Role and function of urban habitat in the quality of life of older people: the case of Valparaíso, Chile

Abstract

This chapter is based on research project FONDECYT No. 1061179, entitled “Quality of Life of Senior Citizens in an Urban Habitat: Valparaiso case study.” This research aimed to further our understanding of the interrelationships in Valparaiso, between urban structures, quality of life and ageing, thus contributing to consolidating its theoretical formulation. This implied finding out about the bearing that certain conditions of urban habitats have on the quality of life of the population’s oldest age group, the urban habitat being construed as a combination of natural spaces and the built environment, a product of relationships between natural and man-made elements and the social life platform. To explore its relationship with senior citizens’ quality of life, we analysed both the physical and objective conditions of the urban environment, and also the subjective and perceptual dimension of the relationship between space and individuals.