Recently, IHS hosted a PhD colloquium with Dasup Lim, who presented her comparative study of older people's social experiences in public spaces across Seoul, Tokyo, and Taipei, three East Asian cities confronting severe population ageing.
Beyond one-size-fits-all approaches
Combining 65 semi-structured interviews and participant observation with thematic analysis and qualitative comparative analysis (QCA), her work pushes past one-size-fits-all assumptions about "age-friendly" space.
Main findings
- Older adults choose public spaces based on the types of social interactions they seek.
- Their perceptions of these spaces are multidimensional and relational, shaped by factors such as accessibility, safety, and available activities.
- East Asian collectivist norms and urban characteristics influence these perceptions and, in turn, shape social well-being.
