.

More specialist training and service development centres.

More dementia advisers.

Small group homes on the Swedish/Japanese model.

Concerted research on application of new information and communications

technology aids in supporting people with dementia.

Finally, discussions among delegates attending the Symposium identified a number of

priority areas for research between the two countries:

Developing better understanding of the impact of population change and

urbanisation on groups of older people.

Acquiring greater understanding about the benefits of local networks in

supporting older people.

Exploring the likely impact of the baby boom generation in the two countries,

especially in respect of demands for new types of housing and services.

Examining how dynamic, global cities (such as Tokyo and London) can serve the

needs of older people alongside other demographic groups.

Exploring the development of inter-generational ties within urban communities.

Exploring the impact of climate change – especially in urban areas – and its

potential impact on older people.

15

Some more general question arising from the above which might form the basis for

collaboration include:

What is the basis for an ‗age-sensitive‘ urbanisation?

What is the basis for building ‗age-friendly‘/ ‗life-long communities‘?

What types of partnerships between different organisations are needed to

support ‗age-friendly cities‘?

How can the needs of different age groups be recognised in the design and

development of cities?

What resources and facilities are available in urban areas to support community

participation and health and well-being?

Such questions could form the basis for a fruitful programme of research between the

two countries, drawing upon a range of disciplinary perspectives within and beyond the

social sciences. Questions relating to urbanisation and population ageing are especially

conducive to bringing together contrasting perspectives from sociology, geography,

demography, epidemiology on the one side, to architecture, urban design and planning

on the other. The Symposium demonstrated the potential for bringing these different

perspectives to bear on what will be a major area of concern for the 21st Century.

Locating these within a comparative context may bring a valuable dimension to furthering

understanding of the social and economic implications of ageing populations.

16

Impact

The Symposium made a number of contributions to applying high quality research to

social and economic issues:

It brought together leading social scientists from Japan and the UK to pool

knowledge about a major social issue for the twenty-first century.

It systematically linked research findings with policy issues relating to

urbanisation and population ageing.

Participants were drawn from a representative group of organisations drawn

from Third Sector bodies, government, NGOs and academics.

Links established during the Symposium are to be followed up with research and

policy collaborations between Japan and the UK.

Proposals for a book of papers presented at the conference have been

presented to a UK publisher.

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References

Biggs, S. & Tinker, A. (2007) What Makes a City Age-Friendly? London’s contribution to the World Health Organisation’s Age Friendly Cities project. London: Help the Aged. Burton, E. and Mitchell, L. (2006) Inclusive urban design: streets for life. London: Architectural Press Community Action in Later Life – Manchester Engagement (CALL ME), available at http://www.keele.ac.uk/callme/index.html [Accessed 15 June 2011] Department for Work and Pensions (2011) Number of Future Centenarians by Age Group. London: DWP. Evandrou, M. and Falkingham, J. (2000) ‗Looking back to look forward: lessons from four birth cohorts for ageing in the 21st century. Population Trends, 99, 27-36 Inclusive Design for Getting Outdoors, available at www.idgo.ac.uk [Accessed 15 June 2011] Institute of Gerontology, available at http://www.iog.u-tokyo.ac.jp/research/research_activity-e.html [Accessed 15 June 2011] Kneale, D. (2011) Can Localism Work for Older People in Urban Environments. London: International Longevity Centre-UK Peace, S., Kellaher, L. and Holland, C (2006) Environment and Identity in Later Life. Buckingham: Open University Press. Phillipson, C. (2011) ‗Developing Age-Friendly Communities: New Approaches to Growing Old in Urban Communities‘. In Settersten, R. and Angel, J.L. (Eds) Handbook of the Sociology of Aging. New York: Springer. Scharf, T., Phillipson, C., Smith, A. and Kingston, P. (2002) Growing Older in Socially Deprived Areas. London: Help the Aged. Soja, E. and Kanai, E. (2006) ‗The Urbanization of the World‘. In Burdett, R. and Sudjic, D. (Eds) The Endless City. London: Phaidon Books UN-HABITAT (2010) State of the World’s Cities 2010/2011: Bridging the Urban Divide. London: Earthscan. World Health Organization (2002) Active Ageing: A Policy Framework. Geneva: WHO Press World Health Organization (2007) Global Age Friendly Cities: A Guide. Geneva: WHO Press

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Annex 1 – Tables

Table 1: Population Comparisons

Japan UK

Population 127 million 61 million Population density (a) 343 km² 255 km² (Honshu 452 km²) (England 383 km²)

a. Japan has fifth highest density among countries with 10+ million people

Source: Warnes, T: Population ageing and urbanisation in Japan and the United Kingdom

Table 2: Fertility and age structure c. 2009

Japan UK

Total fertility rate TFR 1.21 1.86 Natural change rate (a) -0.6% +1.1% Life expectancy at birth 82.2 yrs 79.8 yrs Aged 65+ years 21.6% 16.0% Aged 85+ years 2.9% 1.5%

a. Turned negative in Japan in 2005 – last previous negative in 1899

Source: Warnes, T: Population ageing and urbanisation in Japan and the United Kingdom

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Annex 2 – Speaker Biographies

Professor Hiroko Akiyama, Institute of Gerontology, The University of Tokyo

Hiroko Akiyama, a social psychologist, is professor at the Institute of Gerontology, University of Tokyo. Professor Akiyama has conducted a number of cross-national surveys and is widely recognized as an expert on issues of global ageing. She is known for the long-running research on the elderly in Japan—tracking the ageing patterns of approximately 6,000 Japanese elderly for more than 20 years. Recently she initiated social experiment projects that pioneer to re-design communities to meet the needs of the highly aged society and allow the elderly to successfully ‗age-in-place‘. She formed an interdisciplinary gerontology program at University of Tokyo in 2006. Professor Akiyama received her Ph.D. in psychology from University of Illinois, the United States, and is a member of Science Council of Japan.

Professor Elizabeth Burton, Professor of Sustainable Building Design and Wellbeing, Warwick University

Elizabeth Burton (MA Cantab DipArch DipUD PhD) is Professor of Sustainable Building Design and Wellbeing at the University of Warwick. Her post is a new one (September 2009) set up jointly by the School of Health and Social Studies and the School of Engineering. She is also founder director of the WISE (Wellbeing in Sustainable Environments) research unit. Having qualified as an architect and urban designer, Elizabeth took up a research career, with the aim of developing an evidence base for architectural practice. Her research interests are in the social aspects of sustainability and how the built environment (architecture and urban design/form) influences people‘s wellbeing, quality of life and mental health. She has particular expertise in ageing research, including dementia-friendly design.

Fumio Isobe, Representative Director of the Institution for Future Welfare, and Senior Researcher of the International Longevity Centre-Japan

Fumio ISOBE, is Representative Director of the Institution for Future Welfare in Tokyo Japan. This Institution aims to study the future system for health, welfare and pension and to disseminate basic information on social policy to the public. He graduated from University of Tokyo in 1974, and began to serve as an official of the Ministry of Health and Welfare. In the ministry he worked at various divisions such as public assistance, long term care, medical care management. He is a former Director of the Health and Welfare Bureau for the Elderly of the MHLW. His research interests have focused on medical care system, long term care, policy for the fewer children, and pension reform. His is former executive director of the Foundation for Children‘s Future. He is now visiting professor of Toyohashi Souzo University. He is the chair of the planning committee for health care and welfare service at the municipal government of Tyuo-ku in Tokyo. He is a Senior Researcher of the International Longevity Centre-Japan.

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Dr Dylan Kneale, Senior Researcher, International Longevity Centre, UK

Dylan Kneale is a Senior Researcher at the International Longevity Centre UK where he is currently examining issues involving housing, communities, and intergenerational relations. This work expands on his pre-existing interests in housing, and in particular, publicly subsidised housing; defining and measuring neighbourhood effects; and the timing and sequence lifecourse transitions. His PhD at the Institute of Education (University of London) examined the role of context, and particularly neighbourhoods, in predicting early adult transitions. Dylan‘s Postdoctoral Fellowship examined the role of housing in moderating the timing and sequence of transitions, and well as the role of childhood housing and neighbourhoods in predicting later life outcomes. Prior to his doctoral studies, Dylan worked as a Senior Research and Evaluation Analyst at the Prince‘s Trust (a charity working with disadvantaged young people) and was Treasurer at Youth Express Network (a Strasbourg based body representing several European and Asian youth charities). He remains a Research Associate of the Centre for Longitudinal Studies (Institute of Education).

Dr Yoko Nitta, Associate Fellow, Research Institute of Science and Technology for Society, Japan Science and Technology Agency

Yoko Nitta is currently Associate Fellow of Research Institute of Science and Technology for Society (RISTEX)/Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST). She has global responsibility of shaping its agenda and broad responsibilities for developing global bridges through her mission. She has been involved in Science Diplomacy in Japan and is an official member of the Science and Technology Diplomatic Circle in Tokyo building links in many international cooperative activities and has a keen interest in soft diplomacy. Also she has been a professional investigator in various fields including global affairs with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She previously served as an International Negotiator at RIKEN. Ms. Nitta has organized OECD workshops including ‗Transforming Innovation to address Social Challenges‘ and its approach is incorporated into OECD Innovation Strategy including Ministerial Conclusions in 2010. Also she has designed the agenda and organized the session for the AAAS 2011(American Association for the Advancement of Science) under the title of ‘Design thinking to mobilize science, technology and innovation to social challenges ‘ (February 2011). She has recently completed a book entitled Japan Science and Technology: Policy for Social Innovation.

Professor Takeo Ogawa, Kumamoto Gakuen University

Takeo Ogawa, Ph.D. is a professor of gerontological social work at Kumamoto Gakuen University. He also received the title of Emeritus Professor from Kyushu University and Yamaguchi University. He is also a founder of the Active Ageing Consortium in Asia Pacific (http://acap.wellageing.com/), and is an organizer of the non-profit organization Asian Ageing Business Centre at Fukuoka (http://www.aabc.jp/index.html), Japan. He commits on community development programmes for depopulating villages in mountainous and hilly areas and naturally occurring retirement communities in urban areas. His research interests have focus on aged societies, active ageing, social participation, community supported services, age-friendly communities, and long-term care for older persons. He has presented social gerontological papers in international meetings: Asia-Pacific Regional Conference for the International Year of Older Persons,

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the World Congress of the International Association of Gerontology, the Asia/Oceania Regional Congress of Gerontology, Japanese-Swedish Conference on Research on Ageing, Care, and Welfare of the Elderly and how IT can improve Quality of Life, the Active Ageing Conference in Asia Pacific, etc. For English readers, ―Changing Social Concepts of Age: Towards the Active Senior Citizen‖ in Coulmas, Florian et.al.eds. ―The Demographic Challenge: A Handbook about Japan,‖ Brill, is available. He is a member of the Japan Socio-gerontological Society, The Japan Sociological Society, the Japan Urban Sociological Society, and Japanese Research Association for Community Development.

Professor Takiko Okamoto, Chair of Japanese Society of Behavioral Sciences for the Elderly, Meiji-Gakuin University

Takiko Okamoto is Professor of the faculty of Sociology and Social Work, Department of Social Work of Meiji Gakuin University in Tokyo, Japan. Her specialized field is Social Welfare for aged in Social Gerontology. Ms. Okamoto has a keen interest in research involving elder care issues including institutional care and community care and the impact of social policy from the past to the present. Ms. Okamoto has published two books, The Decision making of Law for the Welfare of the Aged in Japan(1993) and Transition of Welfare for the Elderly in Japan (2004). At present, Ms. Okamoto is a standing member of the Board of Directors of Japanese Society of Behavioral Sciences for the Elderly(JSBSE). She was also the Chairman of the Editing Committee for the Journal of JSBSE named ―Journal of Care and Behavioral Sciences for the Elderly‖ from 2005 to 2010. Ms. Okamoto was the group leader of the Tokyo Study of WHO ―Age-friendly Cities Project‖ from 2006 to 2007.

Professor Sheila Peace, Faculty of Health and Social Care, The Open University

Sheila Peace is Professor of Social Gerontology in the Faculty of Health & Social Care at The Open University. A social geographer by first discipline, she moved into the field of social gerontology in the 1970s. Sheila has long record of research within the field of environment and ageing particularly relating to issues of quality in care settings and person-environment interaction at both macro and micro levels. During the 1980 and 90s, Sheila and colleagues undertook the last national study of quality of life in local authority care homes reported in the influential ‗Private Lives in Public Places‘. The books ‗Re-evaluating Residential Care‘ and ‗Inclusive Housing in an Ageing Society‘ followed leading to more recent research concerning social interaction in urban public places, and housing and care in later life across both mainstream and supportive housing in urban, suburban and semi-rural environments. 2006 saw the publication of ‗Environment and Identity in Later Life‘ - a result of research within the ESRC ‗Growing Older‘ programme and most recently Sheila is PI in collaborative research with ergonomic colleagues at Loughborough University focusing on the micro-environment of the kitchen as part of the RCUKs New Dynamics of Ageing Programme.

Professor Anthony Warnes, Professor of Social Gerontology, Sheffield Institute for Studies on Ageing, Sheffield University

Tony Warnes has recently taken retirement from his post of Professor of Social Gerontology at the University of Sheffield. He has been conferred with an Emeritus post,

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and continues to be active in research. Tony took degrees in geography, economics and economic history at the Universities of Hull and Salford. From 1973, he was successively lecturer, reader, professor and head of department of geography at King‘s College London, as well as Warden of King‘s College Hall from 1978 to 1984. He moved to Sheffield in 1993.

His early research was in urban studies, population studies and migration, but from the 1970s he specialised in social gerontology, with special interests in housing choice and conditions, and migration in later life. With Janet Askham and Jonathan Barker of the then Age Concern Research Unit, he helped establish the Age Concern Institute of Gerontology at KCL in 1985-86 and set up a M.Sc. in Gerontology. He also supported the early development of both gerontology courses at Birkbeck College and the University of the Third Age in London. He held visiting posts at the University of Michigan and the University of South Florida.

The University created the Sheffield Institute for Studies of Ageing in 1994, when Tony took up his Sheffield post alongside Ian Philp as Marjorie Coote Professor of Health Care for Older People. Subsequently he carried out research on health-care resource allocation, the training of care-home staff, the welfare of older people in Yorkshire and the Humber, older migrants in Europe, the ethics of predictive gene testing, and, most recently through the Advanced Care Technologies Programme and in collaboration with Mark Hawley, Mike Nolan, Peter Cudd and Steve Blackburn, on assistive technologies for frail and vulnerable older people. He has carried out projects for, among others, the International Longevity Centre, Age Concern England, Age Concern Yorkshire, the Department for Work and Pensions, the Aga Khan Foundation, the Sheffield Health Authority, and the European Science Foundation.

Since moving to Sheffield, Tony has worked closely with Dr Maureen Crane on a succession of projects on homeless people and the service response (this began with her path-breaking ethnography of older homeless people). The programme has raised grants from Communities and Local Government (and its predecessors), The King‘s Fund, The Halley Stewart Trust, several service providers and campaigning organisations and three from the ESRC, including the FOR-HOME longitudinal study over 18 months of the outcomes of the resettlement of homeless people into conventional tenancies which completed in 2010.

Tony has made substantial contributions to the professional development of social gerontology in the UK. He has been Secretary and President (1994-2000) of the British Gerontology Society. During 1987-97 he was Review Editor of the CUP journal Ageing & Society, and from 1992 to 2010 was the Editor-in-Chief. He has been Chair of the Trustees of the Darnall Dementia Group, and is currently a Trustee of Sheffcare Ltd, a non-profit provider of residential care homes in Sheffield.

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