Mobility and Residential Communities: Insights into the Daily Mobility of Elderly People

Community environments are important factors affecting seniors' daily mobility; however, how environments work still lacks a deep understanding. Therefore, this study selected two of these residential communities in China and explored the relationship between the daily mobility of the elderly and their communities. Through semi-structured interviews, GPS data, and individual case-based analysis, the daily movements and outdoor activities of the older adults in these communities were analyzed. The results show that different communities offer inequable environments for seniors, resulting in their inconsistent daily mobility. As the outcome of person-environment fit, daily mobility is influenced by physical, social, and service aspects of an age-friendly environment. The influences reflect on the objective movement and subjective experience of daily mobility. Specifically, the spatiotemporal distribution of different outdoor activities and their corresponding subjective well-being depend on the fit of the community environment. This study contributes to a better understanding of the daily mobilities of older adults in their living environment.