Public open spaces planning for the elderly: The case of dense urban renewal districts in Hong Kong

•Identify important planning and design criteria of public open spaces for the elderly.•Illustrate an example of inadequacy of the concept of zone separation.•Elderly different preference for public open spaces among urban renewal districts with different densities, local contexts and redevelopment plans.•Social survey can involve elderly in planning for public open spaces and enhance more precise zoning. The elderly population in Hong Kong is relatively concentrated in older districts that face rapid urban deterioration and there is thus an urgent need for urban renewal in government policy agenda. With the problem of land scarcity and development priorities, the quantity and quality of open space is generally far from satisfactory. Furthermore, the need for fostering social well-being for the elderly has not been effectively incorporated into the planning of urban spaces. This study aims to identify the important planning and design criteria of public open spaces for the elderly who are living in dense older districts in Hong Kong. Questionnaire surveys were conducted in elderly centres and public open spaces in two urban renewal districts. Factor analysis was used to extract the underlying factors in planning of open spaces for the elderly. Through a comparative study of the two districts, having different density, local context, socio-economic demographics and redevelopment plans, it shows an example of the incomprehensiveness in the concept of “zone separation” in which formal differences in the labels of the two districts having same zoning can disguise similarities, thereby calling for a case-by-case study of the details of the two entities. Thus, it is suggested that responsive planning and design should consider the different urban renewal districts characteristics rather than adopting standardized planning guidelines for all.