‘No Place for us on Footpaths’: Exploring Walkability Challenges of Older Men in India and Bangladesh

In India and Bangladesh cities, footpaths play a crucial role in enhancing the mobility of older adults. To age in place, the design and maintenance of footpaths become pivotal for older men to access services, opportunities and goods in neighbourhoods and beyond. The paper combines interviews, observations, visual surveys and GIS methods to present the varied walking experiences of older men in Bengaluru and Dhaka. We take an intersectional perspective to examine how multiple socio-economic inequalities intersect and get amplified by infrastructural inequalities to disadvantage older men. Our findings highlight that walkability is compromised as older men go about fulfilling their expected roles and responsibilities. The risk of falls, crowded spaces, poor pedestrian infrastructure and ageist remarks limit older men from accessing public spaces. Recognising the needs, barriers (physical, socio-economic and infrastructural) and coping mechanisms is imperative to creating age-friendly cities that prioritise the health, social participation and independence of older men.