Older Citizens’ Perspectives on Quality of Life in Their Cities: Analysis of Resident Reports Submitted through a Co-Created Online Tool
Older Citizens’ Perspectives on Quality of Life in Their Cities: Analysis of Resident Reports Submitted through a Co-Created Online Tool
Wednesday, 9 July 2025: 00:30
Location: FSE037 (Faculty of Education Sciences (FSE))
Oral Presentation
Population ageing and urbanization are two dominant forces shaping today's social and economic landscape, particularly in the context of developing sustainable, age-friendly cities. The challenge is to prepare for these shifts in ways that enable both current and future generations of older adults to benefit from age-friendly urban strategies (van Hoof et al., 2018). While "ageing in place"—the ability of older adults to live safely, independently, and comfortably within their communities—has become a priority in many national policy agendas (WHO, 2015), many aspects remain underexplored, especially through the active engagement of older citizens.
This presentation aims to examine reports from older adults submitted via a web application developed as part of the City and Co project, funded by ENUTC (2021/03/Y/HS6/00213). The application feeds data into a Geoportal, a city map that visualizes user input alongside other city information, such as demographics, services, and land use. Together, the application and Geoportal serve as innovative tools for supporting the creation of age-friendly initiatives. The study analyzes data from two Polish cities—Kraków and Wrocław—where older citizens co-developed the application during the co-creation process.
Our analysis is based on a study involving over 50 users aged 65 and older, who tested the application between Winter 2023 and Summer 2024. The tool allowed users to submit photos with comments about age-friendly challenges, positive experiences, and neutral observations, linking them to specific WHO domains and city locations. Participants found the application intuitive and effective, noting that it gave them a sense of agency in shaping age-friendly city initiatives. Preliminary findings reveal both similarities and differences in how older adults perceive the quality of life in their cities, which are discussed in the broader context of promoting age-friendly policies.
This presentation aims to examine reports from older adults submitted via a web application developed as part of the City and Co project, funded by ENUTC (2021/03/Y/HS6/00213). The application feeds data into a Geoportal, a city map that visualizes user input alongside other city information, such as demographics, services, and land use. Together, the application and Geoportal serve as innovative tools for supporting the creation of age-friendly initiatives. The study analyzes data from two Polish cities—Kraków and Wrocław—where older citizens co-developed the application during the co-creation process.
Our analysis is based on a study involving over 50 users aged 65 and older, who tested the application between Winter 2023 and Summer 2024. The tool allowed users to submit photos with comments about age-friendly challenges, positive experiences, and neutral observations, linking them to specific WHO domains and city locations. Participants found the application intuitive and effective, noting that it gave them a sense of agency in shaping age-friendly city initiatives. Preliminary findings reveal both similarities and differences in how older adults perceive the quality of life in their cities, which are discussed in the broader context of promoting age-friendly policies.