IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v19y2022i2p746-d721520.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Social Interaction in Public Spaces and Well-Being among Elderly Women: Towards Age-Friendly Urban Environments

Author

Listed:
  • Yingyi Zhang

    (School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Beijing 100044, China)

  • Ge Chen

    (School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Beijing 100044, China)

  • Yue He

    (School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Beijing 100044, China)

  • Xinyue Jiang

    (School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Beijing 100044, China)

  • Caiying Xue

    (School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Beijing 100044, China)

Abstract

The world’s population is aging and becoming more urbanized. Public space in urban areas is vital for improving the health of the elderly by stimulating social interaction. Many urban design projects are advertised as age-friendly but ignore the real needs of the elderly, especially elderly women, for social interaction in urban public spaces. Insufficient attention is paid to the physical and psychological characteristics of elderly women when shaping public space. This analysis addresses the question: What are the qualities of urban spaces which facilitate health-improving social interaction for elderly women? Methods include a case study in Beijing, field investigation, mapping, and qualitative and quantitative analysis. The survey was carried out in April 2021, and concerned 240 women aged 55–75 years. Results indicate that the social interactions of older women relate to both their physical and psychological situations. Public spaces can positively impact the psychological well-being and social participation of elderly women. Conclusions include insights regarding the relationship between social interaction and well-being among elderly women, as well as proposing a series of principles for shaping public spaces for an age-friendly urban environment.

Suggested Citation

  • Yingyi Zhang & Ge Chen & Yue He & Xinyue Jiang & Caiying Xue, 2022. "Social Interaction in Public Spaces and Well-Being among Elderly Women: Towards Age-Friendly Urban Environments," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(2), pages 1-14, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:2:p:746-:d:721520
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/2/746/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/2/746/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Joost Van Hoof & Jan K. Kazak & Jolanta M. Perek-Białas & Sebastiaan T. M. Peek, 2018. "The Challenges of Urban Ageing: Making Cities Age-Friendly in Europe," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(11), pages 1-17, November.
    2. Bernice L. Neugarten, 1974. "Age Groups in American Society and the Rise of the Young-Old," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 415(1), pages 187-198, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Idawarni Asmal & Rudi Latief, 2023. "The Presence of a Family Communal Space as a Form of Local Wisdom towards Community Cohesion and Resilience in Coastal Settlements," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-19, May.
    2. Heng Cui & Nor Zarifah Maliki & Yaqian Wang, 2024. "The Role of Urban Parks in Promoting Social Interaction of Older Adults in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(5), pages 1-18, March.
    3. Fupeng Zhang & Lei Shi & Simian Liu & Jiaqi Shi & Mengfei Cheng & Tansheng Xiang, 2022. "The Ancient Town Residential Environment of the Elderly in Xiangxi Tujia: Survey, Questions, and Recommendations," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(17), pages 1-25, August.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. H. Shellae Versey & Serene Murad & Paul Willems & Mubarak Sanni, 2019. "Beyond Housing: Perceptions of Indirect Displacement, Displacement Risk, and Aging Precarity as Challenges to Aging in Place in Gentrifying Cities," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(23), pages 1-21, November.
    2. Shi Chen & Yi Sun & Bo Kyong Seo, 2022. "The Effects of Public Open Space on Older People’s Well-Being: From Neighborhood Social Cohesion to Place Dependence," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(23), pages 1-16, December.
    3. Mingyu Sun & Leizi Min & Na Xu & Lei Huang & Xuemei Li, 2021. "The Effect of Exercise Intervention on Reducing the Fall Risk in Older Adults: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(23), pages 1-14, November.
    4. Katrien Luijkx & Leonieke van Boekel & Meriam Janssen & Marjolein Verbiest & Annerieke Stoop, 2020. "The Academic Collaborative Center Older Adults: A Description of Co-Creation between Science, Care Practice and Education with the Aim to Contribute to Person-Centered Care for Older Adults," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(23), pages 1-14, December.
    5. Joost van Hoof & Helen Bennetts & Alana Hansen & Jan K. Kazak & Veronica Soebarto, 2019. "The Living Environment and Thermal Behaviours of Older South Australians: A Multi-Focus Group Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(6), pages 1-19, March.
    6. Kwok-kin Fung & Shirley Suet-lin Hung & Daniel W. L. Lai & Michelle H. Y. Shum & Hong-wang Fung & Langjie He, 2023. "Access to Information and Communication Technology, Digital Skills, and Perceived Well-Being among Older Adults in Hong Kong," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(13), pages 1-11, June.
    7. Trish Hafford-Letchfield & Tricia McQuarrie & Carmel Clancy & Betsy Thom & Briony Jain, 2020. "Community Based Interventions for Problematic Substance Use in Later Life: A Systematic Review of Evaluated Studies and Their Outcomes," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(21), pages 1-26, October.
    8. Maša Filipovič Hrast & Richard Sendi & Boštjan Kerbler, 2023. "Person–Environment Fit in Urban Neighbourhoods in Slovenia: Challenges and Coping Strategies," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(6), pages 1-14, March.
    9. Frans Sengers & Alexander Peine, 2021. "Innovation Pathways for Age-Friendly Homes in Europe," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(3), pages 1-25, January.
    10. Katarzyna Przybyła & Maria Hełdak & Izabela Kurtyka-Marcak, 2019. "Demand for a Housing Offer Addressed to Senior Citizens in Poland," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(22), pages 1-17, November.
    11. Joost van Hoof & Hannah R. Marston, 2021. "Age-Friendly Cities and Communities: State of the Art and Future Perspectives," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-13, February.
    12. Zhe Wang & Mardelle Shepley, 2022. "The Relationship of Neighborhood Walking Behavior to Duration of Aging in Place—A Retrospective Cohort Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(24), pages 1-13, December.
    13. Jianbo Han & Edwin H. W. Chan & Esther H. K. Yung & Queena K. Qian & Patrick T. I. Lam, 2022. "A Policy Framework for Producing Age-Friendly Communities from the Perspective of Production of Space," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(4), pages 1-23, February.
    14. Anna Szewczenko & Ewa Lach & Natalia Bursiewicz & Iwona Chuchnowska & Sylwia Widzisz-Pronobis & Marta Sanigórska & Klaudia Elsner & Daria Bal & Mateusz Sutor & Jakub Włodarz & Józef Ober, 2023. "Urban Therapy—Urban Health Path as an Innovative Urban Function to Strengthen the Psycho-Physical Condition of the Elderly," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(12), pages 1-20, June.
    15. Ivis García, 2024. "Understanding the Housing Preferences of Older Adults: Insights from a Study on Micro-Housing in Salt Lake City, U.S," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-20, February.
    16. Hannah R. Marston & Kelly Niles-Yokum & Paula Alexandra Silva, 2021. "A Commentary on Blue Zones ® : A Critical Review of Age-Friendly Environments in the 21st Century and Beyond," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(2), pages 1-33, January.
    17. Hannah Ramsden Marston & Linda Shore & P.J. White, 2020. "How does a (Smart) Age-Friendly Ecosystem Look in a Post-Pandemic Society?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(21), pages 1-43, November.
    18. Joost van Hoof & Jeroen Dikken & Willeke H. van Staalduinen & Suzan van der Pas & Rudy F. M. van den Hoven & Loes M. T. Hulsebosch-Janssen, 2022. "Towards a Better Understanding of the Sense of Safety and Security of Community-Dwelling Older Adults. The Case of the Age-Friendly City of The Hague," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(7), pages 1-20, March.
    19. Sonja Pedell & Ann Borda & Alen Keirnan & Nicole Aimers, 2021. "Combining the Digital, Social and Physical Layer to Create Age-Friendly Cities and Communities," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(1), pages 1-14, January.
    20. Kinga Kimic & Paulina Polko, 2022. "The Use of Urban Parks by Older Adults in the Context of Perceived Security," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(7), pages 1-20, March.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:2:p:746-:d:721520. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.