Too Old for Recreation? How Friendly Are Urban Parks for Elderly People?

Abstract

Urbanization and ageing are the two main processes currently shaping the social environment worldwide. In this context, creating senior friendly cities should be an important target, especially in developed countries, which have the highest rates of population over 60 years old. Our study focuses on the use of urban parks and aims to analyze how friendly their planning, design, and use are for elderly people. We used field observation carried out in four case study parks in Bucharest (Romania) to assess the spatial planning and design of urban parks, and to identify the environmental problems. We applied a total of 5752 questionnaires (16% to elderly people) in the majority of Bucharest’s parks in order to analyze the behavior and perception of seniors in contrast with that of the general population. The analysis highlighted the lack of endowments especially planned or designed for seniors and the multiple problems deriving from their interaction with other visitor groups which make them feel disrespected or unsafe. Our study highlights the need for including the needs, demands, and desires of elderly people in decision making processes, with the aim of creating inclusive and senior friendly parks.

Connectedness to Nature Does Not Explain the Variation in Physical Activity and Body Composition in Adults and Older People

“…Age: In both genders, especially women, increasing age contributed to a higher CN, which is in line with other studies [8,10,48,51]. According to the literature, the higher CN in older individuals is linked to a higher number of visits to natural spaces [52] and to greater opportunities for engaging with them [53]. Older people develop deeper connections with their surroundings, attaching greater meaning to the little things in life [54].…”

Building green infrastructure to enhance urban resilience to climate change and pandemics

“…They express different needs and preferences, especially when looking at the particular features of the components of GI (Ives et al 2017 ), although recurring and cross-cutting preferences in green spaces can be identified (Henneberry et al 2020 ). For example, the study by Onose et al ( 2020 ) showed that the needs and preferences of elderly people can vary greatly from the ones of other social groups. GI should be designed to provide equitable access and diversified facilities to all users.…”

Using Social Media Data to Evaluate Urban Parks Use during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…This study describes a complex model of the frequency of visiting parks, observed during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bucharest. We started from a base level in January and February where there is a reduced frequency of visits in green areas, due mainly to the weather and the shorter daytime as explained in other studies [16]. Since the end of March, a state of emergency has been installed in Romania, leading to a decline in the frequency of visiting parks.…”

“…Although they make a major contribution to the day-to-day activities, most parks do not serve everyone in the community equally [15]. Visitor typologies are differentiated by age, gender, education, lifestyle, health or mobility capacity [16]. People use parks for different activities, both personal and professional.…”