Shanghai 2050

2015

Eparque was among various local and international organizations that contributed to Shanghai’s 2050 plan. Our contribution focused on policies the city could adopt to deal with its increasingly elderly population: forecasts show that despite the massive influx of migrants to the city, by 2030 there will be fewer than one person of working age (20–59) for every person aged 60 and above. Indeed, people aged 65 and over will account for more than 40 percent of the population, meaning that almost half the people in Shanghai will be aged 65 and over.

We had several key recommendations:

• Enhanced access to transportation to help make aging in place possible. Access to age-sensitive transportation is often central to promoting social cohesion amongst elderly residents.

• Flexible, secure housing. The middle class is especially vulnerable to housing insecurity: members of the middle class are too well off for significant government assistance but cannot afford many retirement centers. We noted the great demand for senior housing creates opportunities for efficiencies of scale in development.

• Provision of age-appropriate health and social services. These might include, for example, innovative e-care.