The Impact of Urban Form on Older Adults

The Impact of Urban Form on Older Adults PDF Author: Jae Seung Lee (Ph. D.)
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 192

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Book Description
The growing share of older adults across the globe raises concern about active and safe aging. This dissertation examines aging baby boomers' travel and social behavior resulting from neighborhood design. The body of the research consists of three interrelated essays: The first essay explores age-restricted neighborhoods that target persons 55 and over, providing agetargeted physical design and social services. This study aims to offer insights into how this suburban morphology has evolved, as well as its impacts on travel behavior of baby boomers living in agerestricted neighborhoods. The study compares several physical characteristics, walkability, and local activity levels of five representative age-restricted neighborhoods and five nearby ordinary neighborhoods in Massachusetts. The analysis finds that, while providing diverse neighborhood amenities, age-restricted neighborhoods remain automobile-dependent due to the poor street connectivity and the lack of potential nearby destinations. The second essay analyzes the travel behavior, residential choices, and related preferences of 55+ baby boomers in suburban Boston, looking specifically at age-restricted neighborhoods. For this highly autodependent group, do neighborhood-related characteristics influence local-level recreational walk/bike and social activity trip-making? The analysis aims to discern community (for example, social network) versus physical (for example, street network) influences. The analysis reveals modest neighborhood effects. Living in age-restricted, as opposed to un-restricted, suburban neighborhoods modestly increases the likelihood of being active and the number of local social trips. Overall, the age-restricted community status has greater influence on recreational and social activity trip-making than the neighborhood physical characteristics, although some community - neighborhood interaction exists. The third essay seeks to reveal the interactions between urban form and safety affecting urban baby boomers' walking behavior. Spatial analysis reveals the traffic accident patterns in urban Boston neighborhoods, indicating hotspots around activity centers. The analysis identifies significant effects of walkable urban forms (e.g., mixed use, well-connected streets, and good access to potential destinations) on older adults' walking. Yet accessibility to retail, as well as traffic speed and volume, are positively associated with the traffic accident frequency. The result implies a potential health trade-off between neighborhood walkability and safety, at least for urban baby boomers.

The Impact of Urban Form on Older Adults

The Impact of Urban Form on Older Adults PDF Author: Jae Seung Lee (Ph. D.)
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 192

Get Book Here

Book Description
The growing share of older adults across the globe raises concern about active and safe aging. This dissertation examines aging baby boomers' travel and social behavior resulting from neighborhood design. The body of the research consists of three interrelated essays: The first essay explores age-restricted neighborhoods that target persons 55 and over, providing agetargeted physical design and social services. This study aims to offer insights into how this suburban morphology has evolved, as well as its impacts on travel behavior of baby boomers living in agerestricted neighborhoods. The study compares several physical characteristics, walkability, and local activity levels of five representative age-restricted neighborhoods and five nearby ordinary neighborhoods in Massachusetts. The analysis finds that, while providing diverse neighborhood amenities, age-restricted neighborhoods remain automobile-dependent due to the poor street connectivity and the lack of potential nearby destinations. The second essay analyzes the travel behavior, residential choices, and related preferences of 55+ baby boomers in suburban Boston, looking specifically at age-restricted neighborhoods. For this highly autodependent group, do neighborhood-related characteristics influence local-level recreational walk/bike and social activity trip-making? The analysis aims to discern community (for example, social network) versus physical (for example, street network) influences. The analysis reveals modest neighborhood effects. Living in age-restricted, as opposed to un-restricted, suburban neighborhoods modestly increases the likelihood of being active and the number of local social trips. Overall, the age-restricted community status has greater influence on recreational and social activity trip-making than the neighborhood physical characteristics, although some community - neighborhood interaction exists. The third essay seeks to reveal the interactions between urban form and safety affecting urban baby boomers' walking behavior. Spatial analysis reveals the traffic accident patterns in urban Boston neighborhoods, indicating hotspots around activity centers. The analysis identifies significant effects of walkable urban forms (e.g., mixed use, well-connected streets, and good access to potential destinations) on older adults' walking. Yet accessibility to retail, as well as traffic speed and volume, are positively associated with the traffic accident frequency. The result implies a potential health trade-off between neighborhood walkability and safety, at least for urban baby boomers.

Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults

Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults PDF Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309671035
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 317

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Book Description
Social isolation and loneliness are serious yet underappreciated public health risks that affect a significant portion of the older adult population. Approximately one-quarter of community-dwelling Americans aged 65 and older are considered to be socially isolated, and a significant proportion of adults in the United States report feeling lonely. People who are 50 years of age or older are more likely to experience many of the risk factors that can cause or exacerbate social isolation or loneliness, such as living alone, the loss of family or friends, chronic illness, and sensory impairments. Over a life course, social isolation and loneliness may be episodic or chronic, depending upon an individual's circumstances and perceptions. A substantial body of evidence demonstrates that social isolation presents a major risk for premature mortality, comparable to other risk factors such as high blood pressure, smoking, or obesity. As older adults are particularly high-volume and high-frequency users of the health care system, there is an opportunity for health care professionals to identify, prevent, and mitigate the adverse health impacts of social isolation and loneliness in older adults. Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults summarizes the evidence base and explores how social isolation and loneliness affect health and quality of life in adults aged 50 and older, particularly among low income, underserved, and vulnerable populations. This report makes recommendations specifically for clinical settings of health care to identify those who suffer the resultant negative health impacts of social isolation and loneliness and target interventions to improve their social conditions. Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults considers clinical tools and methodologies, better education and training for the health care workforce, and dissemination and implementation that will be important for translating research into practice, especially as the evidence base for effective interventions continues to flourish.

Global Age-friendly Cities

Global Age-friendly Cities PDF Author: World Health Organization
Publisher: World Health Organization
ISBN: 9241547308
Category : Family & Relationships
Languages : en
Pages : 83

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Book Description
The guide is aimed primarily at urban planners, but older citizens can use it to monitor progress towards more age-friendly cities. At its heart is a checklist of age-friendly features. For example, an age-friendly city has sufficient public benches that are well-situated, well-maintained and safe, as well as sufficient public toilets that are clean, secure, accessible by people with disabilities and well-indicated. Other key features of an age-friendly city include: well-maintained and well-lit sidewalks; public buildings that are fully accessible to people with disabilities; city bus drivers who wait until older people are seated before starting off and priority seating on buses; enough reserved parking spots for people with disabilities; housing integrated in the community that accommodates changing needs and abilities as people grow older; friendly, personalized service and information instead of automated answering services; easy-to-read written information in plain language; public and commercial services and stores in neighbourhoods close to where people live, rather than concentrated outside the city; and a civic culture that respects and includes older persons.

Ageing in Cities

Ageing in Cities PDF Author: OECD
Publisher: OECD Publishing
ISBN: 9264231161
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 204

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Book Description
This book examines trends in ageing societies and urban development before assessing the impact of ageing populations on urban areas and strategies for policy and governance. It includes 9 case studies.

Urban Sprawl and Public Health

Urban Sprawl and Public Health PDF Author: Howard Frumkin
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 372

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Book Description
'Urban Sprawl and Public Health' offers a survey of the impact that the built environment can have on the health of the people who inhabit our cities. The authors go on to suggest ways in which the design of cities could be improved & have a positive impact on the well-being of their citizens.

Families Caring for an Aging America

Families Caring for an Aging America PDF Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309448093
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 367

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Book Description
Family caregiving affects millions of Americans every day, in all walks of life. At least 17.7 million individuals in the United States are caregivers of an older adult with a health or functional limitation. The nation's family caregivers provide the lion's share of long-term care for our older adult population. They are also central to older adults' access to and receipt of health care and community-based social services. Yet the need to recognize and support caregivers is among the least appreciated challenges facing the aging U.S. population. Families Caring for an Aging America examines the prevalence and nature of family caregiving of older adults and the available evidence on the effectiveness of programs, supports, and other interventions designed to support family caregivers. This report also assesses and recommends policies to address the needs of family caregivers and to minimize the barriers that they encounter in trying to meet the needs of older adults.

Age-Friendly Cities and Communities

Age-Friendly Cities and Communities PDF Author: Tine Buffel
Publisher: Policy Press
ISBN: 1447331311
Category : Family & Relationships
Languages : en
Pages : 312

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Book Description
This important book provides a comprehensive survey of different strategies for developing age-friendly communities, and the extent to which older people themselves can be involved in the co-production of age-friendly policies and practices.

City Rules

City Rules PDF Author: Emily Talen
Publisher: Island Press
ISBN: 1610911768
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 257

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Book Description
City Rules offers a challenge to students and professionals in urban planning, design, and policy to change the rules of city-building, using regulations to reinvigorate, rather than stifle, our communities. Emily Talen demonstrates that regulations are a primary detriment to the creation of a desirable urban form. While many contemporary codes encourage sprawl and even urban blight, that hasn't always been the case-and it shouldn't be in the future. Talen provides a visually rich history, showing how certain eras used rules to produce beautiful, walkable, and sustainable communities, while others created just the opposite. She makes complex regulations understandable, demystifying city rules like zoning and illustrating how written codes translate into real-world consequences. Most importantly, Talen proposes changes to these rules that will actually enhance communities' freedom to develop unique spaces.

Urban Form and Accessibility

Urban Form and Accessibility PDF Author: Corinne Mulley
Publisher: Elsevier
ISBN: 0128198230
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 450

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Book Description
The growth of global urbanization places great strains on energy, transportation, housing and public spaces needs. As such, transport and land use are inextricably linked. Urban Form and Accessibility: Social, Economic, and Environment Impacts consolidates key insights from multidisciplinary perspectives on the relationship between urban form and transportation planning. Synthesizing the latest cutting-edge research, the book translates academic evidence into practice. Starting with an overview of the key concepts relevant to each discipline, the book covers critical elements such as governance, travel behavior, and technological disruption, showing how to move towards a more sustainable society for all city inhabitants. Draws on evidence-based success stories from countries around the globe Gathers global leading thinkers to provide the state-of-the-art on the topic Examines social, economic, and environmental impacts within each chapter Each chapter’s content will have the same structure for easier discoverability

Does the Built Environment Influence Physical Activity?

Does the Built Environment Influence Physical Activity? PDF Author: Transportation Research Board
Publisher: Transportation Research Board
ISBN: 0309094984
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 269

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Book Description
TRB Special Report 282: Does the Built Environment Influence Physical Activity? Examining the Evidence reviews the broad trends affecting the relationships among physical activity, health, transportation, and land use; summarizes what is known about these relationships, including the strength and magnitude of any causal connections; examines implications for policy; and recommends priorities for future research.