Oldenburg: a city for all ages
Contact
Division for Prevention and Rehabilitation Research
Department of Health Services Research
School of Medicine and Health Sciences
Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg
Germany
Kontakt
Postanschrift
Besucheranschrift
Oldenburg: a city for all ages
Under the title ‘Age-friendly Oldenburg’, research projects are being carried out in close co-operation between the Department of Prevention and Rehabilitation Research and the City of Oldenburg. They form part of the strategic partnership between the University of Oldenburg and the City of Oldenburg.
Our projects
Measuring age-friendliness – AFCCQ-DE
How age-friendly do older people find their city? The project investigates perceived age-friendliness and the differences between various life situations.
→ About the AFCCQ-DE project
Understanding age-friendliness – Alt-stadt
How is age-friendliness described in policies, and how do older people experience their city in everyday life? This project explores these questions in depth using qualitative methods and participatory knowledge transfer.
→ Go to the Alt-Stadt project
Results & Materials
Project Report 1
Age-friendly Oldenburg – Results of the public survey
→ Download
Available from 1 October:
Project Report 2
Age-friendly Oldenburg – Old Town
→ Download
Practical guide
Personas for age-friendly urban development
→ Download
Brochure for residents
Ideas for ageing well in our city
→ Download
Academic publications
Stuckenschneider, T., Oswald, F., Grenz, A., Himmelmann, L., Schmidt, N. M., Speckmann, E.-M., Zieschang, T., & Boerner, K. (2026). Neighbourhood-level age-friendliness in urban environments: Associations with functional independence and physical activity in older adults after a fall. Frontiers in Public Health, 14, 1839024. DOI
Grenz, A., Weinhardt, M., Hess, M., van Hoof, J., Dikken, J., & Boerner, K. (2025). How age-friendly are towns and local authorities? German version of the Age-Friendly Cities and Communities Questionnaire (AFCCQ). Journal of Gerontology and Geriatrics. DOI
Presentations and posters
2026 / June
Grenz, A., Espelage, C., von Kutzleben, M., & Boerner, K. (16 June 2026). Persona building and empathy mapping to address inequalities in very old age in age-friendly cities [Poster session]. 3rd World Congress on Age-Friendly Cities and Communities, San Sebastián, Spain.
Petzold, J., Voelcker, I., Grenz, A., Dornig, N., Hikl, H., & Ramovs, A. (17 June 2026). From interest to implementation: Advancing age-friendly cities and communities at national level [Panel session]. 3rd World Congress on Age-Friendly Cities and Communities, San Sebastián, Spain.
November 2025 Grenz, A., Weinhardt, M., Hess, M., van Hoof, J., Dikken, J., & Boerner, K. (November 2025). How Age-friendly is Your City to You: Experiences From a Mid-sized German City. In K. Boerner (Chair), Age-Friendly Cities and Communities: An International Perspective. Symposium presented at the 2025 Annual Scientific Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America (GSA). Boston , MA, USA.
, September 2025 Grenz, A., Weinhardt, M., Hess, M., van Hoof, J., Dikken, J., & Boerner, K. (September 2025). Municipal Service Provision: A Quantitative Study on the Age-Friendliness of a Medium-Sized City. In T. H. A. Dang & S. Stadler (Chairs), Public Health. Session presented at the German Congress on Health Services Research (DKVF), Hamburg, Germany.
Grenz, A., Weinhardt, M., Hess, M., van Hoof, J., Dikken, J., & Boerner, K. (September 2025). An age-friendly city for everyone? A comparison of four personas. In K. Boerner (Chair), Health-Promoting Environments. Session presented at the Annual Meeting of the German Society for Gerontology and Geriatrics (DGGG), Jena, Germany.
, October 2024: Grenz, A.; Boerner, K. (2024): Age-friendly cities: findings from Oldenburg. The Smart House Oldenburg. Oldenburg, 1 October 2024.
Events & Public Relations
2026
1 October 2026 – Oldenburg joins the WHO Network of Age-Friendly Cities
Ceremonial presentation of the certificate of membership and launch of the ‘Age-Friendly Oldenburg’ Forum, Oldenburg City Museum.
16–17 June 2026 – World Congress on Age-Friendly Cities and Communities, San Sebastián
Panel discussion and poster presentation.
7 April 2026 – ‘Taking the Age-Friendly City Concept Further’, Oldenburg
Workshop with residents, experts and representatives of the City of Oldenburg.
17 March 2026 – “Age-Friendly City” Advisory Board, Münster
Presentation of the “Age-Friendly Oldenburg” project.
2025
November 2025 – GSA Annual Scientific Meeting, Boston
Presentation of the Oldenburg findings as part of an international exchange on Age-Friendly Cities and Communities.
September 2025 – DGGG, Jena
Presentation of the four personas.
September 2025 – DKVF, Hamburg
Presentation of the findings on perceived age-friendliness.
24 June 2025 – Exchange with twin towns in Austria
Presentation and discussion of the AFCCQ.
2024
30 April 2024 – Alumni meeting of the Körber Foundation
Presentation of the project in dialogue with representatives from other towns and local authorities
Körber Foundation
16 August 2024 – University of Oldenburg (Open Day, Department of Health Services Research)
Presentation of the project and initial findings to the interested public
University of Oldenburg
24 September 2024 – Stadtlabor Online ‘Special’ (Körber Foundation)
Digital presentation of findings and discussion with a national audience of experts
Körber Foundation
1 October 2024 – The Smart House Oldenburg
Public presentation of the survey results on age-friendliness (including a World Café with residents)
The Smart House Oldenburg
22 October 2024 – Social Affairs Committee, City of Oldenburg
Presentation of the results within the framework of local government committee work