Ireland’s Age Friendly ambition for Croke Park and beyond: A place for everybody

“If you design for the young, you exclude the old. But if you design for the old, you include everyone.” Glenn Millar, Director of Education and Research at the Canadian Urban Development Institute.

As ageing populations continue to become more prevalent around the world, and governments need to adapt and innovate in response to these evolving demographic trends, Age Friendly Ireland stands as an exemplary model for creating inclusive environments that promote well-being and quality of life for all. Hosted by Meath County Council, the Age Friendly Ireland Shared Service is a local authority sector programme, focused on ensuring that the Ireland of today – the infrastructure, transport, housing, and public spaces and services – is fit for everyone.

In LGIU and Future Local Lab’s first-ever short documentary, ‘A place for everybody: Ireland’s Age Friendly ambition for Croke Park and beyond’, the significance of integrating age friendly design in future planning takes centre stage. Using Croke Park in Dublin, the world’s first age friendly stadium, as a case study, the documentary showcases the successful collaboration between Age Friendly Ireland, Croke Park and the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), spotlighting the best practice approach to delivering an age friendly transformation.

As a Future Local Lab production, ‘A Place for Everybody’ highlights the significance of integrating age friendly design in forward planning and future-oriented thinking, emphasising that by ensuring the society we build today caters to everyone’s needs, we create a more inclusive and accessible environment for the future. The documentary not only celebrates the Age Friendly Programme and Croke Park’s achievements, but also serves as a call to action for other public spaces to embrace age friendly infrastructure and design thinking. Through collaborative efforts, conscientious planning and inclusive design principles, this documentary aims to inspire other local authorities to take the plunge into age friendly, offering a blueprint for meeting the needs of ageing populations and fostering inclusivity.

Watch here

Interested in more?

Make sure to check out our new interview with Meath County Council’s Chief Exec, Kieran Kehoe, exploring how Age Friendly Ireland is implementing the WHO’s eight pillars for population ageing and demographic changes here.

Plus, you can find our entire collection of Age Friendly articles, case studies and briefings here.

This documentary is part of LGIU’s new Future Local Lab – a holistic programme of resources aimed at helping you to prepare for and respond to the emerging challenges facing local government everywhere. It’s open to everyone, make sure you’re signed up today.