A Dual Perspective on Community Mobility: Home‐Centric Place Networks and Older Adults' Mental Health in Shanghai During the Pandemic

ABSTRACT

Older adults' community mobility reflects both spatial and relational aspects of aging in place within urban environments. To capture this duality, we introduce a home‐centric place network framework that links the home to community destinations older adults routinely visit. The spatial dimension is measured using standard movement metrics, while the relational dimension is defined as opportunities for social encounters (sociability) and operationalized as the overlap of neighbors' routine activities across community places. We tested this framework by collecting two waves of GIS‐based mobility data and an online survey from 64 community‐dwelling older adults in Shanghai, a rapidly aging megacity, during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Results showed that older adults' place networks were diverse, but both the frequency of out‐of‐home visits and sociability declined sharply following a major outbreak. Those who were more mobile and sociable before the outbreak experienced greater reductions, and sociability was associated with more negative expectations. As social places became associated with higher infection risk, the pandemic fundamentally altered the relational meaning of community mobility. Overall, our findings demonstrate that a home‐centric place network framework deepens population geography by linking physical mobility, social encounters, and the emotional well‐being of older adults.