Optimizing Urban Environments for Sustainable Development: Strategies and Practices to Enhance Mobility Among Older Adults

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

This paper focuses on the impact of the urban built environment on the travel behavior of the elderly against the backdrop of population aging. The research topic is of great practical significance and academic value, keeping pace with the global trends in population structure change and the needs of sustainable urban development. Through a systematic review of relevant literature, the study attempts to comprehensively sort out the research status in this field, providing a reference for subsequent research and policy-making, with a relatively clear overall train of thought. I suggest that this paper can be published after undergoing the following major revisions.

1. This review comprehensively collates the existing research on the relationship between the urban built environment and the travel behavior of the elderly, summarizes the achievements, generalizes the deficiencies, and looks ahead to the future. Please indicate prominently in the text whether the author has put forward unique insights and innovative thinking in this field, so as to inject vitality into the research in this field and inspire subsequent empirical studies.
2. Although the article's theme is closely related to urban planning and policy-making, this paper basically fails to provide specific policy recommendations or practical guidance based on the research findings. For example, in combination with the research findings, for urban construction and planners, operable suggestions can be put forward, such as how to rationally plan land use in newly-built communities to promote the travel of the elderly, and how to use big data analysis to optimize the layout of public transportation stations, so as to enhance the practical value of the research.
3. In the discussion section, the elaboration on how various factors of the built environment affect the travel behavior of the elderly is rather shallow. Only the factors and their simple impacts are listed, without in-depth analysis of the interactions among various factors and the underlying mechanisms. The logical connection between different content sections is not tight enough. The transition from the changes in research scales and dimensions to policy recommendations seems a bit blunt. It is necessary to deeply analyze the collaborative or restrictive relationships among the factors of the built environment, such as how the land-use mix and the layout of public transportation facilities interact to affect the travel choices of the elderly. When discussing each part of the content, add transitional sentences or paragraphs to sort out the logical derivation process from research findings to policy recommendations.
4. The main problem lies in Section 5.1 of the conclusion part. The whole paragraph lists many research progress and technical application details, resulting in the lack of prominence of the core viewpoints. A concise and powerful statement can be used at the beginning or end to summarize the core research results and the main contributions to this field, allowing readers to quickly grasp the key points.

Comments on the Quality of English Language

The English writing of this paper needs to further enhance language coherence. For example, in the conclusion part, when elaborating on different content sections, such as from research dimensions to research methods and then to technological applications, the transitions between each part seem a bit blunt. Some transitional sentences or words can be added, such as "Moreover", "At the same time", etc., to make the logic between paragraphs more coherent and improve reading fluency.

Author Response

Please see attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The manuscript presents a review through a bibliometric analysis of how built environments affect older adults’ mobility, highlighting factors such as population density, accessibility to public transport, green space, and land use. The manuscript is well-written and presents an interesting topic for the scientific community. However, the manuscript requires some improvements before being published in the next issue of sustainability.

- Being a literature review, the strongest weakness of the document is that it is outdated. Therefore, it is recommended that the authors update the review with more studies published between 2023 and 2025.

- While the significance of mobility for the aging population is discussed, the introduction section would benefit from a sharper focus so that readers can identify the study's main purpose and research hypothesis.

- In the introduction chapter, the rationale for this study needs to be strengthened based on a research gap identified in the existing literature. The following questions could help the authors to strengthen this section: How does the presented review contribute to fill a gap in the existing literature? What is the need for the study? What literature reviews have been conducted and what are their limitations that this study addresses?

- The research method requires a more detailed process of evidence collection and analysis. The way the method is written makes it difficult to replicate in future studies.

- While the manuscript references diverse statistical models (for example: regression, decision-tree approaches), including more justification for each method’s selection would clarify why these techniques best align with the data and goals of the review.

- The text explains the use of the CiteSpace tool for bibliometric analysis, but additional clarification on how thresholds and analytical parameters are set would support replication and bolster the results’ credibility.

- The resolution of figures 2, 3, and 4 needs to be improved. In addition, the appendix figure needs to be included in English.

- Given the broad geographical scope (covering regions with different population densities and development levels), a dedicated section comparing major distinctions across urban or cultural contexts would be valuable. Furthermore, although the focus is on the “older adult” category, the paper might benefit from reflections on other sociodemographic aspects (socioeconomic status, gender, overall health) that significantly influence older adults’ travel patterns.

- The final part of the paper outlines future research directions, but it could be strengthened with direct recommendations for urban design or policy measures that effectively promote older adults’ mobility. Verify spaces between words and numbers.

- The conclusions section needs to be restructured to clearly present the theoretical contributions and practical contributions derived from the review presented.

- Given the dynamic nature of urban policies and aging research, verify whether very recent studies (from 2024 or 2025) or policy changes could strengthen or refine the discussion and conclusions.

- Check that the reference format is in accordance with the instructions for sustainability authors.

Comments on the Quality of English Language

N/A

Author Response

Please see attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Round 2

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The author has made every effort to revise the opinions I raised, and the quality of the article has been significantly improved. I recommend publishing this article.

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The authors have addressed all the comments proposed. Congratulations to the authors.