Whereto next? : analyzing livability and accessibility in the later stages of life

Abstract

The global population is aging; and municipalities across the globe are striving to better understand the needs and desires of older adults in order to better serve this growing population. Yet existing transportation analyses rely on methods and measures often better suited to addressing the needs of younger generations, creating a need to refine them in order to better target the older adult population. In pursuit of that goal, this research examines the spatial manifestation of relocation decisions among older adults in Boston to serve as an entrée into better understanding their desired target destinations and to subsequently explore the accessibility of the older adult population as a whole.

Filling a gap in understanding of the neighborhood-level spatial factors influencing decision-making among older adults who are relocating in retirement, this research first explores the reasons behind later-in-life relocation decisions, offering a model of decision-making based on the behavioral Stages of Change model. It then explores the spatial factors considered by older adults when choosing where to resettle, offering a comparison across different generations. And it subsequently measures walking accessibility to key destinations based on the spatial priorities previously established. Space-time factors, such as walkability and access to transportation emerge as clear priorities among older adults who have relocated to urban areas--and older adults who have moved in the past five years boast clear improvements in walkability to their most frequent destinations.

Yet the older urban adult population as a whole in the Boston Metropolitan Area still live on average in less walkable areas as compared to their younger counterparts. This research concludes with a number of design and policy recommendations to improve the walkability of the older adult population as a whole, including proposals to thicken the transportation network and to revise zoning policies in order to better connect older adults with where they want to go.