The ageing population is a global societal issue. Policymakers, planners, and the public, third and private sectors must rethink how the built environment and services are delivered to meet the needs of a changing demographic. This is the first book to systematically review the evolution, development and progress of age-friendly thinking in the UK, with a primary focus on the real-world experiences of the people leading place-based initiatives.

The book presents the findings of the first in-depth national study of age-friendly programme leaders in the UK, completed in 2021, and provides insights into the development of age-friendly communities, the formative influences from a social policy perspective, the management challenges and the progress towards achieving age-friendly goals. Using primary interview data and narrative analysis, the experiences of working with age-friendly programmes in different organisational forms are explored.

The book promotes a greater understanding of what it means to become an age-friendly community in practice, how the programmes have different development pathways, and what influences different outcomes. Embellished with detailed narratives from practitioners, informative tables, diagrams and figures throughout, the book carefully gathers the voices of a diverse range of decision-makers and leaders associated with the age-friendly movement and provides unique insights on the drivers of change in specific localities. This is a must-read for anyone involved in ageing research or ageing policy and practice as it provides an insightful look into the real world of embedding this community development model in different localities to make a difference to the lives of older people. Topical themes include how these agendas connect with other issues, such as dementia-friendly programmes and the work of the third sector, as well as the growing challenge of what it means to be ‘friendly’ as a community and place and whether ‘friendly’ is becoming an over-used term in relation to place identity.

The book has national and global interest for all communities engaged in age-friendly activity, offering exemplars of best practice, achievements in transforming local communities and views on the meaning of ageing, as well as the age-friendly lens as an approach that champions the world through the eyes of older people. It offers a thought-provoking read for anyone with an interest in this expanding area of ageing, irrespective of disciplinary focus.