Interventions for environmentally sustainable and climate-resilient cities and communities for the aging population in South Korea: a scoping review

Introduction: As the Republic of Korea undergoes demographic transitions, exposure to climate-related health risks is intensifying. In response, the government has considered population aging as part of their national plans of climate adaptation and health, and local governments have also worked on age-friendly city plans aligned with WHO guidelines. However, evidence of interventions contributing to environmental sustainability and climate resilience remains limited and unclear. Methods: Synthesizing Korean-language evidence, this review is the first to map how age-friendly interventions incorporate or miss climate resilience and environmental sustainability through a scoping review. Results: Using three Korean search engines (DBpia, KCI, RISS) on June 3, 2024, 35 interventions were retrieved from the final 31 publication records. The review found that interventions for age-friendly cities and communities (AFCC) largely neglect environmental sustainability and climate resilience, with government-driven initiatives relying on limited indicators. The most popular AFCC domains that the reviewed interventions belong to were Domain 1 (Outdoor spaces and buildings), followed by 8 (Community support and health services) and 7 (Communication and information). No interventions were observed under Domain 5 (Civic participation and employment). Discussion: Capturing limited comprehensiveness, predominance of government-driven interventions, and lack of robust evidence on their effectiveness, this review underscores the need to integrate climate change considerations into the under-addressed domains of the AFCC framework. At the policy level, the authors recommend promoting young older adults' community engagement, innovation through non-governmental sector, and development of indicators through implementation research.