Effect of Urban Transformation and the Age-Friendly City Strategy on the Improvement of Residents’ Subjective Well-Being: Simulation Based on the Scenario Method

Hosting large conferences and events often facilitates the transformation of a city by the government. Before the 9th BRICS Summit, the local government launched a systematic urban renovation project, providing a feasible way for the government to increase accessibility for elderly residents by covering the necessary and additional costs. We aimed to present an economical and effective method for obtaining evidence-based reports that will encourage policymakers to increase their input and implement the policy of age-friendly cities. The data were derived from seven waves of regular follow-up investigations that were conducted before and after the 9th BRICS Summit. Residents over 18 years of age were sampled from the family planning system using the multistage stratified sampling method and were interviewed via telephone. The scenario method was used to simulate the effect of promoting the age-friendly city strategy on residents' subjective well-being (SWB). Each respondent was randomly interviewed with one of the parallel versions of the questionnaire (positive or negative scenarios) to ensure intrainterviewer randomness. The paired-sample t-test was used to analyze the changes in residents' attitudes given urban construction. Hierarchical regression analysis was then employed to test how the scenarios affected participants' SWB to estimate the influence of the future implementation of age-friendly city policies. Residents' levels of satisfaction with the city's popularity, transportation, development, appearance, and competitiveness improved significantly after the BRICS Summit compared with that at baseline. Promoting the construction of age-related cities has the potential to significantly improve residents' SWB, and residents of all age groups can benefit from this strategy. Urban renewal during the BRICS Summit improved the quality of life of local residents. The SWB of residents can be improved through urban transformation, such as the promotion of the construction of age-friendly cities. Moreover, the scenario method has application value and prospects for providing evidence-based urban planning advice to policymakers.