Buildings, Vol. 15, Pages 1495: Evaluating the Experiential Value of Public Spaces in Resettlement Communities from the Perspective of Older Adults: A Case Study of Fuzhou, China

Buildings doi: 10.3390/buildings15091495

Authors:
Yafeng Lai
Pohsun Wang

The experiential value derived from public spaces significantly influences social interaction, emotional belonging, and subjective well-being among older adults. As urbanization accelerates in China, resettlement communities have emerged rapidly, highlighting the importance of understanding how the experiential value of public spaces affects older populations, particularly regarding the reconstruction of social networks. Guided by experiential value theory, this study developed a comprehensive evaluation framework. Survey data obtained from selected resettlement communities were analyzed accordingly. The results indicate that experts perceive functional value (A) as the primary factor influencing older adults’ experiences. However, older residents themselves place greater emphasis on contextual value (B), which scored 89.146. This finding underscores the significant role that environmental quality and social interaction play in relation to older adults’ quality of life. Furthermore, although contextual value scored the highest overall, infrastructure (A2) received the highest score (91.034) among secondary indicators; this highlights that older residents still heavily rely on well-developed infrastructure in their daily lives. Consequently, optimizing public spaces within resettlement communities requires not only enhancing environmental quality and social interaction experiences but also improving infrastructure to ensure safety and convenience. The findings of this study provide theoretical support for age-friendly design in community public spaces, thereby contributing to improved life quality and strengthened social cohesion among older adults.

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