Descriptive Analysis and Evaluation of Age-Friendly Environment Studies in Turkiye

Abstract

The need to create inclusive and sustainable environments that enhance the well-being of the older people and compensate for social and physical barriers in order to adapt to the effects of demographic transformation and rapid urban aging has emerged. This need gained momentum with the guidance of the WHO's Age-Friendly Cities initiative in the early 2000s. These global developments have also influenced studies in Turkey. This study examines the perspectives and approaches to the topic of 'age-friendly environment’ in scientific circles and academia in Turkey in order to answer the question: How is the concept of 'age-friendly environment’ studied in Turkey? Scientific studies related to age-friendly environments in Turkey conducted between 2014 and 2023 were analyzed using descriptive content analysis method. The findings of the study indicate that the majority of studies in Turkey consist of articles (54.3%) and theses (30.9%), with methodological distribution being mostly limited to qualitative studies (38.2%) and review studies (32.2%). Furthermore, thematically, concepts such as 'age-friendly city, aging in place, age-friendly environment, age-friendly design, active aging’ are frequently studied, while themes commonly discussed in the international agenda such as inclusivity, accessibility, sustainability, and the right to the city are relatively underrepresented. On the other hand, it is observed that the majority of studies lack an environmental gerontology perspective.