PhD Thesis: Healing Landscape that supports Healthy Ageing-in-place in Suzhou, China

Description

Abstract: Against the backdrop of rapid demographic ageing and extensive urban redevelopment in Chinese cities, ensuring elderly residents' quality of life and promoting healthy ageing-in-place have emerged as urgent social and urban planning priorities. Resettlement communities, which accommodate large numbers of elderly residents relocated from traditional neighbourhoods due to urbanisation processes, face challenges. These communities often lack adequately designed outdoor environments that meet elderly users' diverse physical, psychological, and social needs, thus limiting older adults’ outdoor engagement and overall well-being. Addressing these challenges requires not only an understanding of elderly residents' specific requirements for community green spaces but also evidence-based, scalable design interventions capable of adaptation across various urban contexts.
This research aims to develop a systematic and context-sensitive landscape design framework to support healthy ageing-in-place in resettlement communities, with a particular focus on Suzhou, China. The study is structured around four core research objectives: (1) to investigate the relationships between landscape design, older adults' needs, and older adults' behaviours at the community level, guided by environmental psychology theory; (2) to evaluate current landscape designs in selected Suzhou communities using the conceptual framework developed from Objective 1, and identify efficient or inefficient designs; (3) to translate the updated conceptual framework into design prototypes that will be further refined through an iterative process; and (4) to develop and propose an updated theoretical framework and specific landscape design strategies that effectively support healthy ageing-in-place in Suzhou, suitable for retrofitting existing community landscapes.
A qualitative research design was adopted to support the research-by-design process, comprising seasonal on-site observation, semi-structured interviews with elderly residents stratified by age and gender, spatial and environmental analyses, and iterative modular design validations. Fieldwork was conducted in selected representative resettlement communities in Suzhou, carefully chosen based on characteristics such as green space quality, proportion of elderly residents, and construction year. Empirical findings guided the development of a three-tier modular system — Basic, Standard, and Advanced — validated through focus group interviews involving elderly residents.
The main findings underscored the complexity and multi-layered nature of elderly residents' green space requirements, captured across three core dimensions of elderly-friendly landscape design: convenience and comfort, social engagement, and spiritual richness. Within these dimensions, critical insights included the importance of seasonally adaptive microclimate management, accessible and comfortable pathways and seating arrangements, culturally meaningful and aesthetically pleasing vegetation, and interactive social spaces facilitating both casual interactions and intergenerational activities. Crucially, discrepancies between stated preferences and observed behaviours revealed a prioritisation of practical convenience and social accessibility over formal environmental qualities. Preferences also varied across demographic lines, with younger elderly cohorts favouring active, visually stimulating environments, while older cohorts prioritised safety, comfort, and ease of use. These findings emphasised the need for targeted and flexible design interventions.
To address these nuanced demands, the study proposed a validated modular framework comprising Basic, Standard, and Advanced modules that integrate targeted strategies to meet different levels of needs across diverse communities. Empirical validation demonstrated their effectiveness in increasing elderly residents' outdoor engagement and enhancing overall spatial satisfaction.
This thesis contributes both theoretically and practically by synthesising empirical findings, environmental psychology theory, and national policy standards (T/ASC 18-2021) into a replicable and adaptable framework to support sustainable urban regeneration for an ageing population. It provides actionable guidelines for planners, landscape architects, and policymakers, improving outdoor activity experiences for elderly residents and advancing broader public health goals articulated in the Healthy China 2030 initiative.

Period	1 Mar 2019 → 20 Oct 2025
Examinee	Da Huo
Examination held at	Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University
Degree of Recognition	International