Urban Parks Prioritization Concerning the Age-friendly Criteria in Sari, Northern Iran

Abstract

It is essential to make urban spaces usable for a wide range of citizens, including aged people. This study was carried out in Sari, the center of Mazandaran Province, northern Iran in 2013 to prioritize five urban parks of the city using Fuzzy-AHP method in terms of three pre-defined criteria, including safety, security, and environmental health. Firstly, the criteria and alternatives were defined using Delphi technique and random sampling, and then the questionnaires were designed. The questionnaires were filled by a group of 10 experts and their consistencies were assessed by the Expert Choice software. Finally, criteria and alternatives` total weights were calculated. Among all the cases, Keshavarz, Aftab, and Ghaem parks were ranked first to third, respectively; however, Shahrdari and Koosha both occupied the fourth place. Aged adults as one of the vulnerable groups of the society need an appropriate plan for which not only reduces many unnecessary social and economic costs but it has also co-benefits for the other members of the society.

Keywords

• Age-friendly
• Ageing
• Urban spaces
• AHP
• Fuzzy-AHP