Abstract

Based on health improvements in the last century – due to hygiene, sanitation, engineering and the development of preventative treatments against infectious disease – many developed societies are experiencing increased longevity, and its consequences. In Europe, people older than 80 now represent the fastest-growing age demographic. In the next 25 years the ‘population pyramid’ may become a ‘population skyscraper’, as science moves into our cells to find new therapies, and design enables prolonged activity and independence in our living and working spaces. What effect will an ageing population have on the individual, the family, the state, society and economies worldwide? Are we creating a ‘demographic time bomb’, or are there opportunities to explore? Where are the answers to be found?