Towards ageing-in-place in China: the importance of neighbourhood outdoor spaces

Yichao He, Karim Hadjri, Helen Woolley and Jie Xiong ()
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Yichao He: College of Art and Design, Nanjing Forestry University
Karim Hadjri: School of Architecture and Landscape, University of Sheffield
Helen Woolley: School of Architecture and Landscape, University of Sheffield
Jie Xiong: Joint Laboratory of Healthy Space Between the University of Edinburgh and Beijing Institute of Technology

Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 2025, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-15

Abstract: Abstract China is experiencing rapid urbanisation and population ageing. Older people need to age-in-place healthily to reduce the health and social care pressure on families and the government. Studies have explored older people’s need for community care in China, and the importance of neighbourhoods. Affordance theory, central to understanding how individuals perceive the environment, has been widely used in child-related research, but rarely applied to the ageing population. This is closely linked to person-environment fit, achieved when people can interact positively with the built environment including open spaces. The main residential types in urban China are work-unit (Danwei) communities and commodity communities, but research on ageing-in-place in these settings remains limited, especially regarding the role of neighbourhood outdoor space. This article explores older people’s experiences of ageing in both settings, how they exercise, adapt to changing environments, and how neighbourhood outdoor space supports age-in-place. Interviews were conducted with 42 older people from both community types, and thematic analysis was employed using NVivo 15 software. Findings revealed that older people in the work-unit community expect more from community care services, while social isolation is a risk in both settings. Neighbourhood outdoor spaces are perceived as important places for physical exercise and social interaction. Engagement with these spaces is often supported by adult children, partners and neighbours. However, caregiving responsibilities for grandchildren can hinder older people’s use of outdoor space and socialisation. Participants demonstrated adaptations they made to fit with the physical and social environments of their neighbourhood. Therefore, future building or retrofitting of age-friendly community environments and care services should support older people’s use of outdoor spaces to maintain health and socialisation. Importantly, the lack of older residents’ involvement in age-friendly community retrofitting challenges their adaptation to evolving physical and social environments, which is essential for ageing-in-place.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1057/s41599-025-05882-w

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