The elderly population becomes increasingly vulnerable due to changes in family structures, loneliness, and social exclusion. Social inclusion markedly improves the psychological well-being of elderly adults, mitigating their loneliness and distress. The study investigates how physical amenities in urban green spaces promote social inclusion among the elderly through peer interactions. The welfare of elderly individuals is greatly reliant on park infrastructure, encompassing walkways, lighting, sanitation facilities, and sitting facilities. The quantitative methods address the research question by utilizing a partial least squares and path model derived from data collected from 203 elderly park users. We utilized an exponential, non-discriminatory snowball sampling to select parks as study areas. Participants completed a pre-designed survey questionnaire about the benefits of parks’ physical amenities for elderly social inclusion. We employ Logit and path modeling techniques for data analysis. The results demonstrate that the physical amenities in parks significantly improved social inclusion among the elderly populations. The amenities, including sitting and toilet facilities, boost interactions among elderly people. If older people perceive the prevalence of peers and stay a long time with them, they spend healthy time on interactions leading to inclusivity. Park amenities are significantly correlated to social inclusion and longevity at 1% level (p=001). Elderly inclusion fosters their mental health, alleviating isolation and stress and resulting in longevity. Age friendly urban green spaces established by municipal governance boost social inclusion
Shorkar et al. (Thu,) studied this question.