1. Walkability Assessment for Healthy Ageing Jonna Monaghan Belfast Healthy Cities

2. BELFAST Belfast Population of City: 333,000 citizens, 19% aged 60+ Population of Metropolitan Area: approx. 579,000 Area: 109.6 km 2

3. Belfast Healthy Cities: Successes & Challenges Joan Devlin Director Belfast Healthy Cities

4. Outdoor spaces and walkability

5. Age friendly Belfast – WHO Age Friendly Cities

6. Walkability Assessment for Healthy Ageing tool Focus on neighbourhoods Qualitative focus to support quantitative tools Aims To engage older people in assessing their environment To gather evidence on walkability from older people’s perspective Piloted with 150 older people across Belfast

7. Existing Walkability Assessment Tools

8. Methodology Identifying target areas Local studies and statistics Engaging participants Local seniors’ groups Purposive sampling Undertaking walk Facilitated and supported 10 minute walk Questionnaire Discussion

9. Belfast City Parks Advantages : Friendly local area Well maintained Good visibility Level paths Good walking routes Barriers: Lack of seating Lack of public toilets Dog fouling Poor signage Indirect barriers: Steep hills Insecurity

10. Belfast City Parks

11. Belfast City Centre

12. East Belfast Street Assessment

13. Recommendations Engage older people in design and planning of public seating designing signage Promote consistent provision of dropped kerbs and tactile paving consistent provision and standard of public toilets high quality well maintained pavements, free from obstruction Identify opportunities to review placement of pedestrian crossings and crossing times Promote awareness among agencies on fear of being out alone Engage older people in the design of their city

14. Next steps Further test and modify the tool Pilots across city Identify Age Friendly pilot area to begin implementing recommendations Essential to engage built environment sector Report available at belfasthealthycities.com/ healthy-cities-publications belfasthealthycities.com/ healthy-cities-publications

15. Thank you For further information, please contact Anne McCusker, Belfast Healthy Cities: T +44 28 9032 8811 E anne@belfasthealthycities.comanne@belfasthealthycities.com W www.belfasthealthycities.comwww.belfasthealthycities.com @belfasthealthy