Social interaction activities of older adults: a study based on the outdoor space of old apartment complexes in Tianjin, China

In the academic community, there is a concern about the effect of neighborhood outdoor spatial design on the social interaction of older adults. However, little attention has been paid to exploring the way of enhancing the mobility and social interaction of older adults through targeted and selective renewal of the neighborhood outdoor space, especially barrier-free environment. To fill this research gap, a case study was conducted in this paper by evaluating seven apartment complexes in two old neighborhood clusters in Tianjin, China. Through the interviews and participatory observation conducted with 215 older adults, data on their travel time, travel routes, travel companions, and social contacts were collected. Then, correlations were established between older adults’ social interactions and spatial factors, including their perceptions of barrier-free environment. As revealed by this study, the indicators such as the combination rate of tables and chairs and the evaluation of barrier-free facilities have a significant positive impact on the number of older people engaging in outdoor social interaction, while the proportion of green space exerts a negative effect. Community interactions may be effectively enhanced by focusing on spatial structure improvement, barrier-free design of the important locations as well as other aspects of neighborhood spaces.