Outdoor Environment Research In Apartments For The Elderly

With the aging of the population trends, the problem of population aging will become more conspicuous. We should face and try to solve the problem that aging have brought to our society. Basing on relative theories of environment behavior and human behavior, this stuy take five apartments for the elderly of Xi'an as example, has made a detailed study on the outdoor environment of apartments for the elderly, hope to provide some theory bases for the planning and design of outdoor environments of apartments for the elderly. The main study results as follows:1. Summarized the development situation and research achievement and direction of the domestic apartments for the elderly. Moreover, by the analysis of the current situation and developing trend of the aging of Xi'an population, combined with the pre-field investigations, sumed up the developing situations and problems of the apartments for elderly of Xi'an city.2. By using the POE and field investigation and interview, learned the general situation, geographical location, outdoor landscape and space situation, the activity features of elderly and the usage situation of outdoor environment of the following elderly apartments: Donglin apartment for the elderly, Heping apartment for the elderly, Hantang apartment for the elderly, Weiyang district elderly welfare service center and New mailand hot spring apartment for the elderly.3. According to the summary and conclude of the investigation of the five apartments for elderly mentioned before, learned the schedule, moving distance, activity type and pattern of the elderly outdoor activities. Furthermore, found out the elderly people's cognitive aspects of different environmental elements and their attitude to different outdoor environment of the apartments.4. Base on the research of the interacting relationship between behavior and environmental factor, found out the following important environmental factors to the usage of the elderly apartment's outdoor environment: security and accessibility, the openness of the space, vegetation condition, pavement, landscape sketch and facility. Through the comparison and analysis of different usage situation among these elderly apartments, combine with the physiological and psychological needs, summarized the characteristic of high usage landscape space in elderly apartment: landscape spaces that meet the needs of contact and have the fitness function; spaces that can be rely on and near the residential area and the complexity and continuity of landscape spaces organizational form. Proposed the planning and design principles of the outdoor environment of apartment for the elderly and the planning and design points of typical space.5. There are still many problems on outdoor environmental construction for current elderly apartment of Xi'an city: Remote location, inaccessible and facilities incomplete, Low green coverage, poor ecological benefits, unreasonable facility design and insufficient of barrier-free design, lack of functional division and singleness of space types. The level of the apartnments management and maintenance needed improve. To solve these problems, the study provides some measures and methods available for operation: In the design: Starting from location, apartment for elderly should build in a superior geographic location with convenient transportation and fresh air. Enlarge the greening area, enrich the greening form and pay attention to the plants diversity and functional. Humanization design of environmental facilities should be taken and outdoor barrier-free design should be perfected to meet the elderly people's physiological and psychological needs. Create activity space environment with features of multi-level, multifunction and continuity to increase the usage rate of space. In the management: The community should attach importance to the outdoor environment of the apartment for the elderly. Improve relevant laws and regulations. Strengthen the government support and increase the capital investment. Increase the management and maintenance in the outdoor environment of apartment.