| 요약2 |
The purpose of this study was to identify the senior’s environmental perception and needs on the age-friendly walking environment based on WHO age-friendly city guidelines and the age-friendliness degree of the walking environment. In this study, walking environments were classified into six categories; pedestrian roads, outdoor seating, public toilet, bus stop, crosswalk, and green space. In-depth interviews were conducted targeting ten seniors aged 65 years and older living in Busan. Also, observations were held for a total of 20 walking paths where the participants use everyday. The results showed that the seniors were less likely to be satisfied with all six categories of the walking environment. The participants suggested specific needs and improvement ideas for the age-friendly walking environment. On the base of these findings, this study proposed the improvement directions for the age-friendly walking environment. Those were the separation of roadways and sidewalks, improvement of defective roads, additional installation of street lamps, covered seating areas in sidewalks and bus stops, signboards for public open toilets, street lightings, and green spaces. This study provides useful information and improvement directions for the increasing number of Korean senior population. |