Elderly satisfaction with planning and design of public parks in high density old districts: An ordered logit model

The elderly often spend a considerable amount of time in public parks, particular in highly dense cities. It is commonly recognised that the social dimension of environments have a significant influence on the health and well-being of the elderly. However, a clear understanding of key planning and design considerations for public open space designs for the elderly in old districts have still to be examined. Three hundred and sixty-five questionnaire surveys were conducted in public parks in three urban renewal districts, respectively. Principal component analysis(PCA) was then used to identify underlying factors for planning of public parks for the elderly, based on the interviewees’ evaluations. The results highlight that social connection is considered the most important criteria among the three selected parks. The study also estimated an ordered logit model to see how the different factors contribute to the satisfaction the elderly derive from using public parks. Insights obtained from the results highlight what criteria planners should consider in order to better design public parks in urban renewal so as to satisfy the specific needs of the elderly. It is revealed that all the parks examined performed unsatisfactorily when it came to enhancing social participation and inclusion. Thus, designs of public parks in the future could provide better space and opportunities for incorporating participation in the general planning and design in their local parks and neighborhoods to enhance healthy aging.