The Use of a Public Space in a Public Housing Complex by Senior Citizens: A Qualitative Study

Hiroshige Matsumoto, Masako Kageyama, Noriko Yamamoto-Mitani, Satoko Nagata

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

5 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Recently, many community gathering spaces (CGSs) have been built as platforms for senior citizens to socialize. This study constitutes an ethnographic examination of how senior citizens use a CGS in a public housing complex in Japan. The results depicted six characteristic styles in which senior citizens used the CGS: visiting a park, attending a school, using a library, using a meeting room, shopping for commodities, and participating in events. Frequency of CGS use and group cohesion were two properties that distinguished among the six styles. Moreover, environmental features of the CGS enabled senior citizens with various physical and social conditions to use the CGS.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)107-124
Number of pages18
JournalJournal of Aging and Environment
Volume35
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2021

Keywords

  • Ethnography
  • housing complex
  • public space
  • social relationship
  • third place

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Sociology and Political Science
  • Health(social science)
  • Gerontology
  • Environmental Science (miscellaneous)

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