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Disability and Aging in the City of the Future
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Neurosail
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24 July 2008
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Blog: eight
Word count: 622
Title: Disability and Aging in the City of the Future
Subtitle: The Little Old Lady (From Pasadena)
Disability and Aging in the City of the Future
From Wikipedia: "The Little Old Lady from Pasadena" was an imaginary icon of the period based on the local folklore premise that Pasadena, California was a city with one of the largest death rates in the nation. Many elderly couples retired to Pasadena in the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s as refugees from the Dust Bowl, refugees of the Great Depression, and refugees of post-World War II. After a time the husband died, and the widow was left with the home. But in the garage would be the man's car, that in most cases, she didn't drive…
Will the future repeat itself in more and more cities as baby boomers age and die? What can cities do to help the elderly? In Popular Science (July, 08) is an article; "Green Megalopolis". The article states that: "Later this year, for the first time in history, more than half the world will live in cities" The World Health Organization (WHO) states in "New guide on building age-friendly cities" that" Today around 75% of all older people living in the developed world are urban dwellers- expected to increase to 80% in 2015. More spectacularly, in developing countries the number of older people in cities will increase from 56 million in 2000 to over 908 million in 2050." That is an increase of 16.2% in 50 years. How can cities do to make life easier for the seniors?
Chronic diseases will occur more often as baby boomers age. Cities must do more to aid the population by making the cities "friendly". WHO suggest common features such as:
Well-maintain and well-lit sidewalks;
Public buildings that is fully accessible to people with disabilities;
City bus drivers who wait until older people are seated before starting off and priority seating on buses;
Enough reserved parking spots for people with disabilities;
Housing integrated in a community that accommodates changing needs and abilities as people grow older;
Friendly, personalized service and information instead of automated answering services; easy-to-read written information in plain (and multiple) language(s);
Public and commercial services and stores in neighbourhoods close to where people live, rather than concentrated outside the city;
And a civic culture that respects and includes older persons."
These plans will help the cities an enjoyable place to live. Diet and exercise can reduce diseases such as cancer, heart disease, hypertension, stroke, mental disorders and other chronic diseases and pulmonary conditions. Longevity Dividend would also reduce this burden of chronic diseases by doing research and helping people live longer lives in a safe comfortable environment, which would greatly increase the total life span. These cities will have monitoring robots and other forms of controls to ensure the public for safety while keeping the privacy of the individual. For example, if a person had a heart attack at a sub-way station, there would be medical personal at hand.
Cities using "green megalopolis" technologies such as electric pod vehicles, maglev-trains, vertical farms (which grow food locally) will help the environment and provide a cleaner and healthier place to live. This would also provide a freer sociality with less government over people's lives and eliminate crime. Crime would be reduced because of the amount of jobs these cities will create. These cities will also spread out and prevent overcrowding. Overcrowding can lead to high stress and crime. Spreading cities out creates neighbourhoods with different ethic diversity such as China Village, or Greek City, or Little Italy, so people can celebrate their heritage.
So what about the "Little Old Lady (From Pasadena)? She would be able to move more freely across the "Eco-tropolis" without fear of crime, or chronic diseases in a clean, healthy city.
Go, Granny, Go Granny, Go, Go, Go….
Word count: 622
Title: Disability and Aging in the City of the Future
Subtitle: The Little Old Lady (From Pasadena)
Disability and Aging in the City of the Future
From Wikipedia: "The Little Old Lady from Pasadena" was an imaginary icon of the period based on the local folklore premise that Pasadena, California was a city with one of the largest death rates in the nation. Many elderly couples retired to Pasadena in the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s as refugees from the Dust Bowl, refugees of the Great Depression, and refugees of post-World War II. After a time the husband died, and the widow was left with the home. But in the garage would be the man's car, that in most cases, she didn't drive…
Will the future repeat itself in more and more cities as baby boomers age and die? What can cities do to help the elderly? In Popular Science (July, 08) is an article; "Green Megalopolis". The article states that: "Later this year, for the first time in history, more than half the world will live in cities" The World Health Organization (WHO) states in "New guide on building age-friendly cities" that" Today around 75% of all older people living in the developed world are urban dwellers- expected to increase to 80% in 2015. More spectacularly, in developing countries the number of older people in cities will increase from 56 million in 2000 to over 908 million in 2050." That is an increase of 16.2% in 50 years. How can cities do to make life easier for the seniors?
Chronic diseases will occur more often as baby boomers age. Cities must do more to aid the population by making the cities "friendly". WHO suggest common features such as:
Well-maintain and well-lit sidewalks;
Public buildings that is fully accessible to people with disabilities;
City bus drivers who wait until older people are seated before starting off and priority seating on buses;
Enough reserved parking spots for people with disabilities;
Housing integrated in a community that accommodates changing needs and abilities as people grow older;
Friendly, personalized service and information instead of automated answering services; easy-to-read written information in plain (and multiple) language(s);
Public and commercial services and stores in neighbourhoods close to where people live, rather than concentrated outside the city;
And a civic culture that respects and includes older persons."
These plans will help the cities an enjoyable place to live. Diet and exercise can reduce diseases such as cancer, heart disease, hypertension, stroke, mental disorders and other chronic diseases and pulmonary conditions. Longevity Dividend would also reduce this burden of chronic diseases by doing research and helping people live longer lives in a safe comfortable environment, which would greatly increase the total life span. These cities will have monitoring robots and other forms of controls to ensure the public for safety while keeping the privacy of the individual. For example, if a person had a heart attack at a sub-way station, there would be medical personal at hand.
Cities using "green megalopolis" technologies such as electric pod vehicles, maglev-trains, vertical farms (which grow food locally) will help the environment and provide a cleaner and healthier place to live. This would also provide a freer sociality with less government over people's lives and eliminate crime. Crime would be reduced because of the amount of jobs these cities will create. These cities will also spread out and prevent overcrowding. Overcrowding can lead to high stress and crime. Spreading cities out creates neighbourhoods with different ethic diversity such as China Village, or Greek City, or Little Italy, so people can celebrate their heritage.
So what about the "Little Old Lady (From Pasadena)? She would be able to move more freely across the "Eco-tropolis" without fear of crime, or chronic diseases in a clean, healthy city.
Go, Granny, Go Granny, Go, Go, Go….
