Submission to the New South Wales Government's Department of Planning, Industry and Environment regarding the Design and Place State Environmental Planning Policy 2021

We are an interdisciplinary team of researchers from Western Sydney University and University of Technology Sydney, and community representatives, advocating for the recognition and inclusion of age and dementia-friendly community design principles in the Design and Place State Environmental Planning Policy (DP SEPP) 2021. Inclusive, enabling, and supportive cities are fundamental to wellbeing, especially in ageing and culturally diverse regions like South Western Sydney. Here, over 16,462 people live with dementia, and this figure will triple to 52,059 within the next 30 years unless there is a medical breakthrough1. This region is also expected to have the highest increase in dementia prevalence in all of NSW by 20501. Many of our cities in New South Wales are grappling with an ageing population and a tsunami of dementia cases with it.