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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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| Transit accessibility for older adults in the Greater Lansing, Michigan region | | Author(s) | Zeenat Kotval-K |
| Journal title | Quality in Ageing and Older Adults, vol 18, no 3, 2017 |
| Publisher | Emerald, 2017 |
| Pages | pp 175-187 |
| Source | http://www.emeraldinsight.com/loi/qaoa |
| Keywords | Mobility ; Transport services ; Accessibility ; Urban areas ; United States of America. |
| Annotation | With the growing preference of the generation of ageing baby boomers to age in place, mobility has played an increasingly important role in their continued physical and mental well-being. As older adults drive less, their ability to travel freely where and when they desire becomes increasingly limited. Consequences of this include the cessation of various activities and services that are necessary for daily living. Transport immobility is known to negatively affect quality of life through physical, mental and social isolation. For any initiative or policy to be put in place, an assessment of the current state of transport services, specifically for older adults, needs to be carried out. This paper assesses access to public transport in the Greater Lansing, Michigan region (population density about 2,042 people per square kilometre) that is available to ageing adults, especially when they have to stop driving. The study uses a spatial approach through the use of geographical information systems (GISs) to assess the transport infrastructure available for use by older adults in the Greater Lansing region. It finds a considerable gap in available options, and that some of these can be addressed by quite simple actions and initiatives. Because the data were drawn from the US Census, the spatial analysis is limited to block-level data. The US Census (2011) defines blocks as "statistical areas bounded by visible features such as roads, streams, and railway tracks, and by non-visible boundaries such as property lines, city, township, school district, county limits and short line-of-sight extensions of roads". More detailed geographical data would have enabled a more comprehensive analysis. The study area is typical of many small towns in the USA; it underlines the need for more policy- and community-led transport initiatives to address this critical barrier to optimal ageing. This paper fulfils an identified need to study the transit infrastructure of a range of urban areas, and to ascertain whether it currently fulfils mobility needs of older adults who do not drive. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-170922223 A |
| Classmark | C4: O: 5CA: RK: 7T |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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