The elderly in green spaces: Exploring requirements and preferences concerning nature-based recreation

Abstract

As demographic changes abound, landscape planners should increase their understanding of both elderly people’s preferences concerning nature-based recreation and approaches to consider those preferences in planning. This study aims to synthesize existing knowledge about elderly people’s preferences, namely, how they interact with green spaces, what landscape characteristics they prefer or dislike, and how practitioners can improve planning to better meet elderly people’s needs. A systematic literature review based on the PRISMA method was conducted, including an in-depth analysis of 44 peer-reviewed journal articles. We find that published studies focus primarily on elderly people’s recreational activities in urban parks. Across different contexts, elderly people seem to have common preferences: landscape features that are natural, aesthetic, comprehensible, and diverse, with accessible and well-maintained infrastructure and facilities. Moreover, interactions between people and nature may affect the relative importance levels of the preferences. We recommend that landscape planning practitioners consider both scientific evidence and local conditions that could affect elderly people’s preferences, and explore the degree to which design options may fulfill these preferences. Further research is needed to explore differences in preferences between urban and rural dwellers, to quantify preferences, and to enhance understanding of elderly people’s emotional ties with nature.