Aging-People Accessibility to Urban Garden: A Case Study in Turin

Contemporary European society is characterized by the aging population and, simultaneously, by an increasing of the average retirement age, by the improvement in average health conditions, even in old age. Active elderly is a relatively new user in our society, to which the service offer must look carefully. In urban contexts characterized by high density and medium-small sized dwellings, green areas as parks, small urban gardens but also residual spaces, constitute an important resource as recreational and meeting spaces, especially for elderly users who live a state of isolation. The level of safety, maintenance, accessibility and availability of equipment in those green public spaces has an important influence on the average quality of urban life. The paper presents the case study of the city of Turin (Italy), in which the municipality is involved in a project to improve accessibility and services in the so-called “urban gardens”.