Travel Environment for the Elderly in Cultural Heritage Cities: Comparative Study

Abstract

In the context of rapid urbanization and accelerating population aging, historic urban areas with rich cultural heritage are facing an increasingly acute contradiction between the historical characteristics of their spatial fabric and the contemporary travel needs of their elderly residents. This study selects three representative Chinese heritage cities—Xi'an (an inland dynastic capital), Quanzhou (a port trade city), and Macau (a colonial heritage city of East-West cultural fusion)—as comparative cases. Through a cross-case mixed-methods research design, we systematically investigate how different historic urban forms and heritage conservation paradigms shape elderly travel environments. The research methodology integrates the following elements: (1) a standardized 10-item environmental audit of pedestrian infrastructure in each city's core historic district; (2) a structured questionnaire survey of elderly residents, collecting data on travel habits, perceived barriers, and subjective needs; and (3) an analysis of local heritage conservation and age-friendly urban renewal policy documents. Key findings indicate that different urban forms generate distinctive core challenges: Xi'an's monumental grid layout results in a lack of long-distance walking transit nodes; Quanzhou's dense organic street network presents latent pedestrian-electric vehicle conflict hazards; Macau's high-density hillside terrain creates significant accessibility barriers due to steep gradients. Heritage conservation requirements impose qualitatively different constraints and opportunities on age-friendly intervention measures across all three cases. Each city has also developed unique local adaptive strategies: Xi'an's informal resting settlements along the ancient city wall base, Quanzhou's arcade-style shop corridors as natural sheltered spaces, and Macau's community-embedded informal escort network system. The study concludes that enhancing heritage city friendliness for older adults requires a context-sensitive Diagnose-Adapt-Transform (DAT) pathway rather than universal design standards.

Keywords: Elderly Mobility, Heritage Cities, Urban Form, Age-friendly Environment, Comparative Study, Xi'an, Quanzhou, Macau

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1007958