Stephen Johnston's blog
The FT recently lamented Europe’s growing increase in SUV sales – spurred in part by misplaced European incentives that provide more lenient emissions targets for heavier cars, but also potentially due to a perverse network effect; other people having tall SUVs make you want to have one too. You get a better view and are […]
Summary: A principles-based national framework for social care The recent £20bn birthday present to the NHS was welcome, if underwhelming, but the more pressing question facing the UK is how to fix social care. The two are connected of course, ‘bed blocking’ costs up to 8,000 lives a year. In today’s ageing society there is […]
Summary: Keeping people independent will need a systemic approach One of the reasons why we’ve not mastered the ‘problem’ of ageing in place – or keeping people in their homes for as long as possible, is that nobody is in charge and financially incentivized to do this. Delivering on this goal, one of the key […]
Could we elevate the ubiquitous swipe to improve our cities? Every day millions of people, young and old, collectively make 1.6bn swipes on profiles they’re presented with on Tinder, one of the most popular dating apps. These swipes either send that profile to the virtual dustbin (left) or open up the potential for witty banter, […]
As cities take on disruptive challenges, in particular harnessing technological disruptions and managing aging populations (see earlier post about updating ‘age-friendly’ here), this note suggests a five-stage framework to guide cities along their innovation journey. It’s designed to be more descriptive than prescriptive – each city will implement in its own way and in line with […]
Keeping older people connected, independent and fulfilled in their communities of choice – thriving, not just surviving – is the goal of many innovators, public policy makers, and older people themselves. However, this is a complex challenge and delivering this can be challenging for two main reasons. First, everyone is different. Whether they’re 25 or […]
The world is being rocked by four uniquely powerful disruptive forces: aging, urbanization, technology and globalization. The WHO’s age-friendly cities and communities (AFCC) initiative – updated to meet the challenges and opportunities presented by pervasive, ubiquitous, exponential technology – could be a powerful platform to help cities adapt and thrive in a fast-changing world. The […]