Planning an active and sustainable mobility for the elderly population in the cities of the future

MOBI-AGE is a scoping study funded by the MIT Portugal Programme and the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, bringing together scientists from the Universities of Coimbra (UC) and Porto (UP), with the collaboration of researchers from MIT Agelab (Boston, EUA). The main objective of MOBI-AGE is to identify and classify the barriers that currently limit the mobility of the elderly in urban spaces, mainly in pedestrian access and public transport, in order to plan an active and sustainable mobility for the elderly population in the cities of the future.

Given the exponential growth of the ageing population in Europe, this study, coordinated by Professor and researcher Anabela Ribeiro of the Faculty of Sciences and Technology of the University of Coimbra (FCTUC), aims to carry out a systematic diagnosis of urban centres, particularly historic areas, in order to promote their adaptation to the needs of older people, most of whom travel on foot or by public transport. This study will also be useful for other groups with reduced mobility (e.g. wheelchair users).

“Urban centres are home to a large number of elderly people who live in old buildings. By definition, and in most of these cities, these areas are also the areas where historical monuments and other tourist attractions are located. Senior tourism is also a consequence of the general ageing of the population, which is increasing. This scenario makes urban centres, especially historic ones, places where there are more elderly people, tenants and visitors compared to other urban areas," explains Anabela Ribeiro.

With this scenario in mind, two case studies were conducted in the historic centres of Coimbra and Oporto The teams interviewed several elderly people living in the areas, as well as tourists from different countries, such as Australia, Belgium, Canada and the USA.

Following a somewhat socially innovative approach, the researchers focused on holding participatory and dynamic collaborative sessions with this population, specifically to assess their needs and ambitions, which not only made it possible to validate several variables identified by scientists in the literature review on mobility, but also to get feedback on other urban issues.

In general, the main obstacles reported are the type of pavement, the poor condition of pavements, the lack of handrails, poor public transport systems and cars parked on pavements, among others.

Based on the conclusions of the two case studies, the MOBI-AGE team will develop an interactive information platform for city councils and urban end-users (residents, visitors, etc.).

^{Translation by Diana Taborda}