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Buildings
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Age-Friendly Built Environment and Sustainable Architectural Design
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Age-Friendly Built Environment and Sustainable Architectural Design

A special issue of Buildings (ISSN 2075-5309). This special issue belongs to the section "Architectural Design, Urban Science, and Real Estate".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 May 2026 | Viewed by 2051

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Branko Gabrovec

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
National Institute of Public Health, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Interests: public health; ageing; age-friendly enviroment
Dr. Francesca Pagliaro

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department Unit for Energy Efficiency—Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (DUEE—ENEA), Via Anguillarese 301, 00123 Rome, Italy
Interests: buildings; energy efficiency; energy certification; energy performance certificates; EPBD standards; building simulation; NZEB; sustainable architecture
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Domen Zupančič

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Architecture, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Interests: management in architecture; recreational buildings; vernacular architecture; housing for the elderly; inclusive health environments

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The burden of aging populations is becoming increasingly pressing worldwide. Aging brings deteriorating health, including chronic diseases, frailty, reduced mobility, an increased fall risk, and a dependency on others.

The societal challenge lies not merely in extending lifespan, but in enhancing quality of life. This special issue addresses both, problems arising from aging and strategies to strengthen health for ensuring added years are lived in robust health.

Our living, working, and movement environments must address aging-specific challenges, actively promote health improvement, balance two key dimensions (supportive design for frail/dependent individuals and health-promoting challenges to maintain capability. Essential considerations include comprehensive safety measures, mental well-being and social integration.

Strategic investments in health-oriented environments yield multiplicative benefits. By designing spaces that prioritize wellbeing, we create sustainable conditions for current and future generations. This intersection of urban planning and population health is where health equity gaps can be addressed, access to green spaces enhances physical activity, safety infrastructure reduces preventable harms. For vulnerable populations, universal design principles and inclusive accessibility are critical to support independent living, enable active aging and reduce environmental barriers.

For this Special Issue, we invite contributions focused exclusively on interconnected challenges related to aging, the environment, and health optimization.

The Topics of Interest are as follows:

  • Age-friendly landcape design;
  • Age-friendly rural housing;
  • Safety issues of elderly populations in rural areas;
  • Age-friendly housing solutions;
  • Smart cities for aging support;
  • Housing and rural design that connects different generations.

Prof. Dr. Branko Gabrovec
Dr. Francesca Pagliaro
Dr. Domen Zupančič 
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Buildings is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • public health
  • age-friendly environment
  • well-being
  • building
  • frailty

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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22 pages, 8396 KB  
Article
Structure–Behavior Coordination of Age-Friendly Community Facilities: A Social Network Analysis Model of Guangzhou’s Cases
by Xiao Xiao, Jian Xu, Xiaolei Zhu and Wei Zhang
Buildings 2025, 15(20), 3802; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15203802 - 21 Oct 2025
Viewed by 1320
Abstract
Rapid population aging calls for a shift from static facility configuration toward understanding how spatial structures coordinate with everyday behavior. This study develops a structure–behavior coordination framework to examine how the spatial embedding of community service centers and surrounding facilities aligns with older [...] Read more.
Rapid population aging calls for a shift from static facility configuration toward understanding how spatial structures coordinate with everyday behavior. This study develops a structure–behavior coordination framework to examine how the spatial embedding of community service centers and surrounding facilities aligns with older adults’ mobility and activity chains. Using Guangzhou as a case, three representative facility aggregation forms—clustered, linear, and patchy—were identified through POI-based spatial analysis. Behavioral mapping supported by Public Participation GIS (PPGIS) and social network analysis captured facility co-use and path continuity, while rank-based measures (Rank-QAP and Rank-Biased Overlap) evaluated correspondence between structural and behavioral centralities. Findings show form-sensitive rather than typological coordination: the clustered case (FY) exhibits compact, mixed-use integration; the linear case (DJ) requires ground-level access along main pedestrian corridors; and the patchy case (LG) relies on a few highly accessible dual-core nodes where improved connectivity strengthens cohesion. Everyday facilities such as markets, parks, and plazas act as behavioral anchors linking routine routes. The framework offers a transferable tool and comparable metrics for diagnosing alignment between built structure and everyday behavior, guiding adaptive, evidence-based planning for age-friendly community systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Age-Friendly Built Environment and Sustainable Architectural Design)
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Review

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24 pages, 650 KB  
Review
Age-Friendly Built Environments: Integrating Architecture, Safety, and Corporate Security for Healthy and Independent Aging
by Jernej Bevk and Miha Dvojmoč
Buildings 2026, 16(9), 1725; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings16091725 - 27 Apr 2026
Viewed by 179
Abstract
Population aging intensifies the need for built environments that support healthy and independent living while reducing preventable risks. This integrative review examines how architectural design, safety measures, and corporate security can function as an integrated, layered system for creating age-friendly environments across public [...] Read more.
Population aging intensifies the need for built environments that support healthy and independent living while reducing preventable risks. This integrative review examines how architectural design, safety measures, and corporate security can function as an integrated, layered system for creating age-friendly environments across public spaces, housing, and intergenerational community settings. Drawing on a systematic search of literature published between 2010 and 2026 across databases including Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and PubMed, supplemented by international standards and policy documents, the review analyses how universal design principles, injury prevention strategies, and governance routines intersect to sustain mobility, reduce harms, and protect data, devices, and operational continuity. The findings indicate that gaps in any layer, such as inaccessible layouts, poorly maintained safety systems, or weak cybersecurity, can undermine overall effectiveness, compromise trust, and affect older adults’ autonomy. The COVID-19 pandemic further exposed these interdependencies, accelerating smart technology adoption while exacerbating digital inequality and social isolation, particularly in rural settings. This review concludes that age-friendly environments require not only barrier-free architecture and proportionate safety measures, but also robust governance structures that ensure accountability, lifecycle maintenance, and responsible data practices. Integrating these three domains provides a foundation for resilient, trustworthy, and health-promoting environments that enable older adults to remain active, socially connected, and secure. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Age-Friendly Built Environment and Sustainable Architectural Design)
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