Developing and Validating a Data-Driven Application for Street-Accessible Urban Bench Analysis and Planning to Support Evidence-Based Decision Making in Age-Friendly, Sustainable Cities

Ageing societies place new demands on urban spaces, such as aligning with the 15 min city concept prominent in the European Union’s strategies for urban planning. Promoting the idea of a supportive open public space for all, reducing inequalities, and improving health and well-being are considerations in line with Sustainable Development Goals. However, achieving accessible environments requires focusing on specific needs, such as street infrastructure for seniors, and urban benches are crucial for enhancing older adults’ mobility and societal participation, yet their placement often lacks systematic analysis. In this study, we address the above gap by developing a data-driven application that allows users to analyse bench locations and spacing along city streets. Our case studies from selected European cities show that current bench distributions along streets frequently deviate from designated good practices. The results of these case studies can serve as references for other cities around the world and provide insights into developing new standards. With the proposed tool, users can not only visualise the current level of street age-friendliness in terms of urban benches, but also potentially simulate future urban bench location scenarios, supporting evidence-based decision making by city authorities worldwide, thus promoting more sustainable cities and communities.