World Cities Project

New York, London, Paris and Tokyo exercise a powerful influence in the world beyond their national boundaries, but are these influential centers prepared to meet the challenges of the longevity revolution? The World Cities Project (WCP) compares health, social services, and quality of life for persons age 65 and over in these four cities, and strives to identify lessons that may improve health in world cities and beyond.

The City as Laboratory

As urbanization and population aging increase throughout the world, we need models of how to accommodate these population shifts, as well as analyses of best practices. World Cities Project Co-Directors Victor Rodwin, Ph.D. and Michael Gusmano, Ph.D., work jointly with New York University's Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service and Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health to:

• establish a critical understanding of how world cities, and subsequently megacities in developing nations, can prepare for a world in which 20 percent of the population will be over 65 years old
• identify specific program interventions and policies that may be replicated
• collaborate in the design of innovative programs that respond to the challenges posed by increasing human longevity and population aging

On the basis of quantitative data collection and case studies, working group meetings are organized on specific themes, with the participation of city officials, policy analysts, and health and social service professionals. In the final stage of the project, designated areas of each city will serve as a laboratory in which to evaluate the effectiveness of alternative interventions.

A Controlled Approach

The global economies of New York, London, Paris, and Tokyo share certain common characteristics, such as:

• an immense international traffic in the flow of trade, financial transactions, electronic communications, airline travel, and policy ideas
• declining birth rates and a rise in the share of older persons
• areas in which the percentage of older persons is close to 20 percent

Despite many common characteristics, however, there are also significant differences. And conventional analyses of population aging often compare aggregate data, masking important variations within nations, between urban and rural areas, and large and small cities.

By contrast, the World Cities Project compares the smaller and more similarly situated units of these four world cities which share common characteristics and problems. Our approach allows us to provide notable advantages for cross-national learning.

Opportunities for Innovation

The aging of the world’s population provokes fears of impending social security deficits, uncontrollable medical expenditures, and transformations in living arrangements. But this shift also has the potential to stimulate innovations that enhance the lives of old and young alike. Will the world's four largest cities be able to learn from one another as they develop creative solutions to the myriad issues that arise? Please visit the links found near the top of the page to learn more about how the World Cities Project is responding to the challenge.