The Research Of Landscape Design Of Outdoor Activity Space For The Elderly In Residential Districts

As the population ages faster, our country has already entered into the aging society, where the aging problem is more and more serious. At present, in addition to the city parks, the outdoor activity space in residential areas has become the main gathering areas for the elders. Now there are a number of problems in elders’outdoor activity space design in residential area, such as unsatisfactory greening environment, unreasonable space layout, incomplete function facilities and the poor maintenance management. Many communities are indifferent to the humanistic care and the special deamnds of old people. Thus, suitable theories are in urgent need for elders’outdoor activity space design in residential areas.On the basis of previous researches, through on-the-spot investigations, questionnaires, reading relevant books and summary of practice methods, the elders’special characteristics, behavioral habits, activity demands, the types of the elderly outdoor activities, influencing factors and the basic elements of elders’activity space were analyzed and summarized in this paper. Eight different residential subdistricts in Hangzhou with different qualities and ages were taken as examples to show the changes and development of elders’outdoor activity space. In the end, with consideration of existing problems and shortcomings, combined with the characteristics and the activity demands of the elderly, some principles and methods for elders’ outdoor activity space design in residential areas were proposed.First, it was explained in five perspectives that the outdoor activity space design for elders in residential areas was not a simple site design-safety principle, convenience principle, identifiability principle, controllability principle and social principle. Designers should consider the needs of elders thoroughly to make the landscape of the space more humanizing and elders-friendly.Secondly, from the aspects of space composition elements, the specific methods and optimized models for the landscape design of the outdoor activity space for elders in residential areas were put forward from the eight respects-pedestrian system, accessibility system, greening system, illuminating system, sign system, functional facility, pavement system and property services.The outdoor activity space for elders in residential areas should be developed fully, not only in the humanizing and comfortable surrounding environment and supporting facilities, but also in excellent late period maintenance service with guaranteed safety of these functional facilities. Moreover, the property management companies may also organize certain community activities, provide pension services and build some vegetable gardens for better twilight years of the elders.