Smart and Age-Friendly Cities in Romania: An Overview of Public Policy and Practice

Loredana Ivan, Dorin Beu and Joost van Hoof
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Loredana Ivan: Department of Communication, National University of Political Studies and Public Administration, Bulevardul Expoziţiei 30A, 012102 Bucharest, Romania
Dorin Beu: Faculty of Building Services Engineering, Technical University of Cluj Napoca, Strada Memorandumului 28, 400114 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Joost van Hoof: Faculty of Social Work and Education, The Hague University of Applied Sciences, Johanna Westerdijkplein 75, 2521 EN Den Haag, The Netherlands

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 14, 1-25

Abstract: The role of smart cities in order to improve older people’s quality of life, sustainability and opportunities, accessibility, mobility, and connectivity is increasing and acknowledged in public policy and private sector strategies in countries all over the world. Smart cities are one of the technological-driven initiatives that may help create an age-friendly city. Few research studies have analysed emerging countries in terms of their national strategies on smart or age-friendly cities. In this study, Romania which is predicted to become one of the most ageing countries in the European Union is used as a case study. Through document analysis, current initiatives at the local, regional, and national level addressing the issue of smart and age-friendly cities in Romania are investigated. In addition, a case study is presented to indicate possible ways of the smart cities initiatives to target and involve older adults. The role of different stakeholders is analysed in terms of whether initiatives are fragmentary or sustainable over time, and the importance of some key factors, such as private–public partnerships and transnational bodies. The results are discussed revealing the particularities of the smart cities initiatives in Romania in the time frame 2012–2020, which to date, have limited connection to the age-friendly cities agenda. Based on the findings, a set of recommendations are formulated to move the agenda forward.

Keywords: age-friendly cities; smart cities initiatives; smart city; Romania; public policies on smart cities; evaluating smart cities initiatives; older people (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (9)

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