PhD Thesis: Ageing-Friendly Cities: Renovating Old Residential Communities to Support “Healthy Ageing-in-Place” at a Neighbourhood level - Case Studies in Suzhou, China.

Description

Developing countries like China are experiencing rapid population ageing and urbanisation. However, the majority of communities where older adults in China ageing-in-place were established before 2000, comprising old and deteriorating residential buildings. The outdated and declining environments in these communities present considerable challenges to meeting the needs of healthy ageing-in-place. This research addresses this critical gap by exploring the environmental needs of urban older adults in China. It seeks to develop a framework to guide the renovation of existing old residential areas, addressing the physical and social changes associated with ageing, to enable older adults healthy ageing-in-place better.

This study employs a qualitatively driven mixed-methods approach, integrating qualitative methods, including systematic literature review, semi-structured interviews, and quantitative methods, such as GPS tracking and structured observations. Two different types of residential neighbourhoods in Gusu District and Kunshan County, Suzhou, were selected as research cases, representing the mainstream old residential areas in the Yangtze River Delta region of China. The study begins by systematically reviewing the relationship between the environment, behaviour, and well-being of older adults, conceptualising the pathways through which the built environment influences healthy ageing. Building on this review, a conceptual model supporting healthy ageing-in-place is developed, providing a theoretical foundation for the research. Subsequently, data collection is conducted through GPS tracking, structured observations, and semi-structured interviews. The conceptual model was validated and revised by integrating the built environment with the met and unmet needs of older adults for healthy ageing-in-place. This framework highlights key themes necessary for achieving healthy ageing-in-place and offers new perspectives on how age-friendly environments can support this process.

The study identifies the critical role of outdoor activities in promoting healthy ageing and underscores the importance of specific spatial types and built environment features as facilitators of these activities. Additionally, the study highlights the interdependent relationship between urban and neighbourhood-level environments in supporting healthy ageing-in-place. This relationship deepens our understanding of how "well-being" and "ageing-in-place" are experienced by older adults and contributes to the ongoing discourse on "healthy ageing" within the Chinese context. Specifically, at the neighbourhood level, community residents' committees, public spaces, and urban parks are found to be essential in facilitating social networks and participation among older adults. Social interaction is identified as a critical need for older adults, significantly influencing their overall well-being. Furthermore, a comparative analysis of two different types of old residential neighbourhoods reveals that variations in environmental characteristics lead to differing needs for healthy ageing-in-place. These individualised preferences underscore the importance of tailoring renovation strategies to the specific characteristics of ageing residential areas. Consequently, this project proposes integrated renovation design strategies that are informed by the research findings and aligned with existing design guidelines.

Period	1 Sept 2020 → 10 Jun 2025
Examinee	Wenquan Gan
Examination held at	Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University
Degree of Recognition	International