The experiences of Maltese elderly residents in accessing and using local urban green spaces

Abstract

This dissertation seeks to better understand the relationship between elderly residents and the urban green spaces in their locality. This includes a study of participants’ perceptions of these spaces in their localities. It also studies the role of these spaces in the lives of the participants, including any benefits participants may perceive themselves to be receiving from such spaces. Finally, it seeks to understand the experiences of participants in accessing such spaces in their locality. The study is a qualitative study centred on three localities: Attard, Marsa and Qormi. The study collected data from observations of urban green spaces in these three localities and from semi-structured interviews with sixteen elderly residents living in the chosen localities. The results of the observations demonstrate that the urban green spaces in all three localities are on average of mediocre quality, particularly when compared to standards promoted by the international literature. In the interviews, participants identified several positive elements about the urban green spaces. However, they also identified and described several aspects which detract from the attractiveness and usefulness of such spaces. Half of the participants gave insightful information as to how these spaces benefited their mental and/or social wellbeing. However, many participants still described elements which detracted from these benefits. A smaller number of participants were able to describe benefits to their physical wellbeing obtained from the urban green spaces. Most participants felt that the urban green spaces are largely accessible, but almost all participants identified and described barriers which made access more difficult. This included a number of physical and social barriers. The findings provide useful information to policymakers and urban planners as to what can be improved about urban green spaces to render them more suitable and attractive to the needs and preferences of elderly residents.