Research On The Design Of Community Outdoor Activity Space For Elderly And Children Groups From The Perspective Of Intergenerational Integration

The relationship between the elderly and children is not only a continuation of the family,but also a transmission of social civilisation.Promoting intergenerational communication and integration between the elderly and children is of great importance to family harmony and social cohesion.With the accelerated ageing process in China and the introduction of the "three-child policy",the proportion of the elderly and children in our communities is gradually increasing.In order to relieve the pressure on young people to raise children,more and more elderly are taking on the task of caring for the grandchildren in the family.As a result,the phenomenon of "bringing the grandchildren" and "the elderly and children along" is commonplace in community outdoor spaces.However,most of the existing outdoor spaces in the community are discussed in isolation from the needs of the elderly and children,and there are very few places where the elderly and children can do activities together.This has resulted in the’subjugation’ of the elderly and children in outdoor activities,which has seriously affected their experience of each other’s activities and is not conducive to intergenerational integration.Therefore,it is imperative to explore how to meet the needs of the elderly and the children for joint activities from the perspective of intergenerational integration,and to create an agefriendly and child-friendly community outdoor space with a focus on communication and companionship.This paper starts with a perspective of intergenerational integration and is guided by the findings of intergenerational solidarity theory,psychology and other disciplines.Firstly,the physiological,psychological and behavioural characteristics of the elderly and children groups are summarised in a targeted manner to explore the intrinsic interconnectedness of the elderly and children.Secondly,through a thorough field study of typical communities in Nanjing,the study summarises the types of outdoor activity spaces and current problems of the elderly and children in the community.On this basis,the characteristics,constraints and needs of outdoor activities for the elderly and children were explored through questionnaires and in-depth interviews.Based on the findings of the previous research,the design principles of outdoor activity spaces for the elderly and children in the community from the perspective of intergenerational integration are extracted.Finally,the five aspects of intergenerational accessibility,intergenerational mobility,intergenerational enjoyment,intergenerational participation and intergenerational value realisation are explored in the design strategies for the physical and human environments of community outdoor spaces to promote intergenerational integration.In this way,it complements the neglect of the needs of the elderly and the children in the current research on community outdoor spaces,and provides some ideas for the planning and design of new communities and the renovation and upgrading of old communities in China.