The role of park environment design in enhancing elderly holistic well-being: an SEM − based study

As population ageing accelerates worldwide, promoting the holistic well-being of older adults has become an important challenge for urban planning and public health. Although urban parks are recognized as valuable settings for healthy ageing, the mechanisms through which park environment design influences elderly well-being remain insufficiently understood. This study examines the relationships among park environment design, social interaction, and elderly holistic well-being using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). A questionnaire survey was conducted among 512 older adults in Chengdu, China, using a stratified random sampling strategy. Accessibility, safety, and aesthetics were examined as key dimensions of park environment design, while physical health, emotional well-being, and social connectedness represented holistic well-being outcomes. Social interaction was modeled as a mediating mechanism, and companionship type was included as an additional social factor. Data were analyzed using SPSS 26 and AMOS 26. The results indicate that accessibility, safety, and aesthetics all exert significant positive effects on social interaction, with accessibility emerging as the strongest predictor. Social interaction positively contributes to emotional well-being and social connectedness and serves as an important pathway linking park environment design to elderly well-being. Companionship type further enhances social interaction and subsequent health outcomes. This study contributes to the literature on age-friendly urban environments by providing an integrated framework that links park environment design, social interaction, and multidimensional well-being. The findings highlight the importance of creating accessible, safe, and aesthetically attractive park environments that encourage meaningful social interaction and support healthy ageing among older adults.