Design Guidelines of Public Transportation for Older Adults in Urban Areas

Abstract

Population aging is a trend all over the world. It results in the increasing number of older adults in the whole population in a country. This is especially notable in urban areas; the elderly seek good life quality, social benefits and medical care there. Population aging will influence urban areas in the world considerably, as the demographic of older adults become the largest group of the society. Due to the changes in physical abilities, such as recessions of muscle and sense organs, older adults feel difficulty in taking part in social activities; this may be a factor that contributes to the number of older adults suffering from loneliness. It becomes a vicious circle in that changes in physical abilities disable them to join in social activities, and lack of communication exacerbates loneliness. In order to break the circle, it is necessary to help older adults engage in social activities and communications. Public transportation may become a link to connect seniors to various social engagements; improved public transportation interior facilities and arrangements meet both physical and psychological mobility needs of older adults, may help build an active aging society and enable older adults to enjoy their city lives more fully. In this thesis, a logical deduction would be firstly demonstrated to emphasize the influence of public transportation on older adults’ needs of social engagement and well being. Then based on several important theories, concepts and case studies, design guidelines of public transportation interior facilities would be created. Finally a new design of public transportation interior would be performed by applying guidelines, compared to the existing design.