Aging in Place or Stuck in Place? Transportation Planning for Older Americans in the Digital Era

Decades-long transportation policies favoring vehicle owners have actually disadvantaged many older adults in their daily travel. To date, studies and policies specifically addressing older adults’ travel needs have not kept pace with the increasing number and diversity of the aging population. My research addresses these gaps by examining the interaction of the built environment, travel behavior, and technology usage among older adults in the United States.

First, I analyzed older adults; travel pattern trends since 2000 identifying older adults’ travel difficulties. I used the National Household Travel Survey to demonstrate that, in general, the baby boomer generation (aged 55-74) did not have higher rates of per person vehicle travel, especially non-work travel, than did people of the same age decades ago. However, I found that low-income older adults’ lower vehicle travel rates have persisted since 2000. Next, I used cross-sectional and longitudinal data to identify older adults who had difficulties owning and maintaining vehicles. I found that households headed by retirees, those who had lost their partner, and those who lived alone had a higher possibility of living in low-density areas without vehicles. Further, the analysis also showed that these families tended to have a declining rate of in vehicle ownership yet they did not relocate.

Given the potential role of information communication technology (ICT) in mitigating older adults’ travel difficulties, I next surveyed 2,510 older adults to examine the relationship between ICT usage and travel before and during the pandemic. Here I found that, overall, those who used ICT less also traveled less. In particular, low-income, less educated older adults, those who lived alone, and older African Americans who had difficulties in using ICT applications also had lower daily vehicle travel. However, people of color and those with medical conditions tended to have fewer social and medical trips but used the online applications for these purposes more. The survey also revealed that age added to the transport disadvantage and digital divide during the pandemic.

Finally, my research shed light on transport equity theories, along with transportation, land use, and technology policies. It observes that, in order to promote sustainability and equity in an aging society, public agencies related to the areas mentioned above should work together to address the needs and difficulties of different social groups among the older adult population instead of providing every American aged 60 or 65 with transportation support. In sum, future policies should aim to enable every older adult to age successfully.

Shengxiao (Alex) Li received his PhD in City and Regional Planning from the Weitzman School of Design. He taught Penn IUR’s Undergraduate Urban Research Colloquium in Spring 2022.