Long before COVID-19 had us rethinking just about every aspect of how we live, demographers and experts on aging were already considering what the future will look like for the world’s cities.

A decade from now, roughly 3 of every 5 people on the planet will live in cities, and that population is getting older than the urban dwellers of the past. On top of that, aging populations will double between now and the end of the century.

Add lower birth rates and longer lives to the mix, and it’s undeniable: Cities are fundamentally changing.

“Population aging will literally change everything,” said Paul Irving, distinguished scholar in residence at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology.

“And cities are the first line in a rapidly changing country.” In response to this demographic shift, city leaders have begun to reconsider the fundamentals. And USC researchers are at the forefront of studying this shift, with a deep well of knowledge in planning, demographics and gerontology.

Urban housing, transportation must evolve for older adults One big area that cities have to face is housing.

Research shows that a significant majority of adults want to age in place, but most homes aren’t ready for the reality of older residents, Irving said.

Only a tiny percentage of U.S. homes include the basic access for people with limited mobility — features like single-floor living with no steps and extra-wide doors and ramps to accommodate wheelchairs.

“Relatively small inexpensive changes can make a huge difference — lever-style doors, curbless showers with handheld shower nozzles,” Irvine said.

As chairman of the Milken Institute’s Center for the Future of Aging, he recently co-authored a report on “Age-Forward Cities for 2030.”

The number of baby boomers living across Southern California is huge, says Caroline Cicero, associate professor of gerontology at the USC Leonard Davis School and director of the USC Age-Friendly University Initiative.

Read more @USC News