First Urban Care Model Award Winners Announced August 10! 16 Cities Across Taiwan Compete for New 'Urban Care Capacity' Benchmark

As Taiwan enters a super-aged society, the population aged 65 and above is about to surpass 21%. How cities care for the elderly has become one of the most important governance challenges of our time. Innovation Care Magazine (Anko Media), long committed to advancing the care industry, is launching the Urban Care Model Award this year. This is Taiwan’s first honorific award recognizing county and city governments’ overall care governance, attracting participation from 16 municipalities across Taiwan. The winning list will be unveiled on August 10.

The Urban Care Model Award honors municipalities that demonstrate innovation and deep implementation in urban care policies through three core dimensions: 'Ideal for Aging Together,' 'Ideal for Living Safely,' and 'Ideal for Active Living.'

The 'Ideal for Aging Together Award' focuses on the capacity of long-term care services and the systematic construction of community care networks. The 'Ideal for Safe Living Award' emphasizes senior housing safety, barrier-free environments, and local aging support systems. The 'Ideal for Active Living Award' recognizes municipalities creating high-quality later-life experiences for residents aged 55 and above through social engagement, lifelong learning, and health promotion.

Each municipality may apply in up to two categories. Each category features two top awards and benchmark awards, with selections made by the judging committee based on submitted achievements. Evaluation criteria include 'Policy Effectiveness (40%)', 'Policy Innovation (30%)', 'Policy Rationality (15%)', and 'Policy Sustainability (15%)'.

This year’s competition drew responses from 16 municipalities across Taiwan: Taipei City, New Taipei City, Taoyuan City, Taichung City, Tainan City, Kaohsiung City, Keelung City, Hsinchu City, Miaoli County, Nantou County, Yunlin County, Chiayi County, Chiayi City, Pingtung County, Yilan County, and Taitung County. The 'Ideal for Aging Together Award' attracted the most interest, with 14 counties applying, followed by seven for 'Ideal for Active Living' and four for 'Ideal for Safe Living'.

The winners will be announced on August 10, and the award ceremony will be grandly held on October 1 during the opening ceremony of the 7th Taipei International Care Expo (Cares Expo Taipei 2026). A concurrent Urban Care Forum will invite winning municipal leaders to share their policy insights, ensuring innovative care initiatives are seen, documented, interconnected across regions, and widely promoted.

Since its inception, the Taipei International Care Expo has become the most important annual exchange platform for Taiwan’s care industry, drawing attendance from vice presidents and cabinet ministers, with numerous municipal governments showcasing their governance achievements. The launch of the Urban Care Model Award marks a significant milestone for Innovation Care Magazine (Anko Media) in deepening its advocacy for 'urban care capacity,' aiming to establish learnable and inheritable benchmarks for urban governance in Taiwan’s super-aged society.