Urban Planning
Sahar Fahimi Hamidabad; Tohid Hatami Khanghahi; Vahid Vaziri
Abstract
Highlights:
- Physical and safety considerations alone are insufficient to enhance the quality of life for the elderly.
- Urban spaces adapted to the needs of the elderly positively impact social well-being.
- Improved social well-being fosters increased social interactions and participation.
- Elderly-friendly ...
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Highlights:
- Physical and safety considerations alone are insufficient to enhance the quality of life for the elderly.
- Urban spaces adapted to the needs of the elderly positively impact social well-being.
- Improved social well-being fosters increased social interactions and participation.
- Elderly-friendly cities align most effectively with the preferences and requirements of the elderly.
- Enhancing social well-being reduces medical costs associated with chronic diseases in the elderly.
Introduction:
Scientific projections predict a significant increase in the elderly population in the coming years, emphasizing the need to address their diverse needs and social interactions. This demographic shift necessitates urban spaces that evolve to support the well-being and productivity of the elderly. The economic and social implications of an aging population underscore the importance of attending to the social needs of the elderly, as neglect limits their social participation and diminishes their overall quality of life. Research indicates that maintaining an active lifestyle and regular social interactions can significantly contribute to preventing dementia. While existing studies often focus on the physical needs of the elderly in public spaces, insufficient attention has been given to their social needs, particularly in urban settings. This study aims to assess the impact of environmental and physical factors on the social well-being of the elderly in urban public spaces, using Mosalla Park and Sheikh Safi Sidewalk in Ardabil City as a case study.
Theoretical Framework:
The concept of active aging, initially centered on maintaining health and productivity through physical activity, has evolved to emphasize personal decisions, independence, and increased quality of life for the elderly. "Active aging" involves participation in social, economic, and civic life to maintain well-being, emphasizing opportunities for meaningful activities that facilitate independence. The World Health Organization highlights the crucial role of urban public spaces and social factors, in addition to genetics and personal characteristics, in determining the health and well-being of individuals. Elderly-friendly cities are those where the distribution of public facilities aligns most closely with the preferences and limitations of the elderly.
Methodology:
This descriptive-analytical study employed both library research and surveys to collect necessary information. The research was conducted in two stages at Mosalla Park and Sheikh Safi Sidewalk in Ardabil, Iran. Physical factors were classified, and a researcher-made questionnaire was utilized to gather expert opinions on the impact of these factors on social well-being. Subsequently, elderly participants answered the Keyes standard social well-being questionnaire. Data from both stages were analyzed using SPSS 26 software.
Results and Discussion:
Comparison of physical factors between the two case samples, assessed through the Wilcoxon non-parametric test, revealed that Sheikh Safi Sidewalk exhibited more favorable conditions than Mosalla Park. The Cochran–Mantel–Haenszel test demonstrated a positive correlation between physical factors and social well-being in the elderly, with Sheikh Safi Sidewalk participants reporting better social well-being. Notably, "Footpaths with a slope of less than 5%" emerged as the most influential factor affecting the social well-being of the elderly.
Conclusion:
The study emphasizes the need for planners and designers to reconsider physical criteria, particularly those related to the architecture and design of urban spaces, to enhance the social well-being of the elderly. Collaboration between social health advocates, urban designers, and architects is crucial to formulate policies and strategies that address the needs of the elderly, promoting their active involvement in social life and reducing the medical costs associated with chronic diseases.
Urban Architecture
Mitra Ghafourian; Elham Hesari
Volume 5, Issue 18 , May 2016, , Pages 91-100
Abstract
Residential Satisfaction is one of the most complex issues and the key criterion which has been studied by many urban scholars and also other scientific researchers. It is necessary since it contributes to individuals’ well-being and quality of life. Admittedly, the Residential Satisfaction concept ...
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Residential Satisfaction is one of the most complex issues and the key criterion which has been studied by many urban scholars and also other scientific researchers. It is necessary since it contributes to individuals’ well-being and quality of life. Admittedly, the Residential Satisfaction concept is based on a wide range of expectations, desires and tendencies in order to meet basic and transcendental human needs, and refers to the real experience of people's lives. Satisfaction with the residential environment is, in fact, people's quality of evaluating their living environment and many factors such as personal, physical and social factors influence its level. Hence, evaluation of these factors leading to satisfaction with the residential environment can be used as scales and standards by the city planners, urbanists and architects. It seems that by reviewing the research conducted on residents' satisfaction and its inductive conclusion, one can reach a systematic framework and a comprehensive model to explain the factors affecting this quality. This paper is in search of a theoretical framework to identify and assess background factors and variables affecting residential satisfaction, and to develop a theoretical model to analyze the relationship of each variable with the extent of residents’ satisfaction using a meta-analysis method by comparing the results of previous experimental research. This analysis was undertaken to achieve tangible and clear conclusions. Accordingly, on the one hand it deals with defining satisfaction with the residential area based on the views of experts in the field; and on the other hand, by looking at previous experimental studies, it deals with identifying and analyzing the factors affecting the satisfaction of the residents and offers the proposed model of the research. The results of the research identify that Satisfaction with residential space is a complex phenomenon and depends on multiple factors which includes personal, social and physical factors. Personal variables, independently, are known as the most influential factors affecting different levels of expectations, desires and tendencies of life. Social factors were identified and defined as emotions that are effective in the process of shaping the social dimension of satisfaction. It can be stated that the public's sense toward local community increases in places and is affected by people’s mental perception of the environment. in fact, people feel more satisfied with their local community when it seems supportive, reliable and friendly. The third level of commonality also showed that satisfaction is also influenced by the living conditions and physical environmental factors. If built environment was selected by people and it has a good quality, it will affect judgment of satisfaction of the residential environment. In addition, social and physical factors of residential environments form the real experiences of people from these environments. With respect to the objective of observing the physical environment and mental perception of the social conditions in which one lives, residents will have different actual experience in terms of the environment. Thus, if there is more convergence between individuals' expectations with their real experience of the environment, the satisfaction with the residential environment will increase.
Satisfaction, Residential Environment, Personal Factors, Social Factors, Physical Factors.
