Behaviours of older adults in urban outdoor environments during warm days

Abstract

As a result of climate change, heat waves are expected to increase in frequency, duration, and severity, which is particularly threatening to the urban population. Vulnerable groups, including the older population, are more likely to be affected by adverse health effects due to heat exposure. Mitigation measures to improve thermal comfort and reduce human heat stress in outdoor spaces require including various urban design strategies while also considering the needs of the population. This study aimed to investigate heat's effects on older adults' behaviour in urban outdoor environments during warm days and to identify factors that may affect their experiences. Several spatial characteristics, including urban areas, tree canopy fraction, normalized building volume, proximity to water, and individual factors of age and health status of older adults, were analyzed to discover relationships between their preferences regarding outdoor activities and the use of outdoor space. Questionnaire survey data was used to perform statistical analysis through one-way ANOVA to investigate statistical significance between the means of different groups. The findings showed that older age groups and adults with worsened health had, on average, a stronger preference for staying indoors and avoiding outdoor activities during warm days than younger age groups and older adults with very good health. In terms of spatial characteristics, older adults living in areas with high tree canopy fraction had, on average, a stronger preference to perform outdoor activities during warm days than older adults living in areas with low tree canopy fraction. Additional findings were that older adults found sunlit places in the city undesirable environments during warm days. In contrast, places with wind/good ventilation and shade from greenery were considered desirable environments. These findings highlight the importance of including the needs of older adults to understand how urban design can improve thermal comfort and encourage their use of outdoor space during warm days.