Aging-friendly Renewal in Old Residential Communities: Elderly Residents’ Needs, Satisfaction, and Community Governance in Kunming, China

Leqi Yang; Bongkochmas Ek-lem

doi:10.69650/jcdrhs.2026.2254

Authors

Leqi Yang School of Administrative Studies, Maejo University, Chiang Mai, Thailand
Bongkochmas Ek-lem School of Administrative Studies, Maejo University, Chiang Mai, Thailand

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.69650/jcdrhs.2026.2254

Keywords:

Aging-friendly Renewal, Old Residential Communities, Elderly Residents, Needs and Satisfaction, Community Governance

Abstract

Population ageing and the deterioration of old residential communities have created interconnected environmental and governance challenges for ageing in place in Chinese cities. This study examines the relationship among the physical environment, everyday community management, and elderly residents’ needs in Liujiaying Residential Complex, Kunming, China. A mixed-method case-study design was adopted. Field observations were conducted to assess roads, parking, public activity spaces, greenery, accessibility, facilities, sanitation, and maintenance conditions. In-depth interviews were carried out with 10 long-term elderly residents and 10 community or property-management staff, followed by group interviews and a questionnaire survey of residents aged 60 years and above. Of the 328 questionnaires collected, 310 valid responses were retained for analysis. Descriptive statistics, preliminary scale-adequacy checks, thematic coding, non-parametric paired comparisons, SWOT/TOWS synthesis, and a Plan–Do–Check–Act (PDCA) implementation framework were employed. The findings reveal a substantial mismatch between elderly residents’ management needs and their satisfaction with existing community conditions, particularly in relation to safety, parking management, environmental maintenance, and management responsiveness. Field observations and interviews further identified blocked fire routes, inadequate pedestrian–vehicle separation, uneven maintenance, insufficient greenery management, and unclear responsibilities among community and property-management actors. The study concludes that ageing-friendly renewal should integrate maintainable physical improvements with clearer responsibility allocation, resident participation, routine monitoring, and adaptive management. The findings provide a governance-oriented approach for improving ageing-friendly renewal in old work-unit residential communities characterized by limited resources and uneven post-renewal management.

References

Ansell, C., & Gash, A. (2008). Collaborative governance in theory and practice. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 18(4), 543-571. https://doi.org/10.1093/jopart/mum032

Arnstein, S. R. (1969). A ladder of citizen participation. Journal of the American Institute of Planners, 35(4), 216-224. https://doi.org/10.1080/01944366908977225

Carlson, J. A., Sallis, J. F., Conway, T. L., Saelens, B. E., Frank, L. D., Kerr, J., Cain, K. L., & King, A. C. (2012). Interactions between psychosocial and built environment factors in explaining older adults’ physical activity. Preventive Medicine, 54(1), 68-73. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2011.10.004

Chen, Y., Zhang, S., Shi, Y., & Wang, X. (2021). Thoughts on the renewal and governance paths of Shanghai’s old communities from the perspective of aging: Based on the investigation of Workers’ New Village Community in Lane 396, Changning Road, Shanghai as an example. Urban Development Research, 28(1), 39–44.

Greenfield, E. A., & Pope, N. E. (2025). “It made me change the way I do business”: Outcomes from age-friendly community initiatives as systems change. The Gerontologist, 65(1), gnae149. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnae149

Hu, Z., Zhu, Q., & Gao, J. (2021). Innovation and practice of age-friendly society. Science Press.

Kim, K., Buckley, T., Burnette, D., Kim, S., & Cho, S. (2022). Measurement indicators of age-friendly communities: Findings from the AARP age-friendly community survey. The Gerontologist, 62(1), e17–e27. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnab055

Kunming Municipal People’s Government. (2024). Bulletin on main data of Kunming’s resident population in 2023. https://km.gov.cn

Liang, L.-Y. (2024). The impact of social participation on the quality of life among older adults in China: A chain mediation analysis of loneliness, depression, and anxiety. Frontiers in Public Health, 12, 1473657. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1473657

Lin, S. A., Xu, X., Liu, Y., & Ai, B. (2024). Mechanism of the impacts of older adults social participation on their health. Frontiers in Public Health, 12, 1377305. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1377305

Liu, K., & Liao, C. (2024). Examining the importance of neighborhood natural, and built environment factors in predicting older adults’ mental well-being: An XGBoost-SHAP approach. Environmental Research, 262(Part 2), 119929. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2024.119929

Maslow, A. H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50(4), 370-396. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0054346

Menec, V. H., Means, R., Keating, N., Parkhurst, G., & Eales, J. (2011). Conceptualizing age-friendly communities. Canadian Journal on Aging, 30(3), 479-493. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0714980811000237

Peng, X., & Zhou, X. (2024). China’s population development and aging response. New Finance, (4), 8-13. https://oversea.cnki.net

Roe, J., Mondschein, A., Neale, C., Barnes, L., Boukhechba, M., & Lopez, S. (2020). The urban built environment, walking and mental health outcomes among older adults: A pilot study. Frontiers in Public Health, 8, 575946. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2020.575946

Shen, K. (2013). Research on resident participation in urban community construction: Taking L Street in Foshan City as an example [Master’s thesis, Central China Normal University]. CNKI Database.

Tang, Y., Xu, J., & Yu, J. (2025). The impact of age-friendly communities on the quality of life of older adults based on structural equation modeling. Frontiers in Public Health, 13, 1646195. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1646195

Wang, S. (2000). Theoretical analysis of urban community construction in institutional reform. Journal of Peking University (Philosophy and Social Sciences Edition), 37(5), 4-13. https://ccj.pku.edu.cn/Article/info?aid=271013572

Wang, S., Yung, E. H. K., Yu, P., Tsou, J. Y., & Yu, Y. (2025). Older adults’ capability to use community facilities and the associations with neighborhood satisfaction and well-being in high-density urban environments. Cities, 159, 105738. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264275125000381

Webster, S., Robertson, M., Keresztes, C., & Puxty, J. (2024). Assessing age-friendly community initiatives: Developing a novel survey tool for assessment and evaluation. The Gerontologist, 64(12), gnae146. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnae146

World Health Organization. (2007). Global age-friendly cities: A guide. https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/43755

Wu, J., & Liu, W. (2018). Community public space planning and design based on behavior survey of elderly groups. In Urban Planning Society of China (Ed.), Sharing and Quality: Proceedings of 2018 China Urban Planning Annual Conference (02) Urban Regeneration (pp. 1–7). China Architecture & Building Press. https://max.book118.com/html/2019/1114/8102101066002063.shtm

Xi, X., Wang, X., Wang, F., & Yu, X. (2013). The current situation and planning strategies of community elderly care facilities in urban areas with high aging population. Planners, 29(1), 54-59. https://doi.org/10.3969/j.issn.1006-0022.2013.01.011

Xie, J., & Kong, L. (2024). Research on aging-friendly design of public spaces in old communities of Nanning City under the background of aging. Beauty and Times (City Edition), (2), 34-36. https://doi.org/10.3969/j.issn.1003-2592.2024.8.mysd-s202408014

Yang, H. M. (2022). Dynamic trend of China’s population ageing and new characteristics of the elderly. Population Research, 46(5), 104–116. https://rkyj.ruc.edu.cn/CN/abstract/abstract3768.shtml

Yue, Y., Yang, D., Owen, N., Zhou, S., & Van Dyck, D. (2025). Neighborhood environment and older adults’ mental wellbeing and cognition: Mediating role of activity variety. Journal of Transport & Health, 44, 102144. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jth.2025.102144

Zhang, C., & Loukaitou-Sideris, A. (2026). Comparing age-friendly city and community policies from China and the world: A systematic review. Frontiers in Public Health, 13, 1707802. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1707802

Zhao, J. (2023). A practical study on social work intervention and social organization participation in urban community governance: A case study of L Street, Foshan City [Master’s thesis, South China University of Technology]. Wanfang Data. https://d.wanfangdata.com.cn/thesis/D03332088

Zhou, Y., & Feng, X. (2023). Elderly-oriented design of four types of important spaces in the outdoor environment of elderly care facilities: Based on the activities and requirements of users. Landscape Architecture, 30(9), 65–71. https://doi.org/10.12409/j.fjyl.202302030041

Zhu, Z. (2023). Research on the renovation design of old residential areas in Kunming under the perspective of “organic renewal” [Master’s thesis, Yunnan University]. CNKI. https://kns.cnki.net/