Abstract
China faces the challenge of “double aging”, which means aging people and aging buildings coexist, especially in old neighborhoods. Aging buildings might not suit elderly’s needs in many aspects, but they form a Living Environment of Familiarity (LEF), which is important for elderly’s physical and mental health. Thus, it is not preferable to demolish aging buildings and replace them with new houses and facilities. The chapter compares the number of old housings in Chinese cities in 2000 and 2010, and finds that too few old buildings remain and are in use. This means that LEF is decreasing, and aging buildings need more careful management and efficient reutilization. Accordingly, the chapter proposes strategies that could increase the positive use of aging buildings through activating the elderly household’s residue floor areas as social-spatial resources. This can encourage elderly’s aging in place, co-residence with younger generations, and improve their participation and self-governance.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Andersson, G., & Karlberg, I. (2000). Integrated care for the elderly. International Journal of Integrated Care. https://doi.org/10.5334/ijic.7.
David, R., & Yi, C. (2001). Sustainability options for China’s residential building sector. Building Research & Information, 29(4), 293–301. https://doi.org/10.1080/09613210122053.
Farber, N, et al. (2011). Aging in place: A state survey of livability policies and practices. TRID: The TRIS and ITRD database. ISBN: 9781580246453.
Feng, Z., et al. (2011). An industry in the making: The emergence of institutional elder care in Urban China. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 59, 738–744. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1532-5415.2011.03330.x.
Garvin, E., Branas, C., Keddem, S., et al. (2013). Journal of Urban Health, 90, 412. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11524-012-9782-7.
Guangya, Z. (2012). (2012). China’s architectural heritage conservation movement. Frontiers of Architectural Research, 1(3), 10–22.
Heying, J. Z., et al. (2006). Recent developments in institutional elder care in China. Journal of Aging & Social Policy, 18(2), 85–108. https://doi.org/10.1300/J031v18n02_06.
Irwin, A., et al. (1984). Elderly people and the environment. New York: Plenum Press. (Edited).
Iwarsson, S., et al. (2007). Importance of the home environment for healthy aging: Conceptual and methodological background of the European ENABLE-AGE Project. The Gerontologist, 47(1), 78–84.
Jane, J. (1961). The death and life of great American cities. New York: Random House. isbn:0-679-60047-7.
Julie, A. N., & Qingwen, X. (2012). Social capital and health outcomes among older adults in China: The urban–rural dimension. The Gerontologist, 52(3), 325–334. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnr072.
Kyu-taik, S. (2005). Care and respect for the elderly in Korea: Filial Piety in Modern Times in East Asia [M]. Paju-si: Jimoondang.
Marjorie, H. C. (1991). Family and community: Changing roles in an aging society. The Gerontologist, 31(3), 337–346. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/31.3.337.
Naohiro, O., & Robert, D. R. (1993). Care of the elderly in Japan: Changing norms and expectations. Journal of Marriage and Family, 55(3), 585–597.
Population Census Office of the State Council. (2000). Tabulation on the 2000 population census of the People’s Republic of China. Beijing: China Statistics Press.
Population Census Office of the State Council. (2010). Tabulation on the 2010 population census of the People’s Republic of China. Beijing: China Statistics Press.
Schiamberg, L. B., & McKinney, K. G. (2003). Factors influencing expectations to move or age in place at retirement among 40- to 65-year-olds. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 22(1), 19–41. https://doi.org/10.1177/0733464802250043.
Sylvia, Y. H., et al. (2017). Shrinking cities and resource-based economy: The economic restructuring in China’s mining cities. Cities, 2, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2016.07.009.
The State Council. (2011). 12th 5-year plan on the welfare of the older persons of the People’s Republic of China. http://www.gov.cn
Yan-feng, B., et al. (2013). The “empty-Nest” phenomenon in the process of urbanization—Taking Tailai County as an example. Journal of Harbin University, 34(08), 23–27.
Yanmin, Z. The latest tendencies of the clusters and the living facilities for the aged in Japan. World Architecture, 2002(8), 22–25.
Yvonne, L. M., et al. (2006). Neighborhood design and active aging. Health & Place, 12(4), 734–740.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2020 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Zhang, T. (2020). Double Aging: Conserving the Living Environment of Familiarity (LEF) to Mediate Between Aging People and Aging Buildings. In: Huang, Y. (eds) Chinese Cities in the 21st Century. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-34780-2_11
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-34780-2_11
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-34779-6
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-34780-2
eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)