City for All Ages: Elderly Residents’ Perceptions of Walkability Attributes in Residential Areas

Abstract

Residential area is the main area for the elderly to carry out daily activities. The walkability of residential areas directly affects the quality of life of the elderly residents. It is also a symbol of the degree of walkability and the pace of green city construction. To test the influence of urban built environment on walkability in residential areas, this study developed a questionnaire to perceive the elderly residents’ perception of walkability around their neighbourhood, which was based on the Neighbourhood Environment Walkability Scale-Mainland China (NEWS-MC), and modified to reflect the characteristics of residential areas built environment and elderly residents’ behaviour mode. To perceive the final version of Neighbourhood Environment Walkability Scale for elderly residents’ (NEWS-E), We made a pilot study that include 50 samples, and then interview 300 elderly residents from 6 selected residential districts in Harbin, which were different in walkability attributes and economic status. The final version of the NEWS-E included 8 subscales and 4 single items (86 items in total). Test-retest reliability showed moderate to high in total, the NEWS-E could illustrate elderly residents’ perceptions of walkability attributes in residential areas and could be use in other Chinese urban attributes studies related to walking.