AUTHOR=Corman Sorina 
  
TITLE=Urban Healthy Ageing in Romania: Policy Options for Age-Friendly Cities and Long-Term Care Reform
  
JOURNAL=Public Health Reviews
  
VOLUME=Volume 47 - 2026
  
YEAR=2026
  
URL=https://www.ssph-journal.org/journals/public-health-reviews/articles/10.3389/phrs.2026.1609176
  
DOI=10.3389/phrs.2026.1609176
  
ISSN=2107-6952
  
ABSTRACT=BackgroundRomania’s rapid population ageing now unfolds primarily in cities, where health, social care, housing and mobility intersect. Within metropolitan areas, older residents face unequal access to community long-term care (LTC), digital services and health-promoting public space.AnalysisFramed by European Commission and WHO agendas, this brief examines Romania’s national strategies on health, ageing and LTC through an urban lens. It identifies a persistent rhetoric–implementation gap: municipal services remain underfunded and fragmented, and prevention or person-centred models are only weakly embedded in urban planning and budgeting.Policy OptionsFive priorities could align ageing policy with urban health: intersectoral city governance with transparent equity dashboards; legal and financial recognition of informal caregivers; expansion of community hubs integrating primary care, social work and rehabilitation; digital inclusion programmes for older adults; and health-promoting urban design that improves walkability, thermal comfort and access to green/cool spaces.ConclusionConverging city governance, LTC reform and urban design can translate policy aspirations into measurable gains in equity, autonomy and healthy life expectancy among older urban residents.