Dr Yi Sun, Member of the Research Institute for Land and Space, and his interdisciplinary research team members from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the University of Hong Kong and the National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan, conducted a study on the relationships between socio-spatial experiences and well-being for older people in ultra-dense urban environments.
“Ageing in place” is now favoured in social policies worldwide. However, existing policy suggestions and planning strategies are derived from studies in relatively homogeneous Western environments. It is important to consider characteristics typical for Asian ultra-dense metropolises. Through collaborative research, the study is the first of its kind to identify the meanings of well-being and place attachment for older people and to examine the associations between their socio-spatial experiences and well-being in the Asian context. According to the qualitative portion of the study, the meanings of well-being are multifaceted, with various dimensions that encompass individual-collective and material-spiritual (psychological) constructs.
An emphasis on family relations and the goodness of family members become a single unique dimension when older people in Hong Kong conceive of well-being. The meaning of place attachment includes values of, bonding ties to, and memories about places. Three pathways linking place attachment and multifaceted well-being are identified. The study finds that social welfare and material richness are not the only determinants of well-being: the fulfilment of higher psychological needs (e.g., positive evaluation of life and self-actualisation) is critical to aging in place. Meanwhile, the study’s quantitative analysis determined that positive socio-spatial experiences for older people unfold in micro-, meso- and macro-level environments. The results will be published soon in another journal, Annals of the American Association of Geographers.
Pathways from place attachment to multifaceted well-being
