Neighborhood streets as places of older adults’ active travel and social interaction – A study in Daokou ancient town

Neighborhood streets are convenient places for older adults to engage in behaviors for active living, such as walking (active travel) and chatting with neighbors (social interaction). Street environments and older adults' active living in ancient towns need investigation. Taking Daokou ancient town in China as an example, this research observed older adults' active travel and social interaction on two neighborhood streets and investigated the difference in social engagement between older-adult groups on different streets. On-site non-participant observation was conducted for four weekdays with seven 30-min sections per day. Data of 350 older adults' active travel and social interaction on these streets were collected. Street environmental factors were measured and classified into four categories in terms of active-travel promotion: typology, motivators, functionality, and safety. To identify the differences in social engagement between the groups by street, one-way ANOVA tests were conducted after controlling for a significant confounding variable (daypart). Among the older adults, the most popular type of active travel was independent walking (67%). Of their social interaction, the most popular types were staying and chatting (61%), group walking, and chess or card playing. On the street considered more age-friendly to active travel, older adults engaged in more social interaction in the mid-mornings and afternoons (p < 0.05). This study highlighted older adults' active living on neighborhood streets in ancient towns. The findings can be used to create street affordances for older adults' active travel and social interaction, and produce healthy outcomes through the refinement of design and transportation policies and practice on street intervention.