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Aging in place has become a popular social policy worldwide. This paper argues that well-being is an important outcome of aging in place, upon which older people develop autonomy and environmental proactivity. The temporal dimension of aging in place highlights development of place attachment, which includes place identity and place dependence. The study explores how older people, who live inhigh-density urban environments, make sense of well-being and place attachment by articulating their daily lives. Community dwelling older people aged 65 and above, who came from neighborhoods with high aging population and residential density but high and low median household incomes, were invited for focus group discussions. Multifaceted meanings of well-being include various dimensions that cover individual-collective and material-spiritual (psychological) construct. Meanings of place attachment include values of, bonding ties to, and memories about places. Three pathways are identified linking place attachment and multifaceted well-being. The study finds that social welfare and material richness are not the only determinants of well-being. Fulfillment of higher psychological needs, such as positive evaluation of life and self-actualization, should be emphasized by which older people can make the most of their life in old age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper expands the focal point of glocalization to the non-western context, and revisits glocalization in light of the promulgation of an international policy regime. Particularly it examines how the politics of scale in various contexts assists local pragmatic exercises and institutional organizations in building up an age-friendly city (AFC). The functioning mechanisms of glocalization are conceptualized through a triadic framework incorporating structure (mode of local governance), agents, and strategies. The empirical cases examine how AFC has been promoted in Chiayi City of Taiwan and in Hong Kong, the former two Tiger economies. Drawing on a comparative analysis of the two cases, the paper presents three major findings. Firstly, local policy networks are integral to glocalization in that they govern how different resources (i.e., political commitment, professional knowledge, human resources, communication skills, and financial resources) are synthesized under a local institutional framework. Often local policy networks reveal the fragmentation of resources provided by different stakeholders. Secondly, the case study illustrates two different modes of local governance. The Chiayi case reflects an institutionalized governing framework with both hierarchical coordination between levels of state bureaucracies and the horizontal exchange of information and resources between the state and non-state sectors. Hong Kong reflects a grassroots mode whereby the promotion and implementation of AFC initiatives are prompted among NGOs, charities, district councils, and universities. Both modes reveal pros and cons. Thirdly, academic associations have played a major role in promoting AFC, though the extent to which their advice can shape policy decisions relies much on the discretion and political commitment of district councils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Buildings, community facilities and social environments predict place attachment. • A green and quiet space is not enough for producing place attachment. • Older people put more weight on place dependence than place identity. • Planning needs to consider the diversity of community facilities. The environment can be an attitudinal and emotional context for older people to develop place attachment, consisting of place identity and place dependence. Articulating place attachment is essential to enhancing the lived experience of older people and strengthening their capacity to be autonomous and independent. This study extends place attachment research to a densely populated urban area in Asia through a case study of older people's perceptions on environmental factors and place attachment. Face-to-face questionnaire surveys involving 273 community dwellers aged 65 years or above were administered to understand how different environmental dimensions relate to each other and place attachment, as well as the mechanisms underlying the associations between environmental perceptions and place attachment. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to understand the meanings of place attachment and its implications for daily life. The research found that "buildings and surroundings," "community facilities and amenities," and "social attributes of a place" predicted place attachment. Residential satisfaction partially mediated the path from environmental perceptions to place attachment. Given that urban renewal and population aging are important considerations for future urbanization, these findings are relevant to guidelines on designing community landscapes and facilities, contributing to aging in place policies worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]