📅 May 9, 2025, Post 13: Kozhikode Recognised by WHO as Age-Friendly City | Mains Essay / Target IAS-26 MCQs Attached: A complete Package, Dear Aspirants!
Kozhikode Recognised by WHO as Age-Friendly City
NEWS DROP — PETAL 013
🗓️ Date: May 9, 2025
🏙️ Thematic Focus: GS1 – Society | GS2 – Urban Governance | GS2 – Welfare of Vulnerable Sections
🌿 Intro Whisper:
When a city respects its elders, it writes a future where every footstep—young or old—is welcome.
🏛️ What’s in the News?
- Kozhikode, Kerala, has been officially included in the World Health Organization’s Global Network for Age-friendly Cities and Communities (GNAFCC).
- The move highlights its efforts to make the city inclusive, accessible, and supportive for senior citizens.
👵🏼 What is an Age-Friendly City?
An age-friendly city ensures older adults can live:
- Independently, with dignity
- Securely, in accessible and affordable spaces
- Actively, through community engagement and health access
Focus areas include:
✔️ Barrier-free public spaces and buildings
✔️ Reliable and affordable transport
✔️ Senior-focused housing and healthcare
✔️ Social inclusion and community participation
✔️ Easy-to-understand communication tools
🌐 WHO’s GNAFCC: Global Mission
- Established: 2010
- Objective: Help cities worldwide become more age-inclusive
- Functions:
➤ Inspire global reforms through success stories
➤ Connect cities for peer learning
➤ Promote innovative and evidence-based local policies
✨ Kozhikode’s Global Civic Journey
- 2022: Became India’s first UNESCO “City of Literature” under the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN)
- 2025: Now joins GNAFCC, placing Kozhikode among a rare group of cities globally that combine cultural vibrancy with age-inclusive infrastructure
🌍 Why It Matters
- India is experiencing a rapid rise in its elderly population, expected to surpass 300 million by 2050
- Urban spaces must transition from youth-centric to age-balanced
- Kozhikode can now serve as a model city, combining cultural literacy with elder dignity
📘 GS Paper Mapping:
- GS Paper 1: Urbanization | Society | Changing Demographics
- GS Paper 2: Welfare of Vulnerable Sections | Role of Local Bodies | International Cooperation
- Essay: “Designing Cities for the Last Mile of Life: Inclusion, Grace, and Dignity”
🌠 Closing Thought:
A city becomes truly modern not by its skyline—but by how softly it walks with the slowest among us.
High Quality Mains Essay For Practice :
Word Limit 1000-1200
“Designing Cities for the Last Mile of Life: Inclusion, Grace, and Dignity”
In the fast lanes of modern urbanisation, it is easy to forget those who walk a little slower. As skylines rise and metros sprint beneath the earth, the elderly—the quiet custodians of memories, tradition, and experience—often find themselves isolated, invisible, and structurally excluded. Designing cities for the last mile of life is not merely an architectural or planning challenge; it is a philosophical, moral, and social imperative. It is about reimagining urban space not just as a machine for productivity, but as a sanctuary of grace, accessibility, and collective care.
I. The Demographic Turning Point: A Grey Revolution
The 21st century is witnessing an unprecedented demographic shift. By 2050, the world will have more people over 60 than under 15. India too is on the cusp of this transformation, with its elderly population projected to exceed 300 million by mid-century. This ‘grey revolution’ poses immense challenges to healthcare, housing, and transportation—but also opens up a radical opportunity: to create cities that value wisdom, not just youth; continuity, not just change.
Yet, our cities are often designed with only the able-bodied, young, and economically active in mind. Tall flyovers, crumbling footpaths, inaccessible government offices, and haphazard public transportation are not just inconveniences for senior citizens—they are structural forms of exclusion.
II. Inclusion Beyond Ramps: The True Architecture of Dignity
Age-friendly design must go beyond token infrastructure like ramps or senior benches in parks. It must embrace a whole-of-life approach. This means:
- Housing that is affordable, located near services, and equipped for limited mobility.
- Healthcare systems with geriatric wards, home-based support, and telemedicine for chronic illness.
- Transport that is non-discriminatory, with low-floor buses, clear signage, and seating priority.
- Digital interfaces with simplified UX for elderly citizens who wish to access online public services.
- Cultural and civic spaces that encourage participation, storytelling, and intergenerational bonding.
This vision is rooted in dignity—the cornerstone of Article 21 of the Indian Constitution—and a recognition that every phase of life deserves equal attention in the urban imagination.
III. International Lessons: Cities That Listen to Age
Globally, several cities have embraced this inclusive ethic.
- Osaka (Japan): Offers smart elder-care housing with sensors for monitoring health, safety, and nutrition.
- New York City: Has over 400 “Ageing Improvement Districts” with features like age-friendly grocery stores, benches, and extended crossing times.
- Manchester (UK): Encourages “Age-Friendly Ambassadors” who act as peer-educators, making civic participation meaningful.
These cities are part of the WHO’s Global Network for Age-Friendly Cities and Communities (GNAFCC)—a framework that India can learn from, adapt, and scale.
The recent recognition of Kozhikode by WHO as an Age-Friendly City is a beacon of possibility. By making healthcare, mobility, and public participation more accessible to its elders, Kozhikode has redefined what a truly inclusive Indian city could look like.
IV. The Indian Urban Paradox: Growth Without Grace
Despite scattered success stories, India’s urban model often overlooks senior citizens. Census data shows that over 65% of India’s elderly live in urban and semi-urban regions. Many live alone, especially women, and face emotional and financial vulnerability.
Our Smart Cities Mission has made significant strides in digital innovation and urban renewal—but age-friendliness has rarely been a core metric. Pedestrian spaces are shrinking. Bus terminals are chaotic. Even digital portals for pensions or healthcare are rarely designed with visual, motor, or cognitive impairments in mind.
In a nation that prides itself on “matru devo bhava, pitru devo bhava”, this exclusion is both ironic and tragic.
V. Beyond Policy: Culture, Memory, and Meaning
Inclusion is not only about physical access—it is also about cultural belonging. Cities must become places where elderly people feel needed, not just nursed. That means:
- Involving them in governance (as advisors in ward committees)
- Leveraging their skills through senior mentoring schemes in schools, libraries, or public forums
- Honouring their histories by integrating oral storytelling, memory walks, and neighbourhood chronicles into urban life
Designing cities for the aged is, at its core, about preserving continuity in a world obsessed with speed.
VI. The Road Ahead: An Intergenerational Compact
To future-proof Indian cities, a multipronged strategy is needed:
- Mandating age-inclusivity in all municipal and town planning guidelines
- Establishing “Silver Zones” with slow traffic, rest stops, and elderly clinics
- Integrating age-specific goals into Smart City dashboards and SDG localization
- Incentivizing real estate developers to build elder-centric housing clusters
- Strengthening the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act through digital grievance portals and enforcement cells
- Encouraging public-private partnerships in elder-care innovation (wearables, home monitoring, transport-on-call)
Most importantly, we must build empathy into engineering, policy, and public discourse.
Conclusion: The Last Mile, The First Test of Humanity
As India hurtles toward urban modernity, its success will not be judged by how many skyscrapers it builds, but by how gracefully it allows its citizens to age. Cities that walk slowly enough for their elders are cities wise enough to last.
To design for the last mile of life is to embrace a journey not of decline, but of distilled dignity. It is to build not just with steel and concrete—but with soul.
Target IAS-26: Daily MCQs :
📌 Prelims Practice MCQs
Topic:
MCQ 1: Type-1 — “How many of the above statements are correct?”
Consider the following statements regarding Kozhikode and the concept of age-friendly cities:
1. Kozhikode has joined the WHO’s Global Network for Age-friendly Cities and Communities.
2. Age-friendly cities aim to promote inclusivity, safety, and active living for older persons.
3. The WHO GNAFCC was launched in 2010 to assist cities in preparing for climate-induced migration.
4. Kozhikode was also recognized by UNESCO as a Creative City of Literature in 2022.
How many of the above statements are correct?
A) Only two
B) Only three
C) All four
D) Only one
🌀 Didn’t get it? Click here (▸) for the Correct Answer & Explanation
✅ Correct Answer: B) Only three
🧠 Explanation:
1) Correct – Kozhikode recently joined the WHO GNAFCC.
2) Correct – Age-friendly cities focus on healthcare, mobility, safety, and participation for the elderly.
3) Incorrect – GNAFCC was launched in 2010 for age-inclusivity, not climate migration.
4) Correct – In 2022, Kozhikode became India’s first UNESCO City of Literature.
MCQ 2: Type-2 — Two-Statement Assertion
Consider the following statements:
1. The WHO’s GNAFCC network facilitates exchange of knowledge and best practices among member cities.
2. Age-friendly cities must provide jobs for all citizens over the age of 60.
A) Only 1 is correct
B) Only 2 is correct
C) Both are correct
D) Neither is correct
🌀 Didn’t get it? Click here (▸) for the Correct Answer & Explanation
✅ Correct Answer: A) Only 1 is correct
🧠 Explanation:
1) Correct – GNAFCC is designed to connect cities for collaborative learning.
2) Incorrect – Age-friendliness does not mandate employment; it promotes participation and inclusion.
MCQ 3: Type-3 — “Which of the above statements is/are correct?”
Consider the following statements about age-friendly urban planning:
1. It includes accessible infrastructure like ramps, benches, and clear signboards.
2. Age-friendly cities prioritize health services, social engagement, and public transportation for the elderly.
3. India has a national policy requiring all Smart Cities to meet WHO age-friendly guidelines.
4. Kozhikode’s inclusion in both UNESCO and WHO networks reflects a holistic approach to culture and well-being.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
A) 1, 2 and 4 only
B) 1, 3 and 4 only
C) 2, 3 and 4 only
D) All four
🌀 Didn’t get it? Click here (▸) for the Correct Answer & Explanation
✅ Correct Answer: A) 1, 2 and 4 only
🧠 Explanation:
1) Correct – Physical access features are core to age-friendly design.
2) Correct – Health and engagement are vital components.
3) Incorrect – There is no national mandate yet for Smart Cities to align with GNAFCC.
4) Correct – Kozhikode’s twin recognitions reflect cultural and senior-inclusive planning.
MCQ 4: Type-4 — Direct Factual Question
Which international organisation awarded Kozhikode the status of an Age-Friendly City?
A) UNESCO
B) UN-Habitat
C) World Health Organization
D) International Federation on Ageing
🌀 Didn’t get it? Click here (▸) for the Correct Answer & Explanation.
✅ Correct Answer: C) World Health Organization
🧠 Explanation:
C) The WHO included Kozhikode in its Global Network for Age-friendly Cities and Communities (GNAFCC).
