Equity-Oriented Optimisation of Public Space Supply-Demand in Ageing Communities: A Behavioural Perspective on Elderly Residents

Abstract

China’s urban renewal reveals persistent mismatches between formal public spaces and the heterogeneous behavioural needs of an ageing population. Employing a Multi-Group Huff Three-Step Floating Catchment Area model, this study quantifies age-stratified accessibility in Shanghai’s Yinhang community, where elderly residents constitute 48% of the population (n = 1,016). Incorporating subgroup-specific walking distances and visitation frequencies demonstrates that conventional single-group models overestimate accessibility in 70% of residential compounds, disproportionately disadvantaging the oldest-old. Low formal accessibility significantly predicts the emergence of informal gathering nodes, indicating a compensatory bottom-up mechanism. Integrating behavioural heterogeneity and informal spatial practices into urban planning frameworks can thus enhance equity and efficiency in public-space provision for rapidly ageing cities.