Age-Friendly Transportation Policies and Practices in the U.S. and China: A Comparative Study

Abstract

Despite significant political, cultural, and socioeconomic differences, the U.S. and China share some common development issues, including, but not limited to, an aging population, deficient age-friendly transportation systems, and insufficient government funding support to address the issues faced by their transportation-disadvantaged populations (TDP). Through an extensive literature review, this paper first evaluates and compares the major TDP-related laws, regulations, transportation service delivery procedures, and existing age-friendly transportation improvements made in the U.S. and China. Next, it highlights the differences between the U.S. and China in their socioeconomic characteristics and the implications these have on transportation modal shares and age-friendly transportation planning priorities. In the concluding section, it summarizes the research findings and makes preliminary recommendations.