Age-friendly winter communities: sharing Nordic experiences

On 20 January , 2025, the Nordic Welfare Centre, in collaboration with Centre for an age-friendly Norway and Fabric+, hosted a webinar exploring the theme Age-friendly winter cities and communities – sharing Nordic experiences.

Both structural, technical, and social initiatives are required

The webinar presented insights from research as well as practical examples from across the Nordic region, focusing on how to support older adults during the challenges of the winter season with structural, technical and social initiatives.

As the winter climate fundamentally changes the urban landscape, cities need to consider how to design urban spaces that encourage outdoor activity and well-being for the citizens in winter. This was emphasized by Dr. David Chapman, University of Stavanger and Luleå University of Technology, with the term “winter city urbanism”. Underlining the importance of this agenda, Siri Arntzen-Ratnarajan, Director, Fabric+, showed that as much as 56 percent the ageing population in Bodø, Norway, does not dare to go outside in winter, and 33 percent are afraid of falling.

Other presentations highlighted successful examples of both technical and social age-friendly initiatives during winter. For example, in many Nordic cities, older adults can access anti-slip devices for their shoes free of charge, and in many cities in Finland, residents can take sand from public sand bins to distribute around their own residence.

Further examples demonstrated the value of both technical and social innovations in ensuring age-friendly winter environments. From Sweden, Coordinator of Age-friendly Uppsala, Kenny Jansson, presented a winter-training course arranged in cooperation between the municipality and the local association for people with disabilities. Through an arranged track, staff working with road maintenance get to experience what it’s like to have a disability, by moving about in a street environment where the snow is not properly removed.

Additionally, organized walking groups on the Faroe Islands and in Greenland allow for both physical and social activities for older people during winter, as presented by Fabric+ in collaboration with Center for Public Health in Greenland and the University of Southern Denmark with the project, Ageing in an Accessible Arctic.

Initiatives from Finland

Louise Scheel Thomasen, Senior Adviser at the Nordic Welfare Centre, presented age-friendly winter solutions from the cities of Vantaa and Vaasa in Finland. Both cities are like Uppsala members of the Nordic network for age-friendly cities and communities. Coordinated by the Nordic Welfare Centre since 2017, the network fosters knowledge sharing among 20 cities across the Nordic region, where participants exchange experiences and promising practices.

As one of the most rapidly ageing societies in Europe, Finland provided valuable examples of how to address some of these challenges. One of the standout programs coordinated by Ikäinstituutti (The Age Institute) is the Outdoor Friends initiative. This program enlists volunteers to support older adults in maintaining outdoor activity, promoting both physical and mental well-being in all seasons. During winter, having safe company for walking trips is particularly beneficial, as it helps reduce the risk of falls and encourages continued outdoor mobility.

In Vantaa, temporary domes placed over two outdoor sports arenas provide shelter in winter for the Senior League’s Walking and Gaming Tournaments two times a week. Here older people can meet, socialize, exercise and play outdoor games in a safe environment.

In Vaasa, a cross-sectoral initiative between the employment and the home care services is designed to provide both social and practical support for older adults, as well as training and employment opportunities for people who have been long-term unemployed. In the Homecare Assistant Program older people with homecare get help with for example minor practical tasks, support for physical and social activities, and safe company on local errands into town. And the person serving as homecare assistant receives training as care assistant as part of the program.

The webinar demonstrated how inclusive practices empower older adults to remain active, safe, and connected during the winter months through both structural, technical and social initiatives.

The full webinar, Age-friendly winter cities and communities – sharing Nordic experiences, is available for viewing here
Age-friendly communities in winter – sharing experiences between Nordic countries

Continuing the conversation

The conversation around age-friendly communities will continue at the Nordic Age-friendly Cities Conference, 25–26 November, 2025, in Copenhagen. Organized in collaboration with the WHO Regional Office Europe and the Centre for an age-friendly Norway, the conference will showcase practices and insights on developing and supporting age-friendly societies. This event presents an excellent opportunity for stakeholders across the Nordic region to exchange knowledge, foster collaboration, and further strengthen efforts toward building inclusive, age-friendly communities.

For further reading:

Nordic cities strengthen their work for age-friendly cities

Age-friendly communities help us stay healthy and active