Creating therapeutic spaces for the public: elderly exercisers as leaders in urban China

It is becoming increasingly crucial to consider the design and construction of ‘age-friendly” and “healthy” cities to accommodate the world’s changing demographic. We propose a conceptual framework through which urban open spaces are transformed into “therapeutic public spaces”. Following eight months of fieldwork in public parks in two Chinese cities, we found that the assemblage of physical and social elements, as well as elderly people’s performances, facilitated a collective identity among elderly people, a new norm of pursuing health, and a reciprocal relationship between disparate participants. This, in turn, delivers the health sense to various participants in urban open spaces. This study contributes to a relational conceptualization of therapeutic landscapes and public spaces by blueprinting a therapeutic public space that is constructed through the collaboration of various social groups. This study also contributes to a greater understanding of elderly people’s role in the conceptualization of “age-friendly” and “healthy” cities.