This seminar is part of the Manchester Urban Ageing Research Group’s conversation series and is co-hosted with the Urban Institute. In this session, Dr Shengxiao (Alex) Li explores the pressing issue of mobility among older adults in the United States. As the number of older Americans increases rapidly and many of them age in low-density areas, understanding their transportation difficulties and needs is crucial. Using the 2017 National Household Travel Survey, Dr Li categorizes zero-vehicle older individuals into four groups: urban commuters, nonrural low-income nondrivers, rural unemployed nondrivers, and nonurban moderate transit users. Dr Li then examined who they are and how they travel. This study shows that more than one-third of zero-vehicle individuals were rural unemployed nondrivers. It also demonstrates the travel privileges of urban commuters. Findings show that planners and policymakers should consider providing additional transportation services and neighborhood designs for older people without vehicles. They should offer transportation services in suburban and rural areas, as well as in small towns lacking convenient public transport services. In the long run, planners should muse over land use and design changes in low-density areas to facilitate older people’s out-of-home activities.
Dr. Shengxiao (Alex) Li is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Architecture, College of Design and Engineering at the National University of Singapore. As an international urban planning scholar, Alex’s research focuses on the transportation policy and planning from the perspectives of inclusiveness and social equity, and mitigating climate change. He holds a PhD in City and Regional Planning from the University of Pennsylvania, and has published papers in top planning and transportation journals, such as Journal of American Planning Association, Journal of Planning Literature, Transportation Research Part A, and Journal of Aging and Social Policy.
