The age-friendly public city: initial reflections of a medium-size city as Bergamo

Abstract

The demographic trend of aging is a global phenomenon, but it manifests differently across countries. Italy is one of the “oldest” countries in the world, and this phenomenon is even more pronounced in urbanized contexts. At the same time, in Italy, most people over 65 live in medium-sized cities, they continue to age at home and in their neighborhood (Aging in Place). This paper aims to present the first phase of the research funded by the Next-Generation EU initiative, titled “CASA Aging in Cities-Medium: How Housing Conditions and Urban Spaces Can Reduce or Increase Opportunities for Longevity in Health”. The research develops a multiscalar and interdisciplinary analytical model to investigate how urban space influences healthy aging and neighborhood attachment, using Bergamo as a representative case of medium-sized Italian cities.