Kadıköy's Rasimpaşa project puts older residents in the driving seat of neighbourhood planning, using their lived experiences to shape concrete, age-friendly urban policies.
SEEING THE NEIGHBOURHOOD THROUGH OLDER EYES
The Rasimpaşa Age-Friendly Neighbourhood project was developed in Kadıköy, Istanbul, in an area with a high concentration of residents aged 65 and above. Rather than applying top-down ageing policies, the project set out to deeply understand older adults' daily experiences through focus group discussions, participatory observation forms, and neighbourhood walks. The findings revealed key challenges including inaccessible sidewalks, lack of adequate public spaces, social isolation, economic exclusion, and intergenerational distance, alongside a strong sense of belonging and a clear desire to age in place.
OLDER ADULTS AS CO-CREATORS, NOT JUST CONSULTEES
The project's innovation lies in how it positions older residents: not as a group to be consulted, but as active co-creators of neighbourhood design. Field-based qualitative methods transformed lived experiences into actionable planning data, addressing physical environment, social exclusion, perceived safety, and invisibility in a holistic way. This participatory approach directly involved older adults in local governance processes, producing a model that goes beyond traditional service delivery and treats seniors as equal actors in shaping their community.
FROM NEIGHBOURHOOD WALKS TO URBAN POLICY
The project generated concrete policy recommendations covering improvements to sidewalks, public spaces, seating areas, toilets, and social venues, alongside measures to reduce isolation and strengthen intergenerational relationships. Outcomes were presented at the "Maruf On the Go" event organised by the Marmara Municipalities Union, gaining recognition as a best practice and being shared with other local governments. This has strengthened the model's scalability, offering a transferable framework for age-friendly urban governance across Türkiye and beyond.
