Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-rcrh6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-27T02:09:09.711Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Ageing in a low-density urban city: transportation mobility as a social equity issue

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 November 2016

GAIL ADORNO ,
NOELLE FIELDS ,
COURTNEY CRONLEY ,
RUPAL PAREKH  and
KAREN MAGRUDER
GAIL ADORNO*
Affiliation:
School of Social Work, University of Texas at Arlington, USA.
NOELLE FIELDS
Affiliation:
School of Social Work, University of Texas at Arlington, USA.
COURTNEY CRONLEY
Affiliation:
School of Social Work, University of Texas at Arlington, USA.
RUPAL PAREKH
Affiliation:
School of Social Work, University of Texas at Arlington, USA.
KAREN MAGRUDER
Affiliation:
The Senior Source, Inc., Dallas, Texas, USA.
*
Address for correspondence: Gail Adorno, Ph.D., L.C.S.W. School of Social Work, University of Texas at Arlington, 211 S. Cooper Street, Arlington, TX 76019, USAE-mail:[email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine older adults' experiences and perspectives regarding transportation mobility. Using a community-based participatory research approach, residents of Arlington, Texas, age 55 and older, participated in individual interviews (N = 15) or one of six focus groups (N = 45) as part of an overall study about ageing well in a large ethnically diverse city in the United States of America. Thematic analysis was conducted using inductive and deductive qualitative methods and social equity as a sensitising concept. Findings indicate that older adults who are transportation-disadvantaged experience limited access to health care, goods and services and are isolated from familiar lifestyle habits and social networks. Access to affordable, adequate transportation is compromised through social and political forces, which marginalise historically disadvantaged populations. Implications for cross-disciplinary practice and future research on sustainable transportation and policy development are discussed within a social justice and social equity framework.

Keywords

transportationageingolder adultsageing wellsocial equity
Type
Articles
Information
Ageing & Society , Volume 38 , Issue 2 , February 2018 , pp. 296 - 320
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2016 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

AARP 2007. AARP Livable Communities: Best Practices, Strategies, Research and More. Available online at http://www.aarp.org/livable-communities/. [Accessed 12 June 2015].Google Scholar
Adorno, G., Fields, N., Parekh, R., Magruder, K. and Verbovaya, O. 2015. Ageing well Arlington, Texas: qualitative assessment summary report. Unpublished technical report.Google Scholar
Banister, B. and Bowling, A. 2004. Quality of life for the elderly: the transport dimension. Transport Policy, 11, 12, 105–15.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Berg, J., Levin, L., Abramsson, M. and Hagberg, J. E. 2014. Mobility in the transition to retirement – the intertwining of transportation and everyday projects. Journal of Transport Geography, 38, June, 48–54.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bowen, G. A. 2006. Grounded theory and sensitizing concepts. International Journal of Qualitative Methods 5, 3, 1–9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Burns, L. D. 2013. Sustainable mobility: a vision of our transport future. Nature, 497, 7448, 181–2.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
CensusViewer 2015. Arlington, Texas Population: Census 2010 and 2000 Interactive Map, Demographics, Statistics, Quick Facts. Available online at http://censusviewer.com/city/TX/Arlington. [Accessed 15 April 2016].Google Scholar
Cho, S., Crenshaw, K. W. and McCall, L. 2013. Toward a field of intersectionality studies: theory, applications, and praxis. Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, 38, 4, 785–810.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Choi, M., Lohman, M. C. and Mezuk, B. 2014. Trajectories of cognitive decline by driving mobility: evidence from the Health and Retirement Study. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 29, 5, 447–53.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Choi, M., Mezuk, B., Lohman, M. C., Edwards, J. D. and Rebok, G. W. 2012. Gender and racial disparities in driving cessation among older adults. Journal of Ageing and Health, 24, 8, 1364–79.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Corbin, J. and Strauss, A. 2008. Basics of Qualitative Research: Techniques and Procedures for Developing Grounded Theory. Third edition, Sage, Thousand Oaks, California.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Crenshaw, K. W. 1989. Demarginalizing the intersection of race and sex: a Black feminist critique of antidiscrimination doctrine, feminist theory and antiracist politics. University of Chicago Legal Forum, 1989, 1, 139–67.Google Scholar
Creswell, J. W. 2009. Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. Sage, Thousand Oaks, California.Google Scholar
Deka, D. 2004. Social and environmental justice issues in urban transportation. In Hanson, S. and Giuliano, G. (eds), The Geography of Urban Transportation. Guilford Press, New York, 294–331.Google Scholar
Engels, B. and Liu, G. J. 2011. Social exclusion, location and transport disadvantage amongst non-driving seniors in a Melbourne municipality, Australia. Journal of Transport Geography, 19, 4, 984–96.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Faria, D. and Smith, W. 1996. Planning innovative public transportation systems for Arlington, Texas. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 1521, 20–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Foley, D. J., Heimovitz, H. K., Guralnik, J. M. and Brock, D. B. 2002. Driving life expectancy of persons aged 70 years and older in the United States. American Journal of Public Health, 92, 8, 1284–9.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Freeman, E. E., Gange, S. J., Muñoz, B. and West, S. K. 2006. Driving status and risk of entry into long-term care in older adults. American Journal of Public Health, 96, 7, 1254–9.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gilbert, D. J. 2014. Social work and engineering collaboration: forging innovative global community development education. Journal of Social Work Education, 50, 2, 292–304.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hanson, S. and Giuliano, G. (eds) 2004. The Geography of Urban Transportation. Guilford Press, New York.Google Scholar
Hensher, D. A. 2007. Some insights into the key influences on trip-chaining activity and public transport use of seniors and the elderly. International Journal of Sustainable Transportation, 1, 1, 53–68.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hjorthol, R. 2013. Transport resources, mobility and unmet transport needs in old age. Ageing & Society, 33, 7, 1190–211.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Israel, B. A., Schulz, A. J., Parker, E. A., Becker, A. B., Allen, A. and Guzman, J. R. 2008. Critical issues in developing and following CBPR principles. In Minkler, M. and Wallerstein, N. (eds), Community-based Participatory Research for Health: From Process to Outcomes. Second edition, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, California, 47–66.Google Scholar
Jacobs, J. 1961. The Death and Life of Great American Cities. Vintage, New York.Google Scholar
Johnstone, M. J. and Kanitsaki, O. 2008. Ethnic aged discrimination and disparities in health and social care: a question of social justice. Australasian Journal on Ageing, 27, 3, 110–5.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kim, S. 2011. Assessing mobility in an ageing society: personal and built environment factors associated with older people's subjective transportation deficiency in the US. Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 14, 5, 422–9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kim, S. and Ulfarsson, G. 2013. Transportation in an ageing society: linkage between transportation and quality of life. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 2357, 109–15.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kostyniuk, L. P., Trombley, D. A. and Shope, J. T. 1998. Reduction and cessation of driving among older drivers: a review of the literature. The University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, Report UMTRI-98–23, Ann Arbor, Michigan.Google Scholar
Lang, R. E. and LeFurgy, J. B. 2007. Boomburbs: The Rise of America's Accidental Cities. Brookings Institution Press, Washington DC.Google Scholar
Lawton, M. P. and Brody, E. M. 1969. Assessment of older people: self-maintaining and instrumental activities of daily living. Gerontologist, 9, 3, 179–86.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Li, J., Casey, C. and Brewer, L. K. 2015. Exploring opportunities for engaging public health organizations in transportation planning. Public Works Management & Policy, 20, 3, 201–25.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lincoln, Y. S. and Guba, E. G. 1985. Naturalistic Inquiry. Sage, Thousand Oaks, California.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lui, C. W., Everingham, J. A., Warburton, J., Cuthill, M. and Bartlett, H. 2009. What makes a community age-friendly: a review of the literature. Australian Journal of Ageing, 28, 3, 116–21.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Manaugh, K. 2013. Incorporating issues of social justice and equity into transportation planning and policy. Doctoral dissertation, McGill University, Montreal.Google Scholar
Manaugh, K., Badami, M. G. and El-Geneidy, A. M. 2015. Integrating social equity into urban transportation planning: a critical evaluation of equity objectives and measures in transportation plans in North America. Transport Policy, 37, 4, 167–76.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mann, W. C., McCarthy, D. P., Wu, S. S. and Tomita, M. 2005. Relationship of health status, functional status, and psychosocial status to driving among elderly with disabilities. Physical & Occupational Therapy in Geriatrics, 23, 2/3, 1–24.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Maxwell, J. 2013. Qualitative Research Design: An Interactive Approach. Third edition, Sage, Thousand Oaks, California.Google Scholar
Mercier, J. 2009. Equity, social justice, and sustainable urban transportation in the twenty-first century. Administrative Theory & Praxis, 31, 2, 145–63.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Metzger, J. 1996. The theory and practice of equity planning: an annotated bibliography. Journal of Planning Literature, 11, 1, 112–26.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Metzl, J. M. and Hansen, H. 2014. Structural competency: theorizing a new medical engagement with stigma and inequality. Social Science & Medicine, 103, February, 126–33.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Molnar, L. J. and Eby, D. W. 2008. The relationship between self-regulation and driving-related abilities in older drivers: an exploratory study. Traffic Injury Prevention, 9, 4, 314–9.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nakanishi, H. and Black, J. 2015. Social sustainability issues and older adults’ dependence on automobiles in low-density environments. Sustainability, 7, 6, 7289–309.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Phillipson, C. 2007. The ‘elected’ and the ‘excluded’: sociological perspectives on the experience of place and community in old age. Ageing & Society, 27, 3, 321–42.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Plouffe, L. and Kalache, A. 2010. Towards global age-friendly cities: determining urban features that promote active aging. Journal of Urban Health, 87, 5, 733–9.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Power, A. 2012. Social inequality, disadvantaged neighbourhoods and transport deprivation: an assessment of the historical influence of housing policies. Journal of Transport Geography, 21, March, 39–48.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rosenbloom, S. 2001. Sustainability and automobility among the elderly: an international assessment. Transportation, 28, 4, 375–408.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rosso, A. L., Auchincloss, A. H. and Michael, Y. L. 2011. The urban built environment and mobility in older adults: a comprehensive review. Journal of Aging Research, 2011, 2, 1–10.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Saldana, J. 2013. The Coding Manual for Qualitative Researchers. Second edition, Sage, Thousand Oaks, California.Google Scholar
Scharlach, A. E. and Lehning, J. 2013. Ageing-friendly communities and social inclusion in the United States of America. Ageing & Society, 33, 1, 110–36.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Siren, A. and Hakamies-Blomqvist, L. 2004. Private care as the grand equaliser? Demographic factors and mobility in Finnish men and women aged 65+. Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 7, 2, 107–18.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Siren, A. and Haustein, S. 2016. How do baby boomers’ mobility patterns change with retirement? Ageing & Society, 36, 5, 988–1007.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, R. J., Lehning, A. J. and Dunkle, R. E. 2013. Conceptualizing age-friendly community characteristics in a sample of urban elders: an exploratory factor analysis. Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 56, 2, 90–111.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Spinney, J. E., Scott, D. M. and Newbold, K. B. 2009. Transport mobility benefits and quality of life: a time-use perspective of elderly Canadians. Transport Policy, 16, 1, 1–11.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sylvestre, G. and Cardona Claros, K. 2008. An Action Plan for Seniors Transportation in Manitoba: Strategic Priorities. Available online at http://winnspace.uwinnipeg.ca/handle/10680/811.Google Scholar
The President's Council on Sustainable Development 1996. Sustainable America: A New Consensus for the Prosperity, Opportunity and a Healthy Environment for the Future. Available online at http://clinton2.nara.gov/PCSD/Publications/TF_Reports/amer-top.html. [Accessed 23 June 2015].Google Scholar
Torres-Davis, A. 2008. The need for improved transportation options for the elderly and the elder advocate's role. Journal of Poverty Law and Policy, 42, 5/6, 281–91.Google Scholar
Torres-Gil, F. and Hofland, B. 2012. Vulnerable populations. In Cisneros, H., Dyer-Chamberlain, M. and Hickie, J. (eds), Independent for Life: Homes and Neighborhoods for an Aging America. University of Texas Press, Austin, TX:, 221–232.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
US Census Bureau 2015. Quick Facts: Arlington, Texas. Available online at www.census.gov/quickfacts/table/PST045215/4804000,00. [Accessed 1 March 2016].Google Scholar
US Government Accountability Office 2004. Transportation disadvantaged seniors efforts to enhance senior mobility could benefit from additional guidance and information. Report GAO-04-971, Report to the Chairman, Special Committee on Ageing, US Senate, Washington DC.Google Scholar
US Government General Services Administration 2016. What is Paratransit? Available online at https://www.disability.gov/resource/what-is-paratransit/. [Accessed 13 May 2016].Google Scholar
Webber, S. C., Porter, M. M. and Menec, V. H. 2010. Mobility in older adults: a comprehensive framework. The Gerontologist, 50, 4, 443–50.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Weeks, L. E., Stadnyk, R., Begley, L. and MacDonald, D. J. 2013. The influence of driving status on transportation challenges experienced by older adults. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 34, 4, 501–17.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Whittemore, A. 2013. Finding sustainability in conservative contexts: topics for conversation between American conservative elites, planners and the conservative base. Urban Studies, 50, 12, 2460–77.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
World Health Organization (WHO) 1997. The World Health Report. Available online at http://www.who.int/whr/1997/en/whr97_en.pdf?ua=1. [Accessed 1 March 2015].Google Scholar
World Health Organization (WHO) 2007 a. Ageing and Life Course: Towards an Age-friendly World. Available online at http://www.who.int/ageing/age-friendly-world/en/. [Accessed 1 March 2015].Google Scholar
World Health Organization (WHO) 2007 b. Checklist of Essential Features of Age-friendly Cities. Available online at http://www.who.int/ageing/publications/Age_friendly_cities_checklist.pdf. [Accessed 15 March 2015].Google Scholar
Zeitler, E. and Buys, L. 2015. Mobility and out-of-home activities of older people living in suburban environments: ‘Because I'm a driver, I don't have a problem’. Ageing & Society, 35, 4, 785–808.CrossRefGoogle Scholar