Accessibility of the Elderly to Family Health Centers and Nearby Urban Activity Areas: The Case of Karşıyaka Neighborhoods (İzmir)

Abstract

Accessibility of urban activity areas by elderly individuals are important concerning their quality of life, socialization opportunities, and mental health as well as communal solidarity. Therefore, elderly people’s accessibility to these areas in daily routines must be provided. However, accessibility to these areas can show differences up to inequality between social groups due to spatial opportunities and individuals’ socio-economic and demographic characteristics. With these arguments, our study analyzes and evaluates elderly people’s accessibility to primarily family health centers (FHC) and other urban activity areas significant for the elderly in Karşıyaka neighborhoods (İzmir) with Geographical Information Systems tools. In the study, the urban activity areas include primarily the pharmacy, bakery, market, park, mosque, market area, and secondarily, the headman's office, post office, bank, and public transportation stations. The results show the differences in the accessibility across and within the neighborhoods and that the number of primary activity areas in close distance (210m) of FHCs is higher than that of the secondary areas.