臺北與曼徹斯特高齡友善城市倡議之比較研究

Abstract

摘要：隨著全球人口持續老化，城市在創造有利於健康老化的環境方面面臨越來越大的挑戰。全球許多城市已加入「世界衛生組織全球高齡友善城市和社區網絡」（The WHO Global Network for Age-friendly Cities and Communities, GNAFCC），致力於營造有利於老年人福祉的物質和社會環境。儘管「高齡友善城市」（Age-friendly Cities, AFC）的數量不斷增加，但跨城市比較研究仍然有限。此外，目前仍缺乏統一的評估工具來檢視高齡友善城市和社區倡議的制定和實施階段。現有框架通常缺乏能夠建構全面、靈活、能夠考慮到不同城市文化和環境差異的結構，這限制了它們有效地進行比較分析和制定實際政策的能力。本論文旨在透過開發一個改進的比較框架來彌補這一不足，該框架旨在評估不同城市地區的高齡友善倡議。該框架借鑒了現有框架，並整合了世界衛生組織高齡友善城市和社區框架、加拿大公共衛生署《高齡友善社區評估指南》和英國城市老齡化聯盟模型的關鍵要素。它圍繞著三個核心領域：公平性、物質環境的可及性和社會環境的包容性，並進一步細分為 32 個子指標。本研究運用修改後的框架於兩個世界領先的高齡友善城市：曼徹斯特和台北的比較案例研究。曼徹斯特長期以來因其早期的高齡友善介入措施、強大的學術基礎和自下而上的模式而受到認可。相較之下，台北的快速人口老化促使該市實施高齡友善計劃，並成為其他自上而下的城市計劃的典範。資料收集自政策文件、灰色文獻、高齡友善計畫評估和學術來源，並按三個核心領域進行主題分析。研究結果顯示，這兩個城市與世界衛生組織的高齡友善計畫原則高度契合，但在重點和實施方面有所不同。主要的結構性差異包括曼徹斯特依賴跨部門夥伴關係和社區網絡，而台北則依賴集中規劃和政府主導的計劃。分析顯示，如果曼徹斯特更全面地整合醫療服務和就業保障，將受益匪淺；而台北則面臨社區層級參與不足以及老年人參與決策和回饋不足的問題。曼徹斯特和台北的發展經驗可以為其他尋求改善高齡友善城市提供借鑒，並凸顯了高齡友善框架在不同環境下的適應性。總而言之，本論文不僅為分析高齡友善城市提供了一個實用的評估工具，也為高齡友善城市研究提供了理論進展。本研究為未來的比較研究奠定了基礎，可用於衡量和改善世界各地城市的高齡友善程度。

Abstract: As global populations continue to age, cities are increasingly challenged to create environments that promote healthy aging. Many cities worldwide have joined the WHO Global Network for Age-friendly Cities and Communities (GNAFCC), which work to foster physical and social environments that support older adults’ well-being. Despite the increasing number of age-friendly cities (AFC), comparative research across cities remain limited. Moreover, there remains a lack of consistent evaluative tools that look at the developmental and implementation stages of AFC initiatives. Existing frameworks often lack features that enable a comprehensive, adaptable structure that accounts for cultural and contextual differences across cities, limiting their ability to effectively conduct comparative analysis and practical policymaking. This thesis addresses this gap by developing a modified comparative framework designed to evaluate and assess age-friendly initiatives across different urban areas. The framework draws on existing frameworks and integrates key elements of the WHO AFC framework, the Public Health Agency of Canada’s Age-Friendly Communities Evaluation Guide, and the UK Urban Ageing Consortium model. It centers on three core domains: equity, accessibility of the physical environment, and inclusion of the social environment, and is further broken down into 32 refined sub-indicators. This modified framework was then applied to a comparative case study of two of the world’s leading age-friendly cities: Manchester and Taipei. Manchester has long been recognised for its early AFC interventions, strong academic foundation, and bottom-up model. In contrast, rapid demographic aging in Taipei has spurred the city to implement AFC initiatives and serves as a model for other top-down city initiatives. Data was collected from policy documents, grey literature, AFC evaluations, and academic sources, and was analyzed thematically across the three core domains. The findings reveal that both cities demonstrate a high degree of alignment with WHO AFC principles, but differ in emphasis and implementation. Key structural differences include Manchester’s reliance on cross-sectoral partnerships and community networks, whereas Taipei depends on centralised planning and government-led initiatives. The analysis showed that Manchester would benefit from more comprehensive integration of their health services and employment protections, while Taipei struggles with lack of community-level engagement and the participation of older adults in decision-making and feedback. The experiences of Manchester and Taipei’s AFC developments can serve as a model for other cities looking to improve their age-friendliness, and highlights the adaptability of the age-friendly of the age-friendly framework in diverse settings. In conclusion, this thesis contributes both a practical assessment tool for analysing AFCs, as well as a theoretical advancement to age-friendly city research. This study provides a foundation for future comparative research which can be used in the future to measure and improve the age-friendliness of cities around the world.