Applications of TR33 Region Municipalities from an Age-Friendly City Perspective

Abstract

The introduction of the concept of “age-friendly city” to world literature began with the initiative of the United Nations and its affiliated organization, the World Health Organization. Concept focus on creating a physical and social environment that will support the aging in place and social participation of elderly individuals, with the acceptance that the environments they live in directly affect their quality of life. While creating age-friendly cities are becoming an increasingly widespread need for Turkey, which has an increasingly aging population, it has been observed that there are limited studies in the domestic literature on age-friendly cities, which are a new concept. The aim of this study, which focuses on the concept of age-friendly cities, is to examine the activities of the municipalities in the TR33 Region, which consists of the provinces of Afyonkarahisar, Kütahya, Manisa and Uşak, regarding the elderly. Within the scope of the research, the activities of the municipalities regarding the elderly for the provinces specified were investigated by examining the trategic Plans and the Activity Reports in the last four years (the period covering the years 2020-2023) before the change of mayorship in the local elections of March 31, 2024. According to the findings, it can be said that the age-friendly status of the municipalities in the TR33 Region is very inadequate, especially in terms of some headings (e.g., housing, civic engagement and employment, communication and information, outdoor spaces and buildings).