Abstract
This chapter deals with a complex phenomenon: the out-of-home mobility of ageing and aged persons. It is a complex issue because so many different aspects come together in the interaction between persons and their environments. Mobility means the physical ability to move and the realisation of all types of trips and activities outside the home, and it can be motivated by diverse, often inseparably intertwined motives. Trips can be manifested in a goal-directed mode or for its own sake, and they can be performed on foot, by harnessing natural forces or by employing any mechanised or motorised means of transportation. Spatial and traffic conditions as well as the societal conditions for mobility are different. This holds not only for national legislations, traffic policy, level of mechanisation, etc. but also for values, lifestyles or what we call a society’s “Zeitgeist”. In that sense, mobility is a crucial characteristic of modern societies. And last but not least, all of these conditions are subject to permanent change. Over the course of the 20th century, technological advances—from individual automobiles, public transportation systems and special driving services to trains, ships and airplanes—have made it possible to traverse distances even despite physical or sensory impairments or frailty. As transport technologies improved, the shape of urban and rural settlements has changed as well. The provision of an extended road infrastructure accelerated extensive suburban development and the establishment of industrial and commercial enterprises beyond residential areas. The growing dispersal of travel origins and destinations, in turn, increased the importance of mobility for bridging the widening gap between functional areas. Altogether, these developments led to a continual increase in mobility and travel (World Business Council for Sustainable Development, 2002). Therefore, mobility has become a major condition for ensuring the ability to lead an autonomous life and participate actively in society.
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MOLLENKOPF, H., BAAS, S., KASPAR, R., OSWALD, F., WAHL, HW. (2006). OUTDOOR MOBILITY IN LATE LIFE: PERSONS, ENVIRONMENTS AND SOCIETY. In: Wahl, HW., Brenner, H., Mollenkopf, H., Rothenbacher, D., Rott, C. (eds) The Many Faces of Health, Competence and Well-Being in Old Age. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-4138-1_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-4138-1_4
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