Socially Sustainable Suburbia: Linking Neighbourhood Characteristics to Health Outcomes in an Ageing Population

Abstract

With populations ageing across the developed world, there is increasing interest in the impact of the urban environment on the capacity of people to age in place. This is a significant issue not only for the quality of life of older people but also for the longer-term sustainability of cities and neighbourhoods. This paper presents findings from a cross-disciplinary pilot research study that addresses the link between health in older Australians and urban sustainability. The paper details a unique neighbourhood assessment method that explores associations between subjective and objective measures of neighbourhood characteristics and health for community dwelling people aged 55 years and over. The results reveal that health is a major pre-occupation for the study group but social interaction and the built environment are major influences on quality of life. It is anticipated that the pilot study will lead to the development of guidelines for the design of sustainable urban environments that respond to the health needs of an increasingly diverse ageing population.