This study, while approaching the issue of the urban accessibility of the elderly, brings us the discussion of the urban space planning and the importance of identifying the needs of the elderly in relation to the constructed environment and their motion in the city. Aiming to argue the accessibility of the aged one to the center of Caratinga city, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, an exploratory research was conducted, applying an evaluation form on the usability of the urban space to 255 aged ones. Through descriptive and univariate analysis, the study tried to offer a scientific contribution to the debate of urban accessibility to the elderly, characterizing the participants and identifying the main problems of accessibility in their viewpoint. Interviewed results showed that most interviewed elderly walk themselves on foot (55.3%). Problems as obstacles in the sidewalk (66.3%), agglomeration of people (63.5%), difficulties to cross the street (55.3%) and history of falls in the center (33%) were frequently observed complaints. The photographic registers and the suggestions raised by these aged gave visibility to the irregularities and problems of urban accessibility in the city center of Caratinga.
Elderly; Architectural Accessibility; Local Government; Architectural Barriers; Urban Accessibility
