Trends show that in the future, most people will live in cities and many of them will be older than 60 years old, ushering in a four-generation urban society. Policy and decision-makers therefore must include in urban plans the health and social needs of densely populated cities and aging constituents, along with other concerns. Ensuring the well-being of people and communities is also a key factor in building a city’s competitiveness, especially in a post-coronavirus disease (COVID-19) setting. A healthy city promotes equality, good governance, well-being, innovations, and knowledge sharing. It involves active mobility, food production, gardening, availability of sports arenas, and ways of social exchange. Meanwhile, an age-friendly city enhances the quality of life by anticipating and responding flexibly to the needs and preferences of older persons, protecting especially the most vulnerable. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has developed a framework that integrates sustainable urban planning and management with health and age-friendly outcomes and care systems to guide urban planners. The two-stage holistic and evidence-based framework uses two tools: the Health Impact Assessment and Healthy and Age-Friendly City Action and Management Planning. The framework incorporates lessons and best practices from ADB’s projects in the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
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