Abstract The elderly's needs and preferences for public open space seem different from who are not in elderly time; also, ageing requirements should be taken into consideration to improve older adults' active life. In this respect, creating active ageing requires a new approach to engage older citizens in outdoor environments viewed as healthy and sustainable by the seniors. This study aims to identify the elders' preferences, especially their use of public open spaces (POSs) in Iranian urban neighbourhoods as well as identifying the association among the factors. The research was conducted in two steps; First, Grounded Theory (GT) by employing 64 semi-structured interviews in POS and then data analyzed to extract the main concepts. Second, a survey was conducted through a self-administered questionnaire based on extracted items, to which 420 elderly people responded. Partial least squares-Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) was employed for data analysis and developing the model. The results indicated that the process in environments (social environment, cultural environment and sense of belonging) - as the non-physical dimensions of POSs- significantly influence the demands of the elderly in outdoor environments. Among physical features of POSs, the place functions (access to amenities, urban landscape, and environmental cleanness), as well as place preferences (crime security, fear of falling security and the elders' image), are more likely to meet the elders' needs in urban spaces. These findings also revealed a significant causal relationship between the factors adopted from the developed model. The findings will highlight POSs both theoretical and practical implications for urban planners and designers as well as policy-makers.

中文翻译：

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伊朗老年人视角下的老年人友好型公共开放空间框架：混合方法研究

摘要 老年人对公共开放空间的需求和偏好似乎不同于非老年人；此外，还应考虑老龄化要求，以改善老年人的积极生活。在这方面，创造积极老龄化需要一种新方法，让老年人参与到老年人认为健康和可持续的户外环境中。本研究旨在确定老年人的偏好，尤其是他们对伊朗城市社区公共开放空间 (POS) 的使用，并确定这些因素之间的关联。研究分两步进行；首先，扎根理论 (GT) 通过在 POS 中采用 64 次半结构化访谈，然后对数据进行分析以提取主要概念。其次，通过基于提取项目的自我管理问卷进行调查，420 名老年人对此做出了回应。采用偏最小二乘-结构方程建模 (PLS-SEM) 进行数据分析和开发模型。结果表明，环境过程（社会环境、文化环境和归属感）——作为POS的非物理维度——显着影响老年人在户外环境中的需求。在 POS 的物理特征中，场所功能（便利设施、城市景观、环境清洁度）以及场所偏好（犯罪安全、对安全的恐惧和长者形象）更可能满足长者的需求。城市空间的需求。这些发现还揭示了从开发模型中采用的因素之间存在显着的因果关系。