Aims of the project

Engaging in regular physical activity is important for healthy aging. A living environment geared to the needs of all people, especially those with impairments, enables people to walk or cycle more often. Local policy and local authorities have an important role to play in shaping such living environments.

The overall goal of the project AFOOT – Securing urban mobility of an ageing population is to initialise a strategic linkage of urban development and public health strategies as an intervention to promote physical activity as part of mobility of older adults. AFOOT pursues an inter- and transdisciplinary approach. It focuses on existing planning processes and aims to motivate changes in planning policy and practice that will improve public health and equity on local level.

On these pages you will find information about the AFOOT project. These include background information, practical information for mobility-promoting and age-friendly municipal development as well as scientific publications of the project results.

AFOOT is a joint project of the Department of Social Epidemiology of the Institute of Public Health and Nursing Research at the University of Bremen and the Faculty of Spatial Planning at the Technical University of Dortmund. From 2015-2022, it was funded in two phases by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and is part of the prevention research network AEQUIPA – Physical Activity and Health Equity: Primary Prevention for Healthy Ageing.