Framework for age friendly neighbourhood older people

Abstract

First of all, what is a neighbourhood, the term neighbourhood is often used to describe the sub-divisions of urban or rural settlements. In its purest definition, a neighbourhood is vicinity in which people live. Neighbourhood concept has been arguably the major planning landmark which the urban form in twentieth century. Why the neighbourhood or community should be age-friendly, as we know Indian population has been growing rapidly and with the increase in medical facilities the population of age >60 has been increasing steadily. It is expected to grow from 8% in 2015 to 19% in 2050. Since older generation had a strong and firm relationship with their neighbourhood and home, it enabled them to keep them active and help them in their “well-being”. The design of a community neighbourhood is always a key factor to influence the support, care, security, and homeliness of the aged population. It exerts a significant necessity for the aged people who are mainly affected by the type of housing and their neighbourhood settings. The paper is divided into three parts, first part focusing on the fact-finding about the current scenario of the aging population in Indian context and fundamental understanding of inter-relationship of neighbourhood design for healthy aging the second part highlights the review from literature about various aspects on neighbourhood design and the perception of aged people on healthy aging in their neighbourhood. The third part of the paper concludes with a set of design guidelines for neighbourhood design to create a safe pedestrian environment, easy access to public transportation, shopping centres, public and recreational facilities and nearby healthcare centres and to create aspects for healthy aging and wellbeing for the aged people.