PROGRESS IN GEOGRAPHY ›› 2017, Vol. 36 ›› Issue (7): 903-911.doi: 10.18306/dlkxjz.2017.07.011

• Orginal Article • Previous Articles    

Human-oriented space making of institutional elderly care communities in the United States and implications

Jing LIN1,2,3(), Jianming CAI1,2,3(), Zhe CHENG4   

  1. 1. Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, CAS, Beijing 100101, China
    2. Key Laboratory of Regional Sustainable Development Modeling, CAS, Beijing 100101, China
    3. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
    4. School of Economics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
  • Online:2017-07-31 Published:2017-07-31
  • Supported by:
    China Postdoctoral Science Foundation, No.2017M610664

Abstract:

With the rapid aging of population, China faces a series of challenges, particularly in the development of human-oriented institutional elderly care communities. Based on a systematic review and analysis of some cases and best practices in the United States, this article identifies four dynamic trends in developing institutional elderly care communities that these communities tend to: (1) be located in places with high climate amenities and attractive landscape; (2) be embedded in larger and comprehensive elderly care communities with high urbanity; (3) be endowed with more flexible functional zoning and senior-friendly design in inner-space planning; and (4) involve multiple investors with an emphasis on public-private partnership (PPP) in financing. Learning from the advanced experiences from the United States, this article then puts forward some policy suggestions and discusses their implications for China, for inspiring new thinking for China's development of institutional elderly care communities.

Key words: institutional elderly care, human-oriented space making, elderly care communities, policy response, US experience