Emotional Simulation of Senior Citizens in a Public Space

Abstract

According to the UN reports, by the year 2027 India will become the most populous country of the world. This will result in increase in the number of elderly people by 27% by the year 2050, according to the 2014 report of non-profit organization Help Age India. Hence it becomes important to consider their mental and physical state promoting social interaction. Therefore, focusing on the spatial and psychological analysis, this paper seeks to examine the functionality of public space for senior citizens. The study intends to understand that how a spatial form affects human experience particularly for the senior citizens. The study intends to suggest a model for a public space in an urban setting. The surveying technique is used to identify the emotional and spatial needs of senior citizens for understanding the interaction of people and the urban character of a space. The selected public space is the Gandhi Park, Dehradun, India. The park is studied to understand how planning of a space affects the behavior of elderly people. The major principles related to the study are urban planning, landscape architecture, physical health and mental health. The study discovers that elderly people prefer easily accessible comfortable public spaces.