Abstract
The aging population presents numerous challenges and the design and management of living environments are not an exception. This literature review and analysis brings together topics related to the living environment of the aging population and the concept of sustainability. The article presents the review of the existing design concepts that are applied to planning the environment for the elderly, including (i) design for all, (ii) universal design, and (iii) inclusive design. Furthermore, this review highlights the aspects of sustainability and the peculiarities of the aging population that should be taken into account in the design and management of their living environment. Key points related to sustainable aging are highlighted, and the possibility of complementing the existing design concepts with the concept of biophilic design is proposed in order to strengthen their social, psychological, and ecological aspects.
Highlights
As people tend to live longer all over the world due to the advances of medicine and other factors, the proportion of the population aged 65 and above will dramatically increase both in developed and developing countries in the forthcoming decades
It is forecasted that the demographic old-age dependency ratio will significantly increase in the European Union (EU) in the forthcoming decades: from about 25% in 2010, it has grown to 29.6% in 2016 and is predicted to reach 51.2% in 2070 [2]
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines society as an “aging-society”, where people aged 65 years and above constitute 7% or more of all the population; if this proportion reaches 14% and above, the society is defined as an “aged-society”, and when old-age dependency ratio reaches 20% and above, the society is considered as a “super-aged-society” [3]
Summary
As people tend to live longer all over the world due to the advances of medicine and other factors, the proportion of the population aged 65 and above will dramatically increase both in developed and developing countries in the forthcoming decades. Due to the growth of the above-mentioned age groups in the last decades, the number of elderly and disabled people has grown as well [1,4]. Such trends inevitably cause social changes and economic challenges. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines society as an “aging-society”, where people aged 65 years and above constitute 7% or more of all the population; if this proportion reaches 14% and above, the society is defined as an “aged-society”, and when old-age dependency ratio reaches 20% and above, the society is considered as a “super-aged-society” [3]
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