15-minute city for all? Rethinking the 15-minute city for urban older populations

“15-minute city” (15-MC) has gained attention as a strategy to enhance urban liveability and sustainability by ensuring essential services are within a short walking or cycling distance. However, its application seems to ignore the needs of older populations. This study takes Shanghai as a case study and evaluates the accessibility and diversity of urban amenities for both older populations and younger populations within the 15-MC framework. The results show disparities in amenities accessibility and diversity, with older populations facing lower accessibility levels and fewer amenity options compared to younger populations, particularly in suburban and peripheral areas. The study also highlights the limitation of current 15-MC framework, which fails to balance the centralisation and accessibility, including its inability to balance the centralisation of amenities with equitable accessibility. These findings highlight the need for an adaptive and tiered approach to urban planning to create more inclusive and age-friendly cities.