How to renovate old residential communities to support healthy ageing-in-place at a neighbourhood level? A case study in Suzhou, China

Outdoor activities are crucial for older adults’ health and well-being. Environmental factors within communities can either hinder or facilitate their participation in outdoor activities as they ageing-in-place. In China, a significant proportion of older adults live in old residential communities where the outdoor environment has not been properly designed to meet the elderly’s needs for outdoor activities. To support healthy ageing and ageing-in-place per government’s recommendations, many of these communities are, or soon will be, undergoing renovation. However, there is limited research on how these communities can be renovated to better promote well-being-related activities among older adults and thereby to support healthy ageing-in-place. To fill in this gap, this research aims to develop a framework that can inform the renovation of old residential communities. A mixed-methods case study grounded in environmental gerontology was conducted in Cuiyuan Neighbourhood, Suzhou, China, using quantitative observations, GPS tracking, and qualitative interviews. Results show that older adults’ engagement in outdoor activities depends on environmental attributes across multiple spatial scales. Two principles highlighted in the framework are as follows: extending renovation strategies beyond gated communities to entire neighbourhoods in line with the “15-minute city” concept and creating supportive spatial networks to encourage healthy lifestyles among older adults.