The walking friendliness of ladder trails for the elderly: An empirical study in Chongqing

Abstract

Against the backdrop of a healthy city initiative in helping encourage and facilitate walking behavior, this study first elaborates the fitness function of the ladder trails, which largely form the daily living spaces for the people in mountainous cities or areas. It then analyses the existing research on the elements and guidelines of environmental design from the perspective of their pedestrian friendliness while discussing their suitability to the needs of the elderly. With the research framework set up in the first part, empirical research focusing on the walking behavior of the elderly has been carried out based on two comparable cases of Chongqing Mountain trails. Observing, survey, and interviews have been applied to collect the data. This study concludes with a summary of the elements and principles for designing ladder trails, which are walking-friendly for the elderly.