There are, however, other established tools and frameworks that planners, architects and designers can apply on smaller scales, such as precinct masterplans and high streets. Through the WHO program, cities such as Liverpool develop strategies and apply actions at the scale of the suburb or local government area. These include drop-off/pick-up zones for people with mobility aids, a hearing loop in the library and meeting rooms, “rest stops” throughout the complex for those with mobility issues, and colour contrast and large fonts on signs and wayfinding. Waller emphasizes several significant features of the project, which was designed in response to feedback from older residents. 2 According to the Mayor of Liverpool Wendy Waller, the council is aware of both the coming change and the importance of “incorporating the existing and future needs of our growing local aged community within Council’s planning and infrastructure development.”Ĭurrently under construction, the mixed-use Liverpool Civic Place development provides an example of the city’s approach to designing with older adults’ agency in mind. One Sydney local authority proactively preparing for this demographic change is Liverpool City Council, where the number of people aged 65 and over is estimated to increase from 21,600 in 2016 to 68,650 by 2041. Grimshaw interviewed two older residents living in Sydney in 2021 to compare their perceptions and experiences of how their city caters to their needs. Does Sydney consistently provide for its older residents? And are the city’s solutions fit to meet the diverse needs of these residents where they live? But none of Sydney’s other local governments has joined this international network that is seeking to find appropriate, innovative and evidence- based initiatives for assessing age- friendliness. Sydney benefits from a wide range of programs to support neighbourhoods and communities adapting to this social shift, including state government strategies and transport plans for seniors, a broad range of efforts led by the not-for-profit and social enterprise sectors (such as The Australian Centre for Social Innovation’s Homeshare, which enables older women to create safe and secure co-living situations), and two local governments (Liverpool and Lane Cove) that have been part of the WHO Global Network for Age-friendly Cities and Communities since 2014. The statistics are stark: by 2041, the Greater Sydney region’s population of people over 65 years of age is predicted to reach more than 1.2 million, more than twice as many as there are today.