Beyond Physical Access: A Multidimensional Accessibility Guideline for Age-Friendly Urban Parks from a Mixed-Methods Case Study

Urban-park accessibility is often reduced to physical compliance, although older adults’ use also depends on social participation, psychological confidence, and affordability. This study examined how these dimensions jointly shaped evaluations of an urban park and how priorities varied across age, gender, and education. A mixed-methods single-case study was conducted at Kavaklı Attila İlhan Urban Park in Istanbul, Türkiye, with 120 adults aged 60 years or older. Park-use questions were combined with 16 paired, AI-supported visual scenarios covering location, activity, sport, recreation, accessibility, safety, services, and transport. Quantitative data were summarized descriptively, while scenario explanations were examined qualitatively and integrated through an evidence–interpretation–design joint display. Continuous routes, seating, safe crossings, and support elements were necessary but insufficient. Participants also valued social contact, intergenerational roles, dignity, belonging, perceived safety, meaningful activity, and affordability. Age, gender, and education produced different emphases within one accessibility framework; higher education was associated with more explicit attention to environmental quality and experience, without supporting causal claims. The findings informed a context-sensitive multidimensional accessibility guideline linking participant evidence to design and policy actions. Age-friendly parks should combine physical access with supported choice, inclusive social opportunities, affordable services, and whole-journey mobility.