Evaluating the Residential Outdoor Environment for the Elderly in Shuiqinggou, Qingdao, China using the Seniors’ Outdoor Survey Tool

Abstract

Abstract As China’s elderly population grows, residential areas need to provide an outdoor environment for their physical and mental health in good condition. Many studies have found that better outdoor environments in residential areas can improve the health of the elderly and increase their happiness. The Seniors’ Outdoor Survey (SOS) tool was developed as an effective and reliable assessment tool to evaluate the needs and preferences of the elderly in outdoor spaces. This study used the SOS tool to evaluate Shuiqinggou Park in Qingdao, Shandong Province, China. The outdoor environment is divided into three parts for five domains of evaluation. The final average score of the whole environment is 84.35, the percentage is 86.9% compared with the total score, the Inter-rater ICC among trainers is 0.917, and the T-test value is 0.799. Through the results of the tools, it can be concluded that Shuiqinggou Park is a favorable outdoor space suitable and safe for the elderly. The study’s findings can help project managers and designers identify the essential outdoor characteristics for future construction and maintenance prioritization.