Understanding the Meaningful Places for Aging-in-Place: A Human-Centric Approach toward Inter-Domain Design Criteria Consideration in Taiwan

Abstract

Background: Aging is key to inclusion, and it should be taken into account when designing every place of human activity. However, the implementation of such guidelines often fails the human-centric aspiration as health and design domain interpretation gaps impede the suitable reading and implementation strategies. Purpose: This study aimed to understand critical factors in the place-of-aging and to examine the gap in domain interpretation affecting age-friendly housing. Methods: Using grounded theory as a base, questionnaire interviews were implemented either face-to-face or through an online process by health and design domain experts. Overall, 40 respondents (20 health and 20 design experts) evaluated the key criteria to prioritize according to their value of importance. The factor analysis resulted in the stated deviation, suggesting a necessity to redefine the attributes of the dwelling based on a people, place and process framework. Results: The systemic analysis affirmed the inter-disciplinary gap to enhancing the dwelling provision. The health domain experts consistently ranked the criteria higher or equal than the design domain except for safety and security criteria. Both domains agreed that affordability is a main concern, as elders must be able to afford their dwelling choice. Conclusion: The valuable finding of the key criteria in the study is to uphold the value of the urban health resilience implication as the core of this study.