Research Report
A Study on the Adoption of Legislation in accordance with the WHO Age-Friendly Cities Guideline
I. Background and Purpose of Research
▶ Structural Change Leading to Demographic Onus Era and Transition to Aged Society
○ According to the United Nations (UN) World Population Prospects 2022, the share of the population aged 65 years or above is projected to rise globally between 2022 and 2050, and the proportion of the world's older people is expected to reach nearly 12 percent by 2030 and 16 percent by 2050.
○ Structural changes leading to a demographic onus era and the transition to an aged society are taking place in Korea faster than anywhere else in the world due to low birth rates and the rapid aging of the population.
- According to data from Statistics Korea, as of 2024, Korea is currently entering a super-aged society with the population aged 65 years or above accounting for 19.2%. By 2072, such population is projected to reach 47.7%.
○ Fair to say that Korea as well as the world is moving toward an aged society, which results from changes in population structures leading to changes in social structures. In the transition to an aged society, international organizations are focusing on an age-friendly city.
▶ Necessity of Cities to Respond to Aged Society, Emphasized by International Organizations
○ In 2002, the UN World Assembly on Ageing presented policies and tasks to be shared for joint response to an aged society and adopted the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing (MIPAA), emphasizing the necessity to create an age-friendly city in response to an aged society.
- The World Health Organization (WHO) has been promoting the WHO Global Network for Age-friendly Cities and Communities since 2006, and presented basic guidelines by publishing the “Global age-friendly cities: a guide” in 2007 and the “National programmes for age-friendly cities and communities: a guide” in 2023. In addition, as part of the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing (2021-2030), the UN's sustainable development goal, it has promoted the creation of an age-friendly environment as an area of action.
- In relation to “Sustainable Cities and Human Settlements”, the UN has included "make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable" in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goal 11. At the second and third sessions of the Commission on Sustainable development, the following was discussed and proposed: improving human settlements management; promoting sustainable land-use planning and management; and promoting human resource development and capacity-building for human settlements development.
- The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) views cities as an important player in implementing policies to respond to an aged society, and 'equal opportunities' and 'cities of scale' are one of the urban policy principles.
▶ Urban Redesign Policies Reflecting Population Size and Economic Activities, Promoted by the Government
○ In December 2022, the government announced 4+a strategies to respond to changes in demographic structures: absorbing labor shortage shocks due to demographic cliff; preparing for population decline; preparing for rural depopulation; working on social security sustainability; and expanding the base to address demographic policies. The government has also promoted redesign policies that reflect population size and economic activities at the national, urban, and regional levels.
○ In March 2024, the Presidential Office presented a policy strategy for urban space restructuring by referring to the “Three Innovation Plans for Urban Space, Residence and Quality” at the “People's Livelihood Debate with the People.”
▶ Limitations in Legislation Related to Age-Friendly City Reflecting Population Size and Economic Activities
○ Even if the government and local governments devise and promote strategies to respond to changes in population size, limitations in the current system stand in the way of producing any practical policy and system effects.
- The Ministry of Health and Welfare stipulated an age-friendly city in the amended Welfare of Senior Citizens Act on December 20, 2023 as an urban design plan in line with government policies and strategies reflecting population size and economic activities, but has yet to set forth specific details in its schedule to specifically determine a plan for operating an age-friendly city.
- As of September 2024, a total of 101 Si/Gun/Gu local governments have prescribed matters related to an age-friendly city in their ordinances but have yet to stipulate specific details necessary for the creation of an age-friendly city.
- The creation of an age-friendly city should be reflected in the regulations regarding metropolitan urban plans, City/Gun master plans and the guidelines for the formulation of such plans, which are set forth in the National Land Planning and Utilization Act and the Enforcement Decree of the same Act. However, the National Land Planning and Utilization Act only stipulates that the basic principles of national land use and management are to respond to the aging of the population and to provide an optimal living environment by applying new technological changes.
▶ Necessity to Study Legislative Acceptance Plans for Age-Friendly City Design in Line with Government Policies and International Organization Standards
○ We are now faced with changes in demographic structures, dealing with an aged society, and are required to restructure urban spaces. Now is the time to explore plans for the legislative acceptance of a program to create an age-friendly city, which is being newly proposed to address such issues.
○ Acceptance plans should be explored as follows: reflecting population size and economic activities in government policies; improving the driving force and effectiveness of the implementation of the age-friendly city program; supplementing limitations in the current legislation and ordinances; and studying legislative acceptance plans for the creation of an age-friendly city as urban design that meets the urban design guides, urban and urban development goals, and urban policy principles of international organizations, such as WHO, UN, and OECD.
○ The purpose of this study is to explore legislative acceptance plans on urban design in line with the WHO Age-friendly Cities Guide, with the aim of improving the practical effects of government policies, the driving force of the introduction of the age-friendly city program, and the implementation of such program.
Ⅱ. Main Content
▶ Exploring Concept and Necessity of Age-Friendly City
○ To explore the ideals and concepts of what it means to be an age-friendly city by asking questions like “What does an age-friendly city mean?”, “What kind of city can be referred as age-friendly city?” and comparing and analyzing the WHO Age-friendly Cities Guide and definitions used in our legislation.
○ To have a close look at the necessity of an age-friendly city. Explore the necessity of an age-friendly city to discover what the creation of an age-friendly city means by understanding why an age-friendly city is necessary, whether the city is for considering changes in demographic structures or for guaranteeing basic rights as social rights and whether it has to do with relevance with plans for various policies.
▶ Trends of International Organizations in Age-Friendly City
○ To draw implications by having a close look at discussions and trends of international organizations, such as UN, OECD and UN HABITAT and reviewing and analyzing the contents of the WHO Age-friendly Cities Guide and the World Charter of the Right to the City.
○ To draw implications by focusing on the WHO-recommended standards for the creation of an age-friendly city.
▶ Current Status of Legislation and Tasks Related to Age-Friendly City
○ To review the current status of legislation related to the creation of an age-friendly city and think of tasks. In accordance with the standards for reviewing the current status of legislation, how eight domains and items presented in the WHO Age-friendly Cities Guide are prescribed in our statutes should be identified.
○ To think of tasks by reviewing the contents and forms of statutes and ordinances that directly refer to the creation of an age-friendly city, and by reviewing statutes that generally prescribe the formulation and implementation of plans to create an age-friendly city, and reviewing guidelines for the formulation of such plans.
▶ Legislative Acceptance Plans in Accordance with WHO Age-Friendly Cities Guide
○ To suggest specific details for ordinances, statutes, and guidelines for the formulation of urban plans, with regard to how to accept the WHO Age-friendly Cities Guide into our legislation, by combining the implications drawn from the trends of international organizations on age-friendly cities and the current legislation status and tasks.
Ⅲ. Expected Effects
▶ Academic Contribution
○ To be used as basic research data for related studies through theoretical research that supports the concept and necessity of an age-friendly city.
▶ Legislative Contribution
○ To be used to supplement what needs to be improved in legislating the creation of an age-friendly city, by providing legislative acceptance plans necessary for the creation of an age-friendly city, which meet the International Aging-friendly Cities Guide.
▶ Policy Contribution
○ To be used to improve the effectiveness of government policies reflecting population size and economic activities, and to improve the driving force and effectiveness of the implementation of the age-friendly city program.