The Design Of Outdoor Activity Space Of The Elderly

As the society develops, people’s living standards continues to improve. The agingpopulation in China is becoming a prominent problem. We should take the socialresponsibility to care for the elderly and pay more attention to them. Hence, there willmore comprehensive and intensive researches on the elderly-related behavioral activities,health care, housing and services.In the process of aging, it is important to study the elderly-related livingenvironment and create more outdoor spaces for the elderly. To design outdoor activityspace, especially the one closely related with the elderly, we should make an accurateanalysis of the physical and psychological needs of the elderly and design outdoor spacemost suitable for the aged.There are many factors influencing the design of outdoor space due to thecharacteristics of the elderly. First, we should pay attention to the physical andpsychological features, environmental preferences and the special needs of the elderly;Second, we have to consider the spatial layout of the outdoor environment and thenatures and functions of the outdoor space; At last, we should take into consideration ofthe distance, location and traffic condition of the outdoor space. All these are theobjective factors influencing the design of the outdoor space.Based on the above features, this paper, through refining and summary ofmultidisciplinary knowledge, concludes the characteristics of the elderly, behavioralpattern, activity space selection, and spatial environment design. At the same time, thispaper proposes a diversified, integrated and practical design philosophy of outdoor spacefor the elderly, so as to create a safe, comfortable, convenient and relaxing livingenvironment for the elderly.It is a traditional Chinese virtue to respect the old and cherish the young. Respectingthe elderly and creating an outdoor exercise environment for the elderly is our socialresponsibility so as to allow them to spend the remaining years in comfort.