Elderly Satisfaction Priorities in Residential Complexes’ Open Spaces

This article aims to identify the factors affecting elderly satisfaction with outdoor spaces of residential complexes, and to explain these factors and formulate a model using the ‘Delphi Method’ and the ‘Shannon Technique’. The two main questions of this study are ‘what are the factors affecting the satisfaction of the elderly with the outdoor space of residential complexes’ and ‘how one can understand the importance of each in relation to others’. To answer these questions, the opinions of ten Delphi experts were collected using interviews and questionnaires, and analysed using the Shannon Technique. Findings show that the most important factor affecting outdoor satisfaction of the elderly is the ‘physical’ aspect of the space, with ‘spatial supply’, ‘views’, ‘spatial organisation’, and ‘aesthetics’ being most effective indicators in this respect. This is followed by "individual-social" aspects, with ‘age, ‘feelings and needs’ and ‘expectations’ as its most effective indicators. Next comes ‘performance-management’, with ‘community surveillance’, ‘safety’ and ‘access to public and private services’ as its most effective indicators. Finally, a model for residential satisfaction factors of the elderly is developed, which outlines the weight of each of these factors and indicators.