Abstract
As the elderly population increases, concerns for the elderly's welfare become greater both quantitatively and qualitatively. In order to give a chance for the elderly to live in familiar dwelling and regional context to which they are accustomed, and to participate in their society actively, it is of great importance that suitable living spaces must be provided for the elderly. The practical ways of providing people with good living environment and its easy maintenance for healthy and valuable lives were discussed in this paper. This research is designed to propose pertinent policies related to social issues concerning the elderly. 137 seniors over 60 living in Gwanaju city were sampled and surveyed. The scope of planning for the elderly's lifestyle and welfare is divided into two parts, one is planning of space for the realization of stable and spacious dwellings and another is urban environment planning capable of supporting healthy and affluent lifestyles. Also, the realization of stable housing, the construction of urban structure for a healthy life, and the provision of barrier-free living conditions are investigated. For increasing the degree of stabilization and improvement for the elderly's life, self-governing bodies should grasp the demands of living condition and spatial requirements by taking the lifestyles of the elderly into account in urban or regional levels. Then, a master plan including development, improvement, execution, and maintenance of proper housing facilities and urban environments should be made for the best results.