Planning for Socially Healthy Ageing: A Study of Neighbourhood Environments and Their Impacts on the Social Lives of Older People

Abstract

The ageing population has significant implications for urban and regional planning in a wide range of areas. Urban planning and policies need to focus on developing the environments which contribute to the health and wellbeing of older people while accommodating their varying needs and requirements. Social health is a main component of the overall health and wellbeing of older people, and this has not received enough research attention in the urban and planning literature. Social health refers to social relationships at different levels, from home to society. When people age they are more prone to health-related concerns, including mobility limitations. As a result, they are more likely to spend a substantial amount of their outdoor time in their neighbourhood environment and to socially engage with fellow residents in the neighbourhood. The social relationship at a neighbourhood level, known as neighbourhood social life, is thus an important component of the social health of older people, which in turn contributes to the overall health and wellbeing of this age cohort.