Kick-off Ceremony & Cities for All

While cities across the OECD continue to grow and attract young residents, the share of older adults in urban population is also rising fast. Without age-sensitive policies, cities can incur significant social and economic costs, from weaker economic growth to higher public health burdens and reduced resilience. By contrast, age-inclusive cities can create vibrant communities where everyone can live, work and thrive. To achieve this goal, local authorities, urban planners, and developers must work together to support urban residents at every stage of life. The new OECD report Cities for All Ages provides a framework for national and local governments to make cities more age-inclusive, with practical solutions ranging from accessible infrastructure to adaptable housing. The session will explore avenues for collective action to meet the needs of an ageing population in cities while expanding opportunities for residents of all ages.

 

Across the world, cities are grappling with a severe housing crisis, with soaring costs and limited supply making affordable homes unattainable for many. But affordability is only one part of the challenge – governments at all levels must also take bold action and commitments to tackle homelessness, improve housing quality, and deploy housing policy as a tool for climate change action. Momentum for global action on housing is building up. For example, the OECD Horizontal Housing initiative leveraged multidisciplinary expertise to develop an OECD Housing Reform Agenda and Policy Toolkit. UN Habitat has recently set up an Open-ended Intergovernmental Expert Working Group on Adequate Housing for All co-chaired by France and Kenya, calling for stronger cooperation and concrete solutions to ensure affordable and sustainable housing for all. The European Commission appointed its first-ever Commissioner for Energy and Housing to lead efforts to address the root causes of housing supply shortages and unlock public and private investment for affordable and sustainable housing. This session will unpack key drivers of the housing crisis and explore policy responses at national and local levels, from land-use and planning reforms to financial incentives and public-private partnerships. Mayors, national governments and stakeholders will share innovative and scalable solutions to ensure access to affordable, quality and sustainable housing for all in cities.