HISTORIC URBAN GREEN SPACES AND ELDERLY RESILIENCE: INSIGHTS FROM TAIPING LAKE GARDENS A PLACE IN AGEING

Authors

  • Wan Noor Anira Wan Ali @ Yaacob Department of Built Environment Studies and Technologies, Faculty of Built Environment, UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MARA, PERAK BRANCH, MALAYSIA
  • Noralfishah Sulaiman KANZU Research: Resilient Built Environment, UNIVERSITI TUN HUSSEIN ONN MALAYSIA
  • Norasikin Hassan Department of Built Environment Studies and Technologies, Faculty of Built Environment, UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MARA, PERAK BRANCH, MALAYSIA

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21837/pm.v23i38.1862

Keywords:

Elderly Resilience, Active Ageing, Historic Urban Green Spaces, Taiping Lake Gardens, Well-being

Abstract

Historic urban green spaces play a key role in promoting elderly resilience and active ageing, yet their potential remains underexplored in Malaysia. Taiping Lake Gardens, the nation’s oldest public park, offers a unique environment where nature and heritage converge, presenting opportunities to enhance elderly well-being. This study investigates how such spaces, particularly Taiping Lake Gardens, support the physical, mental, and social resilience of the elderly. Adopt a mixed-methods approach, the study explores usage patterns, accessibility, and perceived benefits among elderly visitors. The objectives are: (1) to examine the relationship between the use of historic green spaces and elderly resilience in terms of physical activity, psychological well-being, and social interaction; (2) to assess the accessibility, safety, and inclusivity of Taiping Lake Gardens for active ageing; and (3) to develop design and policy recommendations for elderly-friendly improvements. Findings reveal that the park facilitates daily mobility through walkable paths, supports mental wellness via nostalgic and restorative landscapes, and encourages social interaction in communal spaces. However, barriers such as uneven pathways, limited shaded seating, and safety concerns reduce its effectiveness. The study proposes improvements based on universal design and ageing-friendly policies, including participatory planning and targeted programmes. It offers practical insights for optimising historic green spaces to support healthy and resilient ageing in Malaysia.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Ali, W. N. A., Hussain, N. H., & Nayan, N., Abdullah, M., & M. Z. Teh. (2020). Seniors’ Outdoor Survey (SOS): An environmental audit tool for assessing green space in long-term care facilities. Planning Malaysia, 19(4), 265–276. https://doi.org/10.21837/pm.v19i18.1039

Ali, W. N. A., Mohd Hussain, N. H., Mat Nayan, N., Abdullah, M., & Teh, M. Z. (2022). The Preferences and Requirements of Green Garden Retirement Care of The Elderly: Case Study at RSK Taiping, Perak, Malaysia. Planning Malaysia, 20(21). https://doi.org/10.21837/pm.v20i21.1113

Ali Wazani, I., Mohamad, D., & Jaafar, M. (2021). Accessibility for Persons with Disabilities in the Built Environment of Urban Area: Case Study of George Town, Penang. Planning Malaysia, 19(19). https://doi.org/10.21837/pm.v19i19.1059

Bell, S. L., Phoenix, C., Lovell, R., & Wheeler, B. W. (2014). Green space, health and wellbeing: making space for individual agency. Health & Place, 30, 287–292. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2014.10.005

Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development: Experiments by nature and design. Harvard University Press.

Ibrahim, F. I., Nadia, N. A., & Xingrui, C. (2024). Psychological Effects of Green Spaces on Walking Accessibility. Planning Malaysia, 22(32). https://doi.org/10.21837/pm.v22i32.1525

Ismail, H., Nordin, M. S. A., Halil, F. M., & Abdul Khalid, N. H. (2023). The Elderly Quality of Life (E-Qol) and Retirement Village Preferred Features by Malaysian Generations. Planning Malaysia, 21(26). https://doi.org/10.21837/pm.v21i26.1271

Jing, L., & Misni, A. (2024). The Influence of Outdoor Space Spatial Ecological Environment on The Elderly. Planning Malaysia, 22(34). https://doi.org/10.21837/pm.v22i34.1651

Jumadi, N., Mat Noor, N. A., Bujang, A. A., Adi Maimun, N. H., Daud, D., Wan Ismail, W. I. F., Mohd Yusoff, N. S., & Abdul Rahman, M. S. (2019). Active Ageing and Housing Environment Concept Among Elderly Muslims. Planning Malaysia, 17(9). https://doi.org/10.21837/pm.v17i9.607

Julaihi, F. A., Mohamad Bohari, A. A., Azman, M. A., Kipli, K., & Amirul, S. R. (2022). The preliminary results on the push factors for the elderly to move to retirement villages in Malaysia. Pertanika Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities, 30(2), 761–778. https://doi.org/10.47836/pjssh.30.2.18

Lawton, M. P. (1998). Environment and ageing: Theory revisited. In R. J. Scheidt & P. G. Windley (Eds.), Environment and ageing theory: A focus on housing (pp. 1–32). Greenwood Press.

Lewicka, M. (2011). Place attachment: How far have we come in the last 40 years? Journal of Environmental Psychology, 31(3), 207–230. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2010.10.001

Mohammed Shobri, N. I. (2024). Urban Park Design for Mental Health Restoration Via Different Ages in Malaysia. Planning Malaysia, 22(34). https://doi.org/10.21837/pm.v22i34.1658

Mokhtar, D., Abdul Aziz, N. A., & Mariapan, M. (2018). Physiological and psychological health benefits of urban green space in Kuala Lumpur: A comparison between Taman Botani Perdana and Jalan Bukit Bintang. Pertanika Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 26(3), 2101–2114.

Mohd Yusof, N., & Mat Yasin, S. (2024). Rationale for Selecting Taiping, Perak as a Study Location for Ageing: A Conceptual Framework for Age-Friendly Cities. Information Management and Business Review, 16(4(I)), 86-93. https://doi.org/10.22610/imbr.v16i4(I).4323

Rashid, K., Mohamed, T., Azyze Ellah Azyze, S. N., Hazim, Z., Abdul Aziz, A., & Che Hashim, I. (2021). Determining The Features of Age-Friendly for City Development. Planning Malaysia, 19(16). https://doi.org/10.21837/pm.v19i16.965

Ruchi, & Kumar, R. K. (2024). Senior citizens and park landscape features: A well-being framework. SSRG International Journal of Civil Engineering, 11(7), 161–173. https://doi.org/10.14445/23488352/IJCE-V11I7P111

Sazali, M. F., Zainol, H., Ab Dulhamid, H., & Yetti, A. E. (2021). Urban Green Open Space as a Health Resilience Catalyst for the Elderly. Environment-Behaviour Proceedings Journal, 6(16), 317–322. https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v6i16.2693

Sazali, M. F., Zainol, H., Ab Dulhamid, H. (2022). The elderly’s feedback on the service quality of urban green open space in Penang as a catalyst for health and lifestyle resilience. Jurnal Sains Sosial dan Kemanusiaan, 19(4), 197–209.

Sugiyama, T., Carver, A., Koohsari, M. J., & Veitch, J. (2018). Advantages of public green spaces in enhancing population health. Landscape and Urban Planning, 178, 12–17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2018.05.019

Sugiyama, T., Leslie, E., Giles-Corti, B., & Owen, N. (2008). Associations of neighbourhood greenness with physical and mental health: do walking, social coherence and local social interaction explain the relationships. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 62(5), e9. https://doi.org/10.1136/jech.2007.064287

Tanikaga, M., Uemura, J.-i., Hori, F., Hamada, T., & Tanaka, M. (2023). Changes in Community-Dwelling Elderly’s Activity and Participation Affecting Depression during COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(5), 4228. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20054228

Wang, X. (2024). A Study on Elderly-friendly Park Landscape Design with an Emphasis on Emotional Healing. Journal of Education, Humanities and Social Sciences, 37, 16-23. https://doi.org/10.54097/nh050p12

Yan, T., Leng, H., & Yuan, Q. (2023). The Role of “Nostalgia” in Environmental Restorative Effects from the Perspective of Healthy Aging: Taking Changchun Parks as an Example. Land, 12(9), 1817. https://doi.org/10.3390/land12091817

Yan, X., & Geng, T. (2024). Healing Spaces Improve the Well-Being of Older Adults: A Systematic Analysis. Buildings, 14(9), 2701. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14092701

Zhang, Z., Zhang, W., Zhang, S., Chen, Y., Wang, X., & Fujii, Y. (2024). Person–environment fit theory in built environment: A scoping review. Journal of Asian Architecture and Building Engineering. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/13467581.2024.2373824

Downloads

Published

2025-11-26

How to Cite

Wan Ali @ Yaacob, W. N. A., Sulaiman, N., & Hassan, N. (2025). HISTORIC URBAN GREEN SPACES AND ELDERLY RESILIENCE: INSIGHTS FROM TAIPING LAKE GARDENS A PLACE IN AGEING. PLANNING MALAYSIA, 23(38). https://doi.org/10.21837/pm.v23i38.1862

Issue

Vol. 23 (2025): PLANNING MALAYSIA JOURNAL : Volume 23, Issue 5, 2025

Section

Article

License

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 Unported License.

Copyright & Creative Commons Licence

eISSN: 0128-0945 © Year. The Authors. Published for Malaysian Institute of Planners. This is an open-access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license.

The authors hold the copyright without restrictions and also retain publishing rights without restrictions.