Türkiye’de Yaş Dostu Belediyecilik Uygulamaları: Yaş Dostu Kentler ve Topluluklar Küresel Ağı Bağlamında Bir İnceleme
Kubilay Çakıcı, Enes AtayDünyada ve Türkiye’de nüfus her geçen gün yaşlanmaktadır. Kentlileşen ve yaşlanan nüfusun yaşadığı alanlarda sağlıklı ve uyumlu hayat sürdürülebilmesi için son yıllarda çeşitli politikalar geliştirilmeye başlanmaktadır. Çalışmanın konusu, bu politikaların konseptini oluşturan yaş dostu kent ve yaş dostu belediyecilik uygulamalarıdır. Bu çalışmanın amacı, Dünya Sağlık Örgütü Yaş Dostu Şehirler ve Topluluklar Küresel Ağı’na dahil olan ve Türkiye’de bulunan belediyelerin yaş dostu faaliyetlerini yaş dostu kentler alt temaları kapsamında incelemektir. Ağ’ın misyonu, örnek uygulama ve deneyimlerin paylaşılmasını ve yaygınlaşmasını sağlamaktır. Bu misyon doğrultusunda kentleri yaş dostu olma yolunda desteklemeyi hedeflemektedir. Türkiye’den bir büyükşehir belediyesi ve beş büyükşehir ilçe belediyesi olmak üzere toplam altı belediyenin Ağ içerisinde yer aldığı görülmektedir. Araştırmanın örneklemini bu altı belediye oluşturmaktadır. Çalışmada nitel yöntemden faydalanılmıştır. 2020-2023 yıllarını kapsayan dört yıllık dönemdeki faaliyet raporları ve 2020-2024 stratejik planlarına belediyelerin kurumsal web sayfalarından erişilmiştir. Ağ’a dahil belediyelerin yaş dostu kent uygulama örnekleri, içerik analizi metoduyla incelenmiştir. Belediyelerin özellikle son yıllarda yaş dostu uygulamalara önem vermeye başladığı ve uygulamalarını bu doğrultuda çeşitlendirdikleri buna mukabil yaş dostu kent konseptinin alt temalarına dair faaliyetlerin yoğunlukla toplumsal destek ve sağlık hizmetlerine yönelik olduğu sonucuna ulaşılmıştır.
Age-Friendly Municipalism Practices in Türkiye: A Review in the Context of the Global Network of Age-Friendly Cities and Communities
Kubilay Çakıcı, Enes AtayThe population of Türkiye and the world is getting older every day. In recent years, policies have been developed to support healthy and harmonious living in urbanizing and ageing areas. This study focuses on age-friendly practices in Turkish municipalities that are part of the World Health Organization Global Network of Age-Friendly Cities and Communities. The mission of the Network is to ensure the sharing and dissemination of best practices and experiences. In line with this mission, it aims to support cities in becoming age-friendly. Six municipalities from Türkiye, including one metropolitan municipality and five metropolitan district municipalities, are part of the Network. These six municipalities constitute the sample of the study. A qualitative method was used in the study. We accessed activity reports from 2020-2023 and strategic plans for 2020-2024 from the corporate websites of the municipalities. We analyzed examples of age-friendly city practices of the municipalities included in the network using the content analysis method. The study concluded that municipalities have started to prioritize age-friendly practices, especially in recent years, and have diversified their practices in this direction. However, activities related to the sub-themes of the age-friendly city concept primarily focus on social support and health services.
The global population is rapidly ageing, a trend propelled by the combination of increasing life expectancy and declining fertility rates, thanks to advancements in health care and medical technology. This demographic shift necessitates the development of city policies that prioritize the well-being of senior citizens, ensuring they can lead healthy and harmonious lives. In this context, the significance of age-friendly cities and municipalities becomes even more pronounced, underlining the urgency of the issue.
Population projections also show that Türkiye’s population is ageing rapidly. The decrease in childbirth and prolonged life expectancy are reasons for the population ageing. Age-friendly city and municipality practices are critically crucial for Türkiye, which is undergoing demographic change. The urgency of this issue cannot be overstated. In this sense, the World Health Organisation (WHO) Global Network of Age-Friendly Cities and Communities is vital in identifying different practices and using them as a model.
TheWHOGlobal Network for Age-Friendly Cities and Communities, launched in 2010, plays a crucial role in meeting the needs of the ageing population. The network not only promotes age-friendly cities and communities but also facilitates the sharing of knowledge, experience, and good practices. The commitment of cities and communities to implement age-friendly practices, with the cooperation of various stakeholders, is a testament to the network’s influence. It provides guidance, resources, and information sharing, and organizes training programmes and workshops to ensure the effective implementation of age-friendly practices.
A qualitative method was used in the study. The services provided by Muratpaşa, Kadıköy, Beşiktaş, Seyhan, Bornova Municipalities and Mersin Metropolitan Municipality, which are included in the WHO Age-Friendly Cities and Communities Network from Türkiye, were obtained through document review data collection method within the framework of the strategic plans of the member municipalities covering the years 2020-2024 and the annual reports published between 2020-2023. These documents were then analyzed using a content analysis approach. The findings were associated with the sub-themes of age-friendly cities published by WHO. Thus, the age-friendly activities of the Network member municipalities in Türkiye were revealed, providing crucial insights for the audience. In addition, the themes under which these services are concentrated have been associated.
The world population and the population of Türkiye are ageing. Municipalities provide services within the age-friendly city concept, focusing on specific service groups. This study aims to reveal the current state of age-friendly city practices and the relationship between activities and sub-themes.
This research focuses on identifying and tracking age-friendly city policies implemented by municipalities, particularly in Türkiye. It highlights the lack of studies evaluating age-friendly municipal practices in Türkiye and emphasizes the importance of the research. The findings show that municipalities generally focus on home health and care services for older adults, but there is a lack of activities offered in areas such as civic participation, employment, transport, accommodation, and physical structures. Increasing municipal service diversity can contribute to the happy and active aging of elderly citizens. Spreading elderly home-type applications can facilitate older adults’ access to services and help them easily follow authority and responsibility in services.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the policy development and implementation of the network of member municipalities for older adults were disrupted. There was a significant increase in demand for some services before and after the pandemic. Some of the services provided for older adults were not offered after the pandemic. It was concluded that a significant portion of these services were meaningful during the pandemic, while their provision became meaningless after the pandemic.
In the activity reports for 2020-2023, duplicate data of the municipalities’ health and social service units were found. It is considered that there needs to be more clarity in authority and responsibility. For a solution, the unit responsible for determining the strategic plan must share the data in reporting. There are also various irregularities in the activity reports. It is observed that some data are shown under different headings by years, some are combined, and some data are not included at all. Maintaining the reporting method adopted by the Municipality within the strategic plan period will contribute to solving this problem.
Six municipalities in Turkey are showing interest in age-friendly initiatives, aligning with global trends and WHO objectives. While progress has been made in infrastructure and healthcare, more comprehensive policies are urgently needed to address economic security and employment opportunities for older individuals. Immediate action is necessary to tackle these issues.
