Young seniors and the city

Young seniors have a long experience of urban living

On average, 49% of the 55 to 70 year-olds were born in the city they live in, which means that half of them have always lived in the same place or returned to their city of birth. But some cities show a more local pattern. Alexandria and Los Angeles stand at each extreme. 75 % of Alexandria's young seniors were born there, while only 13% of the 55 to 70 year-olds in Los Angeles are "natives".

The relatively sedentary lifestyle of young seniors also varies within a single city: the 55 to 70 year-olds obviously form the majority of those who have lived in the same house or apartment for over twenty years. The only exception is Shanghai, where almost all 55 to 70 year-olds have lived in the same home or apartment for only six to ten years, and where the percentage of people living in the same residence for twenty or more years is very low. These figures show a re-housing pattern that is typical of Shanghai but not of China as a whole (e.g. compared to Beijing). We are all aware of the huge scope of Shanghai's urban renovation, such as the ten-year Pudong development that began in 1990 to build an ultramodern port in Shanghai to rival Hong Kong. At the same time, the historical and massively residential west bank section of Puxi is also being modernized.

Most young seniors are home-owners

More 55 to 70 year-olds (an average of 64%) tend to be home-owners than their younger neighbors, although there is a certain degree of geographical variation. For example, the highest ownership rate (over 90%!) is found in the two Chinese cities of Beijing and Shanghai.At the other extreme, most of Berlin's young seniors (80%) rent their homes and only 20% are owners.

Urban mobility among young seniors is very similar to that of other city-dwellers

On the transport question, the lifestyles and obligations of 55 to 70 year-olds create a slight generational effect due to their dependence on public transport and cars - the two leading methods of transport according to the figures.

At the same time, it all depends on which city they live in. 72% of London's young seniors travel like most Londoners do -- on public transport, whereas a massive 92% of their counterparts in Los Angeles use cars, where 89% of the population as a whole are car users!

Young seniors often have a positive view their city

They are not especially nostalgic for some golden age of cities

They have a fairly positive view of the way their city is evolving. When asked "Do you think things will improve, get worse or stay the same in your city in the coming years?" 37% of the 55 to 70 year-olds believe they will improve and 27% that they will get worse. So young seniors are fairly if not wildly optimistic about the future of their city, when compared to the 45% average of city-dwellers who think that things will get better.

Overall, they are less worried about the future of their own city

When asked "Would you like your children to grow up in the city where you live today?" 71% of young seniors say yes, compared to the 64% average. So they appear less worried than other age brackets, thereby countering typical prejudices about the growing pessimism of older people. It is true of course that if young seniors have children, they most likely brought them up in an urban environment!

However, young seniors tend to be worried about some fast-changing urban trends

Young seniors in Alexandria and Mexico City in particular have the lowest satisfaction rates about their city (68 % in Alexandria, and 59% in Mexico City, compared to the Observatory's general average for young seniors of 84%!) These rather mixed figures are supported by other indices.

In Mexico City, only 43% of young seniors (less than half) plan to raise their children where they live. Mexico City's young seniors (56%) also show the strongest desire to leave their city, compared to the Observatory's average for all 14 cities surveyed of 27%.

However, young seniors do not all have the same reason for leaving their city.In Mexico City, only 25% want to go and live in another city, and 38% would like a different type of environment. In London, another city where young seniors tend to be fairly critical, the city itself is a major reason for leaving: 31% of those living in London would leave so as to escape from the urban environment, and only 4% would go and live in another city.

The kind of city young seniors want: safer, green and capable of solving local problems

Young seniors have a definite idea of the quality of life and local requirements

The quality of life today for young seniors is built on a combination of key factors, such as the environment, public transport and, above all, security and personal safety. Young seniors also highlight the cost of living, air quality, and leisure activities and culture as crucial items.

Their concern for local issues depends on how they rank these items. In Lyon, young seniors define their quality of life in a similar way to those in other cities when it comes to their top priorities: environment, safety, and mobility. But for their second choices, young seniors in Lyon differ considerably: culture comes first in Lyon, followed by the importance of air quality (sometime jeopardized by intense industrial activity at this level of the Rhone River) and thirdly, the cost of living. If we look at the French capital, however, the order is slightly different: Parisian young seniors also choose culture but also highlight the housing problem in Paris and the high cost of living. If we now switch continents and listen to young seniors in Mexico City, their primary concern is the cost of living, ahead of concerns surrounding the capital's economic vitality, and thirdly, air quality.

Young seniors want more safety!

What young seniors want is higher levels of security and personal safety. This is the first answer they give when asked whatthe main priority should be for improving life in the city to help younger generations. In twelve out of the fourteen cities, young seniors first and foremost want their cities to be safer places to live in.

There are two other priorities: less pollution and improved public transport.

In the third place come more local concerns. Young seniors in Berlin, Chicago, New York, Paris, Prague and Tokyo want cities with lower stress levels, though this factor is lower down the list in other cities. Young seniors in Beijing, London, Los Angeles, Mexico City and Shanghai, on the other hand, want to live in less highly populated cities.

To sum up, all young seniors have a lengthy experience of living in cities, both with regard to their individual lives and also because they are homeowners, which tends to anchor people to a given locale. With the benefit of hindsight, 55 to 70 year-olds also tend to have a less pessimistic view of city life. Indeed, if they were to start over again, they would feel happy about raising their children in the current urban environment. And they are fairly confident about the future of their cities.

At the same time, these young seniors vary from one city to another in their daily practices and in their ambitions for improving everyday life. Above all, young seniors are urban citizens rather than just members of an age bracket.