Search Results (19)

Population aging is driving increasing demand for residential environments that support safety, independence, and well-being for older adults. However, existing design guidelines remain fragmented and lack measurable spatial indicators for architectural evaluation. This study proposes the Elderly Residential Environment Evaluation Matrix (EREEM), an integrated framework that translates interdisciplinary design principles into operational spatial indicators across six core dimensions: safety, accessibility, autonomy, privacy, social interaction, and adaptability. An expert survey with 36 specialists evaluated 54 initial indicators (Cronbach’s α = 0.978), which were subsequently screened based on expert-rated importance, conceptual overlap, and field observability, resulting in a 24-indicator operational set for exploratory field assessment in four residential environments in Vietnam. The results indicate that safety and accessibility form foundational conditions, while higher-level principles depend on spatial organization. The study contributes a systematic evaluation tool and provides a practical basis for age-friendly and socially sustainable residential design. Full article

Background: Age-friendly city (AFC) initiatives are widely promoted to support healthy aging; however, most existing AFC assessments rely on administrative or expert-driven evaluations that primarily reflect institutional perspectives. These approaches may overlook how age-friendly characteristics are experienced by older adults—the population most directly affected by community environments—particularly in semi-urban settings. This study aimed to develop and conduct a preliminary psychometric evaluation of an AFC assessment tool based on older adults’ perspectives. Methods: A Research and Development (R&D) design was employed. The instrument was conceptually grounded in the World Health Organization Age-Friendly Cities framework and adapted from a governmental checklist through item reformulation and contextual modification for semi-urban application in Thai setting. Content validity was examined by an expert panel using the Index of Item–Objective Congruence (IOC). Preliminary internal consistency reliability testing was conducted with a small purposive sample of older adults. The refined instrument was then pilot-tested with an independent sample of community-dwelling older adults to evaluate feasibility and descriptive response patterns. Internal consistency reliability was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha, and descriptive analyses were performed across domains and subdomains. Results: The finalized instrument comprised 52 items across three domains and eight subdomains. Content validity was strong, with IOC values ranging from 0.80 to 1.00. Preliminary reliability testing demonstrated high internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.97), indicating suitability for pilot use while suggesting potential item redundancy. Pilot responses showed predominantly high perceived age-friendliness, with moderate scores in selected subdomains. Conclusions: The AFC Assessment Tool demonstrated strong preliminary psychometric properties and practical feasibility for use among community-dwelling older adults in semi-urban settings. By incorporating older adults’ perspectives, the tool provides a context-sensitive approach that complements existing administrative and objective assessments. Further validation using larger and more diverse samples is needed to establish construct validity, confirm dimensional structure, and strengthen applicability in public health and environmental gerontology research. Full article

As societies confront rapid demographic aging, developing inclusive and age-friendly environments has become a central challenge in urban and housing research. This study proposes an integrated conceptual framework for Aging in Community, extending the traditional Aging in Place model through a multi-scalar perspective. Grounded in Lawton’s Docility Hypothesis and the Life Space Theory, the framework reinterprets aging not as a linear contraction but as a process of adaptive spatial integration across individual, communal, and urban scales. Drawing on spatial spectrum modeling and illustrative cases from South Korea, the analysis demonstrates how universal design principles and intergenerational living strategies can promote mobility, emotional well-being, and social participation among older adults. The study highlights the dynamic interaction between built environments and functional autonomy, revealing how spatial structure and perceived accessibility jointly sustain participation and independence. By conceptualizing Extended Community Space, the research bridges fragmented models such as AIP, NORC, and AFC into a cohesive continuum and positions Korea as an anticipatory laboratory for high-density aging societies. Ultimately, the AIC framework offers both theoretical and policy-level insights for advancing age-friendly design, guiding planners, architects, and policymakers toward adaptive, inclusive, and sustainable approaches that transform longevity into a foundation for collective well-being and social resilience. Full article

This study investigates the relationship between community commercial center spaces and elderly behavior, focusing on governance mechanisms that shape these spaces and their impact on enhancing elderly life and the community environment. Field research was conducted in the ‘Guohe 1000’ community commercial project in Shanghai, targeting individuals aged 60 and above with independent mobility, including wheelchair users. Through behavioral observation and interviews, both individual and group activities were examined, emphasizing behavioral patterns, spatial domains, and social interactions. Findings reveal that factors such as gender, age, and social networks are positively correlated with the spatial development of community commercial centers. To foster elderly-friendly environments, improvements are needed in utilization balance, secondary activity spaces, age-sensitive design, and operational management. The paper’s novelty lies in two aspects: first, it broadens research into community commercial centers by tracing the construction process of spatial forms; second, it applies environmental behaviorism and environmental gerontology frameworks to integrate individual and collective elderly behaviors into systematic data collection and quantitative analysis. Together, these insights contribute to more inclusive strategies for designing and managing community commercial complexes that support active aging and enhance urban social sustainability. Full article

This study explores key factors influencing Aging-in-Place Attachment (AiPA) among older adults in Macau’s high-density community spaces, emphasizing interactions between the built environment, behavior, and psychology. A multidimensional framework evaluates environmental, behavioral, human-factor, and psychological contributions. A mixed-methods, multisource approach was employed. This study measured spatial characteristics of nine public spaces, conducted systematic behavioral observations, and collected questionnaire data on place attachment and aging intentions. Eye-tracking and galvanic skin response (GSR) captured visual attention and emotional arousal. Hierarchical regression analysis tested the explanatory power of each variable group, supplemented by semi-structured interviews for qualitative depth. The results showed that the physical environment had a limited direct impact but served as a critical foundation. Behavioral variables increased explanatory power (~15%), emphasizing community engagement. Human-factor data added ~4%, indicating that sensory and habitual interactions strengthen bonds. Psychological factors contributed most (~59%), confirming AiPA as a multidimensional construct shaped primarily by emotional and social connections, supported by physical and behavioral contexts. In Macau’s dense urban context, older adults’ desire to age in place is mainly driven by emotional connection and social participation, with spatial design serving as an enabler. Effective age-friendly strategies must extend beyond infrastructure upgrades to cultivate belonging and interaction. This study advances environmental gerontology and architecture theory by explaining the mechanisms of attachment in later life. Future work should explore how physical spaces foster psychological well-being and examine emerging factors such as digital and intergenerational engagement. Full article

Macau’s aging communities face growing challenges in meeting the needs of older residents due to rising population density and extremely limited land resources. The concentration of outdated residential buildings—home to a substantial older adult population—exacerbates issues related to age-associated physical decline. For seniors who prefer familiar environments, the spatial constraints inherent in these densely built urban areas increasingly conflict with their specific gerontological needs, indicating the urgent need for urban renewal. This study employs a multi-methodological framework to examine aging populations in Macau’s high-density urban contexts. In Phase I, questionnaire surveys combined with SPSS 26.0-based cluster analysis are employed to (1) stratify older adults according to walking behavior patterns; (2) identify subgroup-specific needs and (3) establish key demographic correlates. Based on the socio-ecological framework, Phase II implements spatial analytics through ArcGIS demarcation of pedestrian catchment areas. This phase further integrates point-of-interest (POI) distribution analysis with space syntax-derived axial map evaluations to formulate typological mobility guidelines for different age cohorts. This study outlines the community walking space requirements of older adults in Macau and explores the influence of high-density community spaces on older adults. A practical evaluation method is proposed to assess age-friendly features of urban pathways, identifying the key environmental factors and their respective impacts. These preliminary findings may inform basic planning principles and adaptive design approaches for older adult-oriented pedestrian spaces. Full article

The importance of age-friendly environments (AFEs) for older adults has been empirically and theoretically highlighted by the extant literature. However, the strength of the association between environments and older adults’ well-being has not been comprehensively quantified. Given the different attributes of the physical and mental dimensions, this meta-analysis aims to synthesise and quantify the association between AFEs and the physical and mental well-being of older adults. Fourteen eligible studies were included in this analysis: among which eight explored the link between AFEs and physical well-being, and eleven investigated AFEs in association with mental well-being. A random-effects model showed a small but significant correlation between AFEs and the mental well-being of older adults (r = 0.160, 95% CI [0.084, 0.224], p < 0.001), and the correlation between AFEs and physical well-being was also significant (r = 0.072, 95% CI [0.026, 0.118], p < 0.01). The number of environmental factors involved in AFEs moderated the association with physical well-being, from which the association was only significant among studies focusing on fewer environmental factors (n < 6). Results of this meta-analysis indicated that AFEs may be more effective in promoting the emotions of older adults, compared to ameliorating their physical functioning. The limitations of current empirical studies and directions for future research in the field of environmental gerontology were also discussed. Full article

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the entire world population at multiple levels. Within the most vulnerable population, the elderly have seen their usual fragilities worsened in an epidemiological context. Thus, it was necessary to reinforce the gerontological response to aging at home, or in place, framed in situations of comorbidities, health problems, economic need and isolation, among other situations of premeditated situations of aging fragility. Objective: Seeking to explain a model of gerontological response to aging-in-place in future pandemic situations. For that purpose, we have explored, through a scientific literature review, the relationship between public participation and the gerontological response to aging-in-place during COVID-19, considering the four main European welfare models. During this analysis we also intended to identify the reconfigurations from those responses, considering their place-based/neutral order. Methodology: To proceed in this analysis, we used a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) to identify a series of articles that add value to this problem. Next, in order to identify current research trends, we undertook a Bibliometric Analysis (BA), using the metadata from the same set of articles collected from Scopus and Web of Science. Results: The literature on the subject is interdisciplinary, dispersed throughout areas such as health; social sciences; politics; and computational, molecular, and even environmental fields of study. Through the use of keywords, the literature found on the relationship between the type of gerontological responses to aging-in-place and providence systems is still insufficient. There are, however, other research possibilities, such as exploring indicators of gerontological responses, of public expenditure or of the type of support from interlocutor stakeholders through a comparative study between countries, which allowed us to robustly answer the central question: Is there any relationship between the different public welfare systems and the public participation model, which included community participation, in the gerontological response to aging-in-place during the COVID-19 pandemic? Full article

Background: The “walk-along interview” (WAI) is a qualitative spatial method that consists of a researcher walking alongside a participant during the time of an interview to identify perceived neighborhood environments. The use of the WAI method increased in various disciplines, including the fields of public health and gerontology, to assess the relationship between the individual, spaces, and walking activity. However, how and in what settings the WAI method has been implemented with healthy older adults needs to be documented and synthesized. Objective: Our aim is to conduct a systematic review of published studies that have used the WAI method to identify the perceived neighborhood environment correlates of walking activity in healthy older adults, with a specific focus on the methodological aspects related to the data collection of this method. Methods: Following the PRISMA guidelines, PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and SocINDEX databases were systematically searched with no limitations on publication date. Results: From 99 articles identified, 31 met all inclusion criteria, totalizing 1207 participants. Description of the method through the assessment of participants and environmental characteristics and the data collection (before, during, and after WAI characteristics). Conclusions: This review provides detailed information WAI method to assess perceived neighborhood and walk activity among healthy older adults. WAI provides different sets of opportunities and challenges. Some suggestions, such as exhaustive participants’ socio-demographics, anthropometric descriptions and data collection methods, were highlighted to be essential elements when conducting WAIs. In addition, the current findings of this review could serve as a basis for researchers, students, and the professional community who wish to apply the WAI. Full article

The meaning of place and home for community dwellers and nursing home residents remains unclear. We explored the relationship between older people and their “life territory”, to propose a working definition of this concept, which could be used to orient policy decisions. Individual, semi-structured interviews were performed with older people, nursing home staff, and representatives of local institutions/elected officials in four European countries (France, Belgium, Germany, Italy). Interviews were transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis. In total, 54 interviews were performed. Five main themes emerged: (i) working definition of “your life territory” (a multidimensional concept covering individual and collective aspects); (ii) importance of the built environment (e.g., public transport, sidewalks, benches, access ramps); (iii) interactions between nursing homes and the outside community (specifically the need to maintain interactions with the local community); (iv) a sense of integration (dependent on social contacts, seniority in the area, perceived self-utility); and (v) the use of new technologies (to promote integration, social contacts and access to culture). This study found that the “life territory” of older people is a multidimensional concept, centred around five main domains, which together contribute to integrating older people into the fibre of their community. Full article

This paper explores the intersection of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) concepts of age-friendly communities and The Blue Zones^® checklists and how the potential of integrating the two frameworks for the development of a contemporary framework can address the current gaps in the literature as well as consider the inclusion of technology and environmental press. The commentary presented here sets out initial thoughts and explorations that have the potential to impact societies on a global scale and provides recommendations for a roadmap to consider new ways to think about the impact of health and wellbeing of older adults and their families. Additionally, this paper highlights both the strengths and the weaknesses of the aforementioned checklists and frameworks by examining the literature including the WHO age-friendly framework, the smart age-friendly ecosystem (SAfE) framework and the Blue Zones^® checklists. We argue that gaps exist in the current literature and take a critical approach as a way to be inclusive of technology and the environments in which older adults live. This commentary contributes to the fields of gerontology, gerontechnology, anthropology, and geography, because we are proposing a roadmap which sets out the need for future work which requires multi- and interdisciplinary research to be conducted for the respective checklists to evolve. Full article

Background: The academic literature contains little information regarding the interventions that create age-friendly cities and communities in order to promote active ageing. Objectives: A systematic review was carried out to determine the available empirical evidence in relation to the characteristics, content and effectiveness of interventions aimed at improving environmental and psychosocial risk factors for older people, from the perspective of age-friendly communities and the promotion of active ageing. Methods: Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, the studies retained in this review were identified through a systematic search of the academic literature in selected electronic databases including Web of Science and Scopus. Independent critical appraisal and data extraction were conducted by two reviewers. The checklist was used to assess the quality of the articles. Findings: The search identified 1020 potentially eligible documents, of which 11 satisfied the established criteria. Non-exhaustive practices prevailed over rigorous investigations, with a high proportion of studies observed to be of low methodological quality and at high risk of bias. This reflected the predominance of uncontrolled interventions. Environmental interventions were focused on reducing risk and adapting the everyday environmental setting, while psychosocial interventions prioritised social strategies (behavioural changes, promotion of participation) and training. Interventions were more effective in certain domains of age-friendly cities and communities such as transportation and housing, followed by increased participation as a lifestyle-related behavioural change. The inferred changes were associated with providing information and enhancing skills; modifying access, barriers, exposures, and opportunities; enhancing services and support; continuity and effectiveness of changes over time; and modifying policies based on the bottom-up approach of age-friendly cities and communities (AFCC). Discussion and conclusion: Interventions focused on personal and organisational aspects might have positive effects in the longer term. However, fewer changes would be observed in interventions revolving around changing lifestyles owing to the impact of complex multi-causal factors. The relative effectiveness in terms of health calls into question the design of interventions and the supposed “friendliness” of certain communities. There is a need to encourage sound longitudinal research aimed at providing key knowledge for the implementation and evaluation of public policies, and to encourage age-friendly community programmes to promote active ageing. Full article

Gerontological scholarship has long seen the environment to be a silent partner in aging. Environmental Gerontology, an established approach in Social Gerontology, has shown how the everyday lives of older adults are deeply entangled in socio-spatial environments. Adopting an Environmental Gerontology approach, we explore social and cultural dimensions of the association between out-of-home mobility and wellbeing among older adults in a north western city of India. This was established by combining high resolution time-space data collected using GPS receivers, questionnaire data and time diaries. Following a multi-staged analytical strategy, we first examine the correlation between out-of-home mobility and wellbeing using bivariate correlation. Second, we introduce gender and family structure into regression models as moderating variables to improve the models’ explanatory power. Finally, we use our results to reinterpret the Ecological Press Model of Aging to include familial structure as a factor that moderates environmental stress. Findings emphasize the central role that social constructs play in the long-established relationship between the environment and the wellbeing of older adults. Full article

Housing adaptation is recognized as an effective intervention for successful independent living and has been given a greater political priority. However, the current adaptation implementation is fragmented and sometimes confusing. This study is aimed at examining blockages in the adaptation system in the United Kingdom (UK) and identifying practical ways to tackle them. It adopted a mixed-method sequential explanatory research strategy. A questionnaire survey was first conducted in all local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales. This was followed by individual interviews and a focus group with professionals and older clients. The study found that multiple organizations are involved during the delivery of housing adaptations; poor cooperation between them is a major barrier to a seamless service. The adaptation process involves five key stages; there are many inconsistencies and inequities in the process across local authorities. Significant delays are found at all stages, the average length of time taken to complete an adaptation is unacceptably long. There are also many inconsistencies and inequities across different local authorities. This study identified some common deficiencies, which cause inefficiencies and ineffectiveness in housing adaptation practices and makes some recommendations on specific actions that need to be taken at both national and local levels to address them. Full article