Understanding Elderly’s Place Attachment in Urban Parks Setting

Abstract

Urban designers, planners and policy-makers are working together to meet the emerging demands as cities in the developed countries are growing at an increased speed and intensity. Therefore, a socio-economic conception is needed to be conceived and more deliberately assimilated in terms of urban planning and in regards to designing urban areas in order to develop cities sustainably so they are planned well. Since parks are public space they have a great importance in creating a social environment for people, particularly for those who live in cities. This is in addition to the, physical and ecological impacts of parks. Those who live in the city spend a little time in the edge of everyday life with their friends and families and, as such, they are distracted from social life. This situation adversely affects the elderly who need the most care in our busy daily life. This article seeks to address the gap in the field by exploring the phenomenon of the bonding between elderly people and place in urban parks in an analytical context and focuses on the core concept of place attachment which has gained traction over the past three decades because of the role it plays in explaining the consequences of the connection between people and place in term of predicting behaviors. This article aims to explore how elderly people who have exposed themselves to an environment develop place satisfaction and place attachment in the urban parks and to create more sustainable, civic and environmentally conscientious communities. Based on literature reviewed, this study proposes a conceptual framework of elderly’s source, dimension of place attachment in urban parks. It is anticipated that place satisfaction and place attachment contribute to elderly behavior and might improve their behavior in the urban park environment. This article further evaluates the affective and cognitive views as well as the commitment of the elderly to sustainable development.