Research on Planning Strategy for Urban Community Living Environment for the Elderly That Promotes “Living Mutual Aid”

With the development of urban population aging in China, enhancing the quality of community living environments for the elderly has become crucial. Traditional residential planning focused on functionality, neglecting the elderly’s active participation and mutual aid needs. This paper proposes the development of urban community environments promoting “living mutual aid” to improve elderly life quality and practice active aging. Using qualitative and quantitative methods, the study identifies key components of mutual aid, explores the relationship between mutual aid behaviors and spatial composition, and outlines strategies for designing community environments that support mutual aid. Based on “active aging” theory, the study qualitatively summarizes the concept of mutual aid among the elderly through literature and policy analysis. Surveys, interviews, and observations in Xi’an’s typical communities were conducted, with results analyzed using factor and frequency analysis. The study categorizes mutual aid activities and behavior characteristics, and explores the relationship between behavior and spatial needs using environmental behavior theory. It identifies mutual aid space units and suggests types, paths, strategies, and methods for integrating these units into community environments. The findings provide scientific guidance for urban community planning and valuable references for creating elderly-friendly urban habitats.