Sustainable age-friendly cities and communities in China: a scoping review and narrative assessment of national policies.
review · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 41281903.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1016/j.lanwpc.2025.101723 and PMC identifier 12639885.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Climate change, aging populations, and rapid urbanization intersect to pose public health challenges in China, impacting the livelihoods of older adults. This review maps China's national policies shaping Sustainable Age-Friendly Cities and Communities (AFCC), highlights supporting sub-national innovations, and identifies potential policy gaps and opportunities. We searched 26 national government websites for policy documents published from January 1, 2020, to December 20, 2024, screening 35,809 records and including 125 that met criteria. National frameworks (National Strategy for Climate Change Adaptation 2035, Healthy China 2030, Healthy Cities) have parallel efforts linking climate resilience and healthy aging. However, policy domains are siloed: age-friendly policies focus on healthcare accessibility, whereas sustainability policies target ecological restoration. Sub-national innovations, such as 15-min life circles, sponge cities for flood, "one old, one young" inter-generational hubs, advance climate adaptation. The large-scale Three-North Shelter Forest Program indirectly benefits older adults respiratory risk by controlling dust and desertification. However, these initiatives run in parallel, with limited shared targets, data systems, and co-financing. Institutional fragmentation and regional disparities in geographic, economic, and administrative capacities impede uniform implementation, risking inefficient spending and missed synergies. Effective action on concurrent aging and climate risks hinges on policy-and-practice integration of AFCC and sustainability agendas. Age-friendly plans should include sustainability and vice versa. China's administrative grid and large-scale ecological programs provide infrastructure for delivery of dual-benefits. This work is supported by the World Health Organization (WPRO/2024-02/AGE-DHP/22552 4), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (82422064, 82250610230, 42307535, 42577488), the Natural Science Foundation of Beijing (IS23105), and the National Bureau for Disease Control and Prevention (20241660047).