Study On The Habitable Landscapes In The Future Urban Development For The Elderly

The research background of this study is the growing intensification of aging population,which is an irreversible issue that cannot be ignored and must be faced by the entire society.In the context of this background, this article will deliver the concept of "habitable" in thelandscape design of the living environment, building the residential areas specifically for theelderly.The design of the outdoor environment for residential areas should be consistent with thebehaviors of the elderly; it should also make the surrounding environment better meet their needsof life; eventually this wide range of design will improve the overall quality of life for the elderly.The so-called "supplementary landscape design" will be introduced to create the easilyrecognizable, controllable and accessible outdoor spaces integrated with various barrier-freefacilities.Under the circumstances that aging population is an irreversible reality and living serves asone of the basic needs of human beings, the author finds the intersection of both which is thespecial requirements for the elderly in terms of their living conditions and utilizes it the researchmethodology of this study. Re-designing the general outdoor landscape into the one with several"pension" functions will break the tradition of institutional pension and dispersed house pensionto establish the unique living circumstances for the elderly, the innovation of such design are asfollows: Firstly, based on the physical and mental characteristics for the elderly, as well asdifferent types of outdoor activities and other principles, this study will propose suchcharacteristics and requirements of the elderly as the initiatives and guiding principles for thelandscape design; Secondly, the concept of "retirement community for the elderly" will beintroduced based on the living environment for the elderly in China. Such concentrative model isconducive to the integration of national resources in order to better implement the "HealthAging" policy. By analyzing various case studies from foreign countries and conductingdomestic field research, this study will absorb the successful experience from the comparison ofdifferent cases to explore a suitable living landscape for the elderly, create the safe, convenient,comfortable and friendly outdoor living environment, and eventually enhance the sense ofhappiness for the elderly.