by Philip Yang
(translated from Portuguese using google translate)
My cousin Audrey and I are the same age, but we grew up in different cities: I in São Paulo, she in New York. Our families share a similar history. Her parents, like mine, emigrated from China in the 1950s in search of new opportunities. This shared past has always brought me closer to her and her family.
It is essential that cities promote neighborhood networks and community initiatives that give older adults not only basic care, but also belonging and meaning.
I’ve always admired the care and love Audrey dedicated to her parents, William and Jomai. After William’s death in 2019, Jomai, now 95 and fully lucid, continues to live with dignity—the fruit of an active life and her daughter’s dedication. This family experience connects to a larger initiative: LiLY—Lifeforce in Later Years, an organization Audrey helped build in Morningside Heights, a neighborhood on New York City’s Upper West Side.
LiLY brings me even closer to Audrey. Beyond the past we share, her initiative unites us in reflecting on our own aging and the future of cities. LiLY shows that a smart city isn’t defined solely by sensors and apps, but by our ability to weave networks of care and solidarity. Its mission is simple and profound: to enable older adults, often isolated, to age in their homes and neighborhoods, surrounded by care, security, and friendship.
A global urban challenge
Population aging is a global phenomenon. According to the World Health Organization, the proportion of people over 60 will double from 11% to 22% between 2000 and 2050. In large cities, this process is even faster. Tokyo already has about 28% of its population over 65. London projects an approximately 25% increase in its elderly population between 2020 and 2035. In many of these places, family and community ties are weakening, making loneliness a silent threat.
The answer cannot be limited to building nursing homes. It is essential that cities promote neighborhood networks and community initiatives that restore to the elderly not only basic care but also belonging and meaning.
It’s true that in Brazilian cities, seniors traditionally rely on closer family networks than in metropolises like New York. Still, this scenario is changing: shrinking family sizes, children moving to other cities, and rising life expectancy are increasing the number of lonely seniors. Therefore, experiences like LiLY’s also inspire future paths for Brazil.
LiLY in action
Numbers and statistics help to understand the challenge, but they don’t capture what it means to grow old in a metropolis. LiLY allows us to see this process up close, with stories that reveal how solidarity changes destinies.
W., 76, suffered from glaucoma and neurological problems and lived alone in New York. With the help of volunteers, she gained company on outings and access to health services when she needed emergency care. Today, she remains active, safe, and surrounded by friends.
E., 96, was at risk of being hospitalized, with no one around, after being hit by a car. Thanks to the support of volunteers, neighbors, and social workers, her home was adapted and she was able to return to her apartment, preserving her independence.
J., 95, was followed for over a decade. After her husband’s death, she joined LiLY’s community groups. Today, despite memory problems, she continues to live independently, supported by volunteers and connected to her distant family.
The story of Dr. M., a retired academic with no children, illustrates the depth of the relationships created. She became a mother figure to the young volunteers, who accompanied her until her final days. LiLY allowed her to grow old in the place she loved, surrounded by affection.
These examples show that aging in a metropolis doesn’t have to be synonymous with isolation. With support networks, it’s possible to preserve your home, social life, dignity, connections to space, and identity.
Solidarity in the urban environment
LiLY’s experiences offer lessons that transcend Manhattan. Urban intelligence resides not only in technology, but also in how a city cares for its elderly.
This involves an integrated care model that brings together volunteers, neighbors, hospitals, social services, and public policies. It’s a kind of “solidarity governance,” where the state joins forces with the community.
Of course, a city that welcomes seniors also depends on decent urban spaces . Level sidewalks, access ramps, benches in squares, traffic lights with adequate crossing times, markets with low shelves, and accessible public transportation are simple but crucial examples.
Singapore is investing in multigenerational housing to encourage coexistence between different ages. South Korea has created community centers that offer support to the elderly population. In the Netherlands, the Humanitas program in Deventer provides free housing to students in exchange for living with seniors—a simple initiative with a significant social impact. In Switzerland, several intergenerational projects—documented by studies by the ETH Wohnforum —promote mixed housing between young and old. The Generation House in Basel integrates a daycare center and senior housing, creating daily opportunities for intergenerational interaction.
These experiences are based on the same principle: a city is, above all, a web of human interdependence.
And what can Brazilian cities learn from these examples?
Models don’t need to be imported verbatim, but they inspire clear directions.
First, encourage formal and informal neighborhood networks: neighborhood associations, volunteer groups, and universities can collaborate to organize regular visits and community programs with seniors.
Second, create multigenerational community centers that combine cultural, sports, and health activities, serving as meeting and care points.
Third, support the formation of a network of “proximity caregivers,” with small grants or incentives for young people and retirees who want to dedicate a few hours a week to supporting elderly people living alone.
Finally, integrate these efforts with public policy, whether through the Health and Social Assistance Departments or in partnership with the Unified Health System (SUS) and Basic Health Units (UBS), to identify the most vulnerable elderly people.
In São Paulo and other Brazilian cities, where the elderly population is growing rapidly, this type of community arrangement can complement the role of increasingly smaller families and prevent loneliness from becoming a health risk and exclusion.
Audrey and LiLY’s Legacy
The story of Audrey, who transformed her parents’ care into a collective project, offers a vital lesson for all cities. If we want truly smart urban centers, we must start by ensuring that older adults can live with dignity, autonomy, and affection.
Cities will be judged in the future not by the buildings they erect, but by the capacity of their human fabric to accommodate their aging population.
There is no technology more advanced than a solidarity network. And there is no more humane legacy for a city than its ability to care for those who have reached old age. A city that focuses solely on economic efficiency risks becoming inhumane. But a city that recognizes itself as a community can be innovative, inclusive, and, above all, supportive.
In this sense, even Artificial Intelligence, which today emerges as a transformative force, will only be truly powerful if it is capable of strengthening these networks of solidarity. The AI of the future will need to be at the service of the natural and collective intelligence of healthy societies—those that recognize human interdependence as their greatest source of wisdom and resilience.
Cities will be judged in the future not by the buildings they erect, but by the capacity of their human fabric to accommodate their aging population.
