Qian Zhao

Residential outdoor spaces serve as the most important venue for outdoor activities of home-based older adults. Their livability and age-friendliness have become a hot topics of active discussion in recent years and a key aspect of urban residential renewal. From an interactive perspective (i.e., the bidirectional dynamic causal effect between older adults’ behaviors and the residential outdoor space environment), this study explores the theoretical methods of interactive renewal of residential outdoor spaces, including concepts, principles, and an age-friendly design framework. Through field investigations of two typical communities (multi-row type and row-point combined type), and using methods such as behavioral observation, GPS tracking, questionnaire surveys (216 valid responses), space syntax, and kernel density analysis, this research examines the interaction process between residential outdoor spaces and older adults, analyzes existing problems, demonstrates the feasibility of integrating interactive renewal design with outdoor space design, and proposes design strategies for age-friendly renewal of residential outdoor spaces. This study supplements research on outdoor “space-behavior” interactions and contributes to improving the age-friendliness of communities.

With the intensification of population aging, addressing the needs of older adults and enhancing their daily activities has become increasingly significant. This study focuses on community parks—frequent outdoor activity venues for older adults—as the research subject. Starting from older adults’ needs, pedestrian simulation technology was employed using AnyLogic to model their behavioral activities within Qiaokou Park in Wuhan. Unlike previous studies applying simulation tools to general public spaces, this research develops age-sensitive indicators (Pedestrian Walking Cost, Connectivity of Activity Space Nodes, Functional Mix Efficiency, Activity Intensity of Activity Space Nodes, Pedestrian Density Map) tailored to older adults’ behavioral and spatial characteristics. Integrating empirical data from questionnaires and on-site observations with simulation, the study establishes a systematic framework linking user needs and spatial design. Based on simulation outputs, the park’s current “non-age-friendly” issues were analyzed, and optimization strategies were proposed regarding service capacity, functional layout, and pathways. The optimized scheme underwent secondary simulation to evaluate improvements in spatial indicators. This approach extends the methodological toolkit for age-friendly park research and provides replicable, evidence-based guidance for community park renovation in rapidly aging urban contexts. Key recommendations include the following: (1) Improve the relationship between activity nodes and park entrances; (2) Enhance connectivity among nodes to support continuous activity flows; (3) Optimize the pathway network to reduce congestion and barriers; (4) Promote functional diversity to stimulate active and social use; (5) Strengthen service capacity of nodes to accommodate user demand.