The supportiverole of urban spaces in active aging is explored on a world scale in thisunique resource, using the WHO's Age-Friendly Cities and Community model. Casestudies from the U. S. , Canada, Australia, Hong Kong, and elsewhere demonstratehow the model translates to fit diverse social, political, and economic realitiesacross cultures and continents, ways age-friendly programs promote seniorempowerment, and how their value can be effectively assessed. Age-friendlycriteria for communities are defined and critiqued while extensive empiricaldata describe challenges as they affect elders globally and how environmentalsupport can help meet them. These chapters offer age-friendly cities as acorrective to the overemphasis on the medical aspects of elders' lives, and shouldinspire new research, practice, and public policy. Included in thecoverage: A critical review of the WHO Age-Friendly Cities Methodology and its implementation. Seniors' perspectives on age-friendly communities. The implementation of age-friendly cities in three districts of Argentina. Age-friendly New York City: a case study. Toward an age-friendly European Union. Age-friendliness, childhood, and dementia: toward generationally intelligent environments. With its balanceof attention to universal and culture-specific concerns, Age-Friendly Cities and Communities in International Comparisonwill be of particular interest to sociologists, gerontologists, and policymakers. "Given the rapid adoption ofthe age-friendly perspective, following its development by the World HealthOrganization, the critical assessment offered in this volume is especiallywelcome". Professor ChrisPhillipson, University of Manchester
