Acoustic Needs of Older People in the Outdoor Environment of Residential Communities: A Case Study in China

This study examines the acoustic needs of older people in an outdoor environment to design outdoor spaces according to their needs. Using the grounded theory approach, we selected and interviewed 16 older people from four residential communities in China. The acoustic needs of older people in an outdoor environment are established in terms of sound preference, quietness, acoustic variability, acoustic comfort, subjective loudness, sound rhythm, sound clarity, and sound sensitivity. The findings show that older people (a) attach importance to quietness when considering sound preference, (b) prefer taking a walk in an overall quiet environment, although sometimes a lively environment, (c) chose to conduct their activities in an environment with low variation in sound, (d) rate the comfort of their overall acoustic environment highly, (e) show little need for subjective loudness as long as the sounds are not ones they dislike, (f) generally prefer relatively rhythmic sound sources, (g) did not have a significant need for sound clarity, and (h) are tolerant of outdoor acoustic environments and did not pay too much attention to certain sounds. These findings can provide direction for better outdoor space designs in communities, to suit older people, and to create age-friendly cities.