Kowloon City is one of the earliest developed urban areas in Hong Kong, where the famous late Whampoa Shipyard and Kai Tak International Airport are located.
Though the district currently ranks ninth among the 18 districts in the HKSAR in its percentage of senior citizens population, it has, at the same time, the ninth and fifth population size and density respectively (2016). Besides, 19% of the buildings in the district are 50 years old or above (2014). Thus, the urge for building an age-friendly community is substantial.
In such a context, we are conscious of the diverse needs of our senior citizens and are adopting a pragmatic, forward-looking and innovative approach in planning for the provision, enhancement and improvement of the hardware and software for an environment which facilitates ageing-in-place.
Over the years, Government departments, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), the private sector as well as local organisations and communities have been joining hands to provide a better living and social environment for senior citizens in the district.
With the concerted efforts of the Kowloon City District Office, the Kowloon City District Council, the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust and the Institute of Active Aging of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, a baseline assessment was conducted as part of the Jockey Club Age-friendly City Project to explore the age-friendliness of the district with reference to the eight domains within the World Health Organization (WHO)’s Global Age-friendly Cities Framework. In the process, the overall age-friendliness of the district was evaluated, with a view to adopting a bottom-up and community-based approach of intervention, encouraging the community participation on the age-friendliness, and arousing general public’s understanding on the concept of an age-friendly city. The baseline assessment also provided a solid reference for planning infrastructure, improving facilities, designing social programmes and formulating policies to enhance the age-friendliness of the district.
With the opportunity to join the WHO Global Network of Agefriendly Cities and Communities, we are confident that the coordinated efforts and cross-sectoral collaboration will be further strengthened. To this end, the Community Building and Social Services Committee of the Kowloon City District Council has been tasked to oversee the implementation and progress of the three-year action plan formulated in accordance with the eight domains within the WHO’s Global Agefriendly Cities Framework. A platform will also be established with participation of different sectors, stakeholders and local elderly groups to report progress of this action plan and gather ideas in promoting an age-friendly community in Kowloon City