Examining age-friendly policy in French and Canadian shrinking cities
In this article published in the journal Cities, Anton Paumelle (Postdoctoral Researcher at Géographie-cités, France / ANR ENVERSMET), Rachel Barber (Queen’s University, Canada), Beatriz Fernandez (Associate Professor at EHESS / Géographie-cités, France), and Maxwell Hartt (Queen’s University, Canada), examine the relationships between population ageing and demographic decline within urban policy in French and Canadian cities. Their analysis draws in particular on cartographic work and an examination of the World Health Organization’s Age-friendly Cities network. This research forms part of the ANR ENVERSMET project, directed by Beatriz Fernandez.
Abstract
The populations of cities across the world are ageing. Many demographically older communities face spatially and economically related obstacles, such as shrinking populations and economic decline. This is the case in France and Canada, where, despite having very different urban landscapes, geographies of shrinking and ageing cities are similar. In both countries, population shrinkage is prominent, yet widely overlooked by the media and general public and ignored by politicians and decision makers. The paucity of consideration of shrinking cities combined with the shift of the world’s (Canada) and Europe’s (France) largest proportional baby boom generations into older adulthood present a clarion call for academics, planners, and policymakers.
First, our research examined the past and present geographies of ageing and shrinking in Canada and France and determined that cities experiencing severe population shrinkage are likely to experience higher rates of ageing. Migration behaviours by age were found to vary based on the percentage of older adults in the city, and whether the city was growing or shrinking. Second, we analyzed age-friendly urban policy documents and found that shrinking, ageing cities were seldom members of the World Health Organization’s Age-friendly Cities network. Of the few cities that were members of the network and had developed age-friendly policy documents, none had policies referring to population shrinkage. Global age-friendly policy documents also did not account for population decline. The findings demonstrate the need for planners and policymakers to address the unique context created by simultaneous demographic ageing and population decline.
Ageing and shrinking cities in France and Canada
Our typology of ageing and shrinking cities allowed for the identification of French and Canadian municipalities experiencing both substantial population decline and pronounced ageing. In France, shrinking and ageing municipalities tend to be relatively small. Nearly 97 % of “shrinking and high ageing” municipalities (above 10,000 residents) have fewer than 50,000 inhabitants. Most large cities are not affected; they tend to be growing, or, if shrinking, have lower rates of ageing (Fig. 2).
[…] Once again, the Canadian findings show many parallels. 95 % of the “shrinking and high ageing” municipalities have fewer than 50,000 residents, with the vast majority being relatively small cities. The Canadian map in Fig. 2 may seem sparsely populated, but the majority of Canadian cities are concentrated along the southern border. In general, shrinking municipalities tend to be farther from this border. Among the municipalities experiencing both shrinking and high ageing, many are located in Eastern Canada, particularly Atlantic Canada and Northern Quebec.
