Accessibility of the elderly in metropolitan environments: Metropolitan Area of Guadalajara (Mexico)

The increase of the urban population and population aging in Latin America give rise to focusing the urban analysis on the range of the elderly and their accessibility in a metropolitan context. The objective of this article is to explore the accessibility in the appropriation of the fundamentals and to distinguish the basic resources and activities that make up the structure of access opportunities. Documentary research has determined two housing contexts to compare in the Metropolitan Area of Guadalajara, Mexico. Conducting 18 in-depth interviews has revealed the influence of mobility capacity on the daily appropriation of fundamental skills. The results show processes of social exclusion and show the need to place the elderly at the center of urban planning that contributes to active aging.