Designing and planning inclusive and sustainable communities: The age-friendly airport

The effects of the physical and social environment on the aging process, old age and the daily life practices of the older people have been one of the objects of study in social sciences and gerontology since the 1950s. Within the scope of this study, the possibilities of creating an age-friendly airport at Istanbul Airport, which aims to create the first age-friendly airport in Turkey, are investigated with the triangulation techniques and qualitative research methods, and the travel experiences of users aged 65 and over are investigated in the context of environmental factors. In this context, in-depth interviews were conducted with semi-structured questionnaires with employees, designers at different levels within the airport and users over the age of 65 in order to understand the impact of service design strategies during travel experiences of older population. The findings derived from the collected data were analyzed in the context of environmental gerontology, age-friendly environments, spatial sociology and construction theory. As a result of findings drive to discussions, while the deficiencies among physical environment, social environment, economic function and personnel training at Istanbul Airport were revealed, the privileges provided to passengers with limited mobility and the efforts of the airport staff to continue their initiatives for disadvantaged groups were also shown. Combining the existing needs-based perspective with a rights-based approach will help eliminate deficiencies and sustain strengths simultaneously.