Urban Healthy Ageing in Romania: Policy Options for Age-Friendly Cities and Long-Term Care Reform.

Abstract

Background: Romania's rapid population ageing now unfolds primarily in cities, where health, social care, housing and mobility intersect. Within metropolitan areas, older residents face unequal access to community long-term care (LTC), digital services and health-promoting public space.

Analysis: Framed by European Commission and WHO agendas, this brief examines Romania's national strategies on health, ageing and LTC through an urban lens. It identifies a persistent rhetoric-implementation gap: municipal services remain underfunded and fragmented, and prevention or person-centred models are only weakly embedded in urban planning and budgeting.

Policy options: Five priorities could align ageing policy with urban health: intersectoral city governance with transparent equity dashboards; legal and financial recognition of informal caregivers; expansion of community hubs integrating primary care, social work and rehabilitation; digital inclusion programmes for older adults; and health-promoting urban design that improves walkability, thermal comfort and access to green/cool spaces.

Conclusion: Converging city governance, LTC reform and urban design can translate policy aspirations into measurable gains in equity, autonomy and healthy life expectancy among older urban residents.