Space design parameters to support the socialization of active elderly individuals in public interior space: The case of shopping mall

Every person will experience the old age period. The important thing in this period is to maintain the role assumed in social life and to be able to interact with other people by not moving away from social life with losses such as work and status. In this way, the psychological health of the individual is protected and the quality of life can be increased. In order for this to happen, the impact of the physical environment is as important as the individual's effort. It is seen in the results of environmental behavior studies that the physical environment plays a role in supporting social welfare and interaction among different age groups. In order to maintain a healthy social structure, the need to determine the characteristics of the space design that supports the needs of different age groups and the importance of the one-to-one interaction of active older adults with other individuals in the society is increasing day by day. The aim of this study is to understand how physical space can play a role in increasing the participation and socialization of active elderly individuals, what are the space design parameters that support socialization in public interiors, and how these parameters can be applied to the design of shopping malls. The shopping center chosen within the scope of the study was evaluated through the parameters of design and comfort, sense of belonging, interpersonal activity/interaction opportunities in the space, and being able to accommodate different user groups, from the eyes of active elderly individuals and over, and also the socialization levels in the space were tried to be determined. A survey study was carried out with on-site detection in the selected shopping center.The findings were evaluated by descriptive analysis and correlation analysis in the SPSS program. According to the research data, it has been observed that the design and comfort features of the space, the sense of belonging in the space, the interpersonal activity/interaction opportunities in the space and the ability of the space to accommodate different user groups are effective in the socialization of active elderly users in public indoor spaces. Keywords: Active Elderly, Public interior, Public space, Socialization, Social interaction