Socio-Economic Rights of Senior People in Urban Areas: Towards a New European Perspective

Abstract

The paper considers aspects related to the evolution of EU social policy for the protection of senior people in urban areas. To begin, it offers an overview of the main policies enacted at an International and European level with the aim of protecting seniors’ rights and empowering their participation in social and economic life. One main finding of the analysis is that the need of EU institutions to tackle the demographic change of European people and turn the phenomenon of ageing into a resource for the society heavily depends on the urban social policies that the EU shall implement in the future. The paper concludes that the challenges inherent the creation of ageing-friendly and green cities can be achieved only giving senior people freedoms in a public sphere of active democratic participation.

Keywords: Senior people, socio-economic rights, ageing-friendly cities, green cities, public sphere.