Impact of built environment in mountainous aging communities on spatiotemporal behavioural differentiation among older persons: a geospatial analysis

As demographic aging deepens, the conflict between efficiency of public space resource allocation in mountainous communities and the diverse needs of older persons becomes more prominent. Understanding the adaptability between space and behaviour is crucial for identifying the built environment characteristics associated with the older persons’ outdoor activities for targeted environmental interventions. This study focuses on 42 public spaces in Chongqing, a typical mountainous city in China. From the perspectives of spatial layout and design, it establishes a connection between the public space environment and the characteristics of the older persons’ outdoor activities. Spatial clustering is used to explore the spatiotemporal aggregation of the older persons’ activities, and multiple linear regression models are employed to quantify the associations between environmental factors and the older persons’ behaviours. The results aim to match spatial environments with the activity requirements of older persons, providing evidence for optimising age-friendly built environment upgrades.