Nantes | Longevity: Let’s open up the possibilities

With the extension of the average life expectancy in the city, and with 19% of the local population aged over 60, Nantes has become active over the last decade in promoting a friendlier environment and adequate services and policies to ensure healthy ageing.  Nantes joined the WHO Global Network for Age-friendly Cities and Communities in 2017 and Le Réseau Français des Villes-Santé de l’OMS since 1994. This is also a national priority since, according to recent data, the share of the French population aged 65 and older will reach 25% in 2030, with the number of people aged 85 reaching 2.5 million.

The cities of Amsterdam, Barcelona, Gothenburg, Hengelo, Greater Manchester, Nantes, Oslo and Zaragoza belong to a group of cities that are either already facing relatively high percentages of older people in their populations, or expect such high percentages in the near future. During the last years, these cities have undertaken action to improve quality of life for older people. Still, they have a knowledge need related to the following questions:

  • How do older people experience the daily life in the cities?
  • What do older people view as benefits and constraints associated with urban living?
  • How are the eight stakeholder cities responding to population ageing?
  • Which policies have been the most effective in developing age-friendly cities and how have they been implemented and which are the success factors?

ESPON ACPA has responded to these needs and resulted in good practices and policy recommendations based on case study research in the eight stakeholder cities. These insights have been combined in the ACPA synthesis report, main report and policy handbook.

The present report focuses on Nantes and portrays the state of affairs in the city in terms of:

  • Demographic trends and developments related to population ageing within the city;
  • The strategy and policies that the urban authorities, professionals and other stakeholders in Nantes pursue to cope with population ageing;
  • A selection of inspiring examples of how the ageing policy has been implemented;
  • Challenges and opportunities from the perspective of older people, interest groups and policy makers;
  • Policy recommendations for Nantes based on the insights that have emerged from ACPA.

Further information

This Case Study is part of the ESPON Targeted Analysis ACPA.

This Case Study is available below in EN and FR.

Contact our expert Piera Petruzzi

Documents

ESPON ACPA_city report_Nantes.pdf

ESPON ACPA city report Nantes_FR.pdf