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Urban built environment and elderly pedestrian accessibility: insights from South Asia

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Abstract

Cities in South Asia have traditionally been dominated by pedestrians for their daily trips. As the elderly population is increasing in the last two decades, the dynamics of designing appropriate walkways to serve elderly people are getting more attention from urban planning scholars and policymakers alike. However, few studies in planning in cities in South Asia consider elderly mobility and walkability issues  within urban planning processes. In this paper, we attempt to understand the challenges encountered by elderly pedestrians in existing street conditions in cities beyond the metropolitan cities in India and Bangladesh. Using cases of Rourkela in India and Khulna city in Bangladesh, we have collected both primary and secondary information by conducting a structured questionnaire survey in both cities at a similar period. We analyzed statistical models to understand relationships among built environment and mobility issues based on subjective evaluation (i.e., infrastructure, street design, lighting, overcrowding condition, and encroachment). Results indicate a strong effect of walkway width, street encroachments, and lighting levels on elderly pedestrian accessibility in the study area. Further, we established links between socio-cultural factors (especially gender) and elderly safety perception and behavioral changes that affect the frequency, length, and time of trips undertaken. This study will benefit scholars and municipal practitioners involved in city-level planning interventions to improve elderly accessibility. Consequently, we recommend more comprehensive studies which can unearth further nuanced perspectives on elderly accessibility in southern cities context.

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Data availability

The data used in the study are mostly drawn from survey results. Further information regarding the survey instruments and analysis can be provided if requested.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada

    Debadutta Parida

  2. Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, St. Mary’s University, Halifax, NS, Canada

    Rahaman Rubayet Khan

  3. Faculty of Planning, CEPT University, Ahmedabad, India

    K. Neethi Lavanya

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  1. Debadutta Parida
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Parida, D., Khan, R.R. & Lavanya, K.N. Urban built environment and elderly pedestrian accessibility: insights from South Asia. SN Soc Sci 2, 86 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43545-022-00391-y

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