Exercise space planning and design for an aging society: A case study of space, exercise behavior, and cognitive function of older women in taiwan

This chapter explores practical approaches to building a healthy built environment for an aging society by planning appropriate exercise spaces. In an urban area, the quality, quantity, and distribution of exercise spaces are usually decided through urban planning and the urban design processes following urban planning ordinances. Elderly women can exercise for longer than elderly men once they develop regular exercise habits. Major factors affecting elderly women’s exercise willingness include self-rated body functions, social support systems, weather, exercise spaces, and community environment. The questionnaire was based on the research hypothesis that older women with different cognition functions would have different exercise behaviors and preferences toward exercise spaces. The research hypothesis of a positive correlation between older women’s cognitive functions, exercise habits, and exercise space planning was also confirmed in the field survey results. Planners seldom take local user preferences into account when allocating exercise spaces in the urban context.