Extended Abstract
Background and Objectives: Elderly individuals, those over 60, represent a growing demographic worldwide. By 2050, this group is projected to comprise 22% of the global population. Aging has emerged as one of the demographic and social challenges of the 21st century. To tackle this challenge, the World Health Organization has introduced the concept of age-friendly cities, considering the increasing urbanization in the coming century. Neighborhood-centric approaches are central to this concept. Consequently, age-friendly cities establish neighborhoods that are designed to accommodate the needs and limitations of elderly individuals by distributing functions and services in a spatially organized manner. In these neighborhoods, elderly residents can access services and facilities with minimal reliance on others. Additionally, they have particular requirements and preferences regarding the utilization of public spaces and their involvement in community activities. Urban neighborhoods, as spatial-social units of cities, should offer suitable environments for the social interactions of their elderly residents. Understanding the features of neighborhoods that promote social interactions among the elderly is a notable gap in urban design studies. This study aims to identify and prioritize the spatial and social qualities that affect the social interactions of elderly residents in neighborhoods, taking into account their preferences. To achieve these goals, Dardasht neighborhood, located within the historical context of Isfahan, was selected as the research study area. This neighborhood, which has a history of approximately 400 years, is home to a substantial number of elderly residents.
Methods: The methodology of the current study is qualitative, forming an in-depth examination of the social and spatial lived experiences of elderly residents in the neighborhood. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 23 older adults, aged 60 to 75 (mean age 66 years; 11 males and 12 females), each having resided in the neighborhood for a minimum of three years or more. Before conducting the interviews, pedestrian and bicycle surveys were conducted to gain a general understanding of the capacities and barriers that elderly residents face in social engagement within the neighborhood. These surveys also aided in designing more effective interview questions. In four stages, all interviews were systematically coded, categorized, and conceptualized. In the initial stage, initial concepts were derived from the interviews through open coding, consisting of phrases or sentences that were directly mentioned during the interviews. In the second stage, secondary concepts were organized by categorizing the initial concepts based on semantic similarities. In the third stage, sub-themes and their associated locations were derived from these secondary concepts. Finally, during the thematic synthesis stage, researchers identified and formulated the main themes.
Findings: Using a four-stage coding process, 337 codes, 15 sub-themes, and eight main themes were identified from the interview texts. The eight main themes, ranked by importance, include: 1. preserving the social and historical roots of the neighborhood related to historical sites and native neighbors; 2. ensuring physical comfort; 3. enhancing public spaces; 4. engaging in physical activities safely and comfortably in streets and parks; 5. sequential availability of complementary activities, optional and mandatory activities; 6. mental security, including an increasing sense of safety, eliminating others’ abnormal behaviors, and having personal space; 7. spiritual atmosphere related to mood and religious places; 8. women’s presence in their own secure and tranquil spaces. The study demonstrated that the elderly residents’ sense of social-historical belonging to their 400-year-old neighborhood was essential. They were profoundly attached to the physical and historical aspects of the space, which was evident in their strong desire to preserve the neighborhood’s original character. Additionally, the sense of belonging that older adult residents experienced in these social spaces was underscored by concepts such as neighborliness and a willingness to participate in activities and socialize within the neighborhood. Also, the resistance to multiculturalism in the neighborhood and efforts to limit the number of non-Iranian residents may support this finding.
Conclusion: This research identified and prioritized the spatial-social qualities that influence social interactions among elderly residents in neighborhoods through a qualitative study. Ultimately, by discussing these findings within the existing research context, the study developed its findings into a proposed model. This model formulates the socio-spatial characteristics that impact the social presence and activities of elderly residents in residential neighborhoods. The model consists of 8 main key concepts and 15 secondary concepts structured hierarchically within an integrated framework. This model also enables researchers and urban designers to thoroughly understand and examine the spatial-social aspects required for elder-friendly public spaces in neighborhoods, using both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Implementing and testing this model in various neighborhoods could uncover new insights, potentially leading to changes in the research’s exploratory priorities or the discovery of new characteristics.