“I came to confess on July 30—our urban planning has fallen behind, because we had no prior experience with such longevity!” joked LIN, CHIEN YUAN, Professor at the Graduate Institute of Building and Planning, National Taiwan University. His comment, though made with a touch of humor, rang a serious alarm: it’s time for everyone to address the realities of a super-aged society.

Ahead of the second Healthy Ageing Tech Show, jointly organized by the Institute for Biotechnology and Medicine Industry (IBMI) and the Research Center for Biotechnology and Medicine Policy (RBMP), a pre-show forum titled the “Age-Friendly Cities Forum” was held on July 30. The event gathered 14 representatives from government ministries, leaders from exemplar age-friendly cities, and experts from academia and industry, all working to outline a strategic direction for building age-inclusive cities that can drive innovation and industry transformation.

Shen Jong-chin, Chief Convener of the expo, opened the forum by pointing out that Taiwan officially entered a super-aged society this year. With its rapidly shifting demographic structure, demand is soaring for care technologies and daily living solutions. Creating a city where elderly residents can go out with ease and live comfortably is now a crucial aspect of sustainable development.

KUNG MING-HSIN, Secretary-General of the Executive Yuan, cited projections from the National Development Council, noting that in 2024, every 3.6 working-age individuals in Taiwan will need to support one senior citizen—a ratio expected to worsen to 2:1 by 2035. Furthermore, the number of people living alone or relying on elderly caregivers surpassed 1.56 million in 2024, up from just over one million in 2019—a rapid increase. “This super-aged trend is irreversible,” he said. “We must consider how intelligent technologies can solve some of these societal challenges.”

KUNG also outlined recent policy developments. He said that with technological advancements, the government can now do more. This year, a draft plan called the “AI Ten Major Infrastructure Projects” was introduced and will be further refined. Moreover, the 2040 vision for “SMART X AI-integrated living environments” has been proposed. In June, the Executive Yuan also launched its “In-Home Medical Technology Vision and Action Plan,” expected to begin implementation in 2025, aiming to build a smart and accessible home healthcare ecosystem.

Stan Shih, Founder of Acer Group, offered a different take on “AI”—not artificial intelligence, but Aging Intelligence, or what he called “Silver Innovation Wisdom.” “Taiwan’s aging tech should be as valuable as its chips,” he emphasized. “Both types of AI should contribute to the world.”

Shih, who previously popularized the concept of the “smiling curve” in manufacturing and branding, suggested that a super-aged society will instead follow a “multi-dimensional smiling curve.” That means starting from resource-sharing—especially intangible assets—and ending with user experience. By applying design thinking, developing new business models, and embracing both experiential and shared economies, behavioral shifts can be driven through both mindset and systemic transformation.

BAI, REN-DE, President of the Taiwan Institute of Urban Planning, compared aging policy strategies across Asia—including Singapore, Japan, South Korea, and China—as well as Western nations like Germany, the Netherlands, and Canada. He concluded that “aging in place” is the global trend. “Since all aspects of daily life—food, clothing, housing, transportation, entertainment, and healthcare—depend on spatial planning, we need collaboration across government, academia, and industry. The key to success lies in cross-ministerial cooperation and participation across all age groups,” he said.

Liang-Kung Chen promotes new urban construction concepts

The latter part of the forum was chaired by Liang-Kung Chen, a renowned expert in geriatric medicine and Director of Taipei City Guandu Hospital. He was joined by Professor LIN, CHIEN YUAN and representatives from the six major cities—Taipei, New Taipei, Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Taichung, and Kaohsiung.

Chen shared his 20-year journey in geriatric care, recalling his initial frustration: “Why couldn’t I help my elderly patients get better?” Over time, he began to see that the problem extended beyond medicine, encompassing preventive care and the disconnection between the home environment and medical services.

Using Taipei as an example, he pointed out that five-story walk-up buildings without elevators are essentially “remote villages” for the elderly. That realization drove him out of the ivory tower of medicine and into promoting a new belief: that achieving a healthy, vibrant, and long-lived society requires urban planning.

He cited Milan’s healthcare system resilience and how it impacts access to care for the elderly, and then turned to Toyama City in Japan—a city of only 400,000 with 30% elderly population. There, a redesigned public transport system connected elderly communities, revitalized local commercial activity, aligned transit routes with new infrastructure, and ultimately made the city a new destination for migration and urban renewal.

Professor LIN, CHIEN YUAN, inspired by Chen’s vision for urban reinvention, responded by saying that although Taiwan’s urban planning has traditionally been people-centered, it primarily focused on working populations under 65. “The goal was for people to reach commercial, industrial, and educational zones within 15 minutes on foot,” he explained.

However, he added, current planning manuals in Taiwan still use these outdated assumptions, which no longer suit a society with a shrinking birthrate and a growing elderly population. “Most people over 65 now spend most of their time at home. But are our homes designed with that in mind? That’s why I’m here to confess—our public infrastructure needs a major overhaul.”

He stressed that many communities still fail to recognize or adapt to the needs of a super-aged society. “We must first acknowledge the problems before we can solve them.” During the forum, representatives from Taiwan’s six largest municipalities also shared their policies, which all touched on more than just caregiving—they emphasized urban regeneration and improved city governance.

In conclusion, Liang-Kung Chen remarked that while Taiwan has done a commendable job in responding to aging challenges, “we must also foster new industries. Emerging technologies, business models, and services must drive new industrial development—only then can we move forward in an environment marked by aging and low birthrates.”

Resource: 超高齡的未來城市藍圖 「高齡宜居城市論壇」專家獻策