Effective Factors on the Vitality of Open Spaces in Residential Complexes from an Elderly Perspective: A Qualitative Research

As the aging population continues to grow, solutions to address the needs of and care for this population become increasingly essential. Numerous studies on shifting demographics reported that the ability to meet the challenge of an aging population and responding to its needs requires a better understanding of concepts, such as aging, frailty, and disability. The needs of the elderly are often associated with the concept of “aging in place.” A major aspect of “aging in place” is the quality of houses and their open area. The built environment can respond to the elderly’s needs and influence behaviors and create a vitality place for them. This research addressed the psychosocial needs of the aging population in open spaces; social environments to propose a model for living in open spaces in residential complexes, i.e., defined as the engagement and integration of the elderly residents in the community structure to experience an enhanced quality of life. The hypothesis is that, by linking the social and psychological needs of the aging groups to architectural principles and physical manifestations, a model for living in place is achieved; accordingly, the elderly experience vitality. The current study aimed to determine the factors influencing vitality in open spaces for the elderly.

This study employed a qualitative content analysis method based on interviews. The selected elderly were interviewed for qualitative analysis purposes. Individuals who were living in the Aseman residential complex, in East Azerbaijan Province, in 2019–2020 (as the case study) were selected and interviewed. To select the study sample, the purposive sampling method was employed. Totally, 24 participants were recruited and interviewed concerning factors affecting vitality in open spaces. A semi–structured interview was conducted to identify the dimensions of vitality in the environment from the perspective of the elderly until saturation was reached. The researchers interviewed the research participants in open spaces at 10–12 AM and 6–9 PM. After coding the collected data, these approaches were investigated and presented in a diagram format.

Effective factors on the vitality of open areas in residential complexes for the elderly were classified into 15 main themes and 59 sub–themes. The main themes were as follows: space configuration, physical diversity, physical identity, climate comfort, safe environment, comfort, flexibility, space maintenance, legibility, communication management, accumulation, social identity, relaxation, mental security, and mental interaction with the environment. The sub–themes related to each main theme were classified as follows: space configuration: space form, space proportions, space layout, and spatial communication; physical diversity: diversity, responsiveness to activities, dynamism and attractiveness, cohesion, and beauty; physical identity: space configuration and ecology; climate comfort: temperature, humidity, light, and shade; safe environment: space dynamics, structural elements, and non–physical elements; comfort: design quality, complementary spaces, accessibility, and human scale; flexibility: variability, adaptability, and variation; space maintenance: the quality of space, equipment, and facilities; legibility: natural elements, sensory stimuli, guide elements, structural elements, signs, complexity, and permeability; communication management: relationships as well as direct and indirect social communication; accumulation: the desire to be in a natural place, opportunities to meet others, and presence; social identity: memories, social celebrations, a sense of participation, and the possibility of being active; relaxation: air quality, noise pollution, light quality, congestion, and nature; mental security: environmental risk (human, vehicles), a sense of control, privacy, and aristocracy to the place; mental interaction with environment: openness, creating motivation through developing favorable forms, visual perception, understanding the environment, and an environment for everyone.

Based on the present research findings, 4 core dimensions were found to be correlated with lively open spaces in residential complexes from the elderly’s perspectives. These dimensions included physical, functional, social, and mental aspects. These dimensions were classified into 15 main themes and 59 sub–themes. Thus, vitality in open spaces is correlated with biopsychosocial issues, i.e., needed to be addressed to prevent abnormalities in the aging period.