Walkability of urban neighbourhoods near seniors’ residences in the Montreal area: Application of the MAPPA audit tool
This article focuses on walking conditions around retirement homes in metropolitan Montreal and on the connection with walking experienced by seniors living in those environments. Responses of participants in focus groups have shown that the possibility of engaging in activities or of meeting people is a key factor in the daily mobility of seniors. Even so, some characteristics of urban environments can sometimes make walking a challenge. We carried out an evaluation of the walkability of streets in the vicinity of retirement homes and nearby commercially dense urban locations using the new environmental audit tool, MAPPA. The resulting typology of walkability shows that the vast majority of urban street blocks provide only minimal levels of safety for elderly citizens. Living in seniors’ residences can sometimes oblige older people to turn instead to indoor activities, thereby leading to a form of spatial exclusion that limits their active involvement in urban life.