Na Xiao
I am a PhD researcher working at the intersection of healthy ageing, the built environment, communication, and public governance. My research examines how older adults experience place in everyday life and how those experiences can inform policy and planning. I focus on practical ways to connect lived experience with decision-making in age-friendly systems. My work combines citizen science, discourse analysis, and decision-support modelling to understand how housing, neighbourhood design, and public space influence wellbeing, autonomy, and social participation in later life. The aim is not only to study experience, but to translate it into clear, usable strategies for policy and community action.
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PhD Candidate in Architecture and Built Environment, Queensland University of Technology, Australia
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MA in English Language Studies (Linguistics), University of Malaya, Malaysia
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Bachelor of Management (E-Commerce), Heilongjiang University, China
PhD Topic
Advancing Age-Friendly Built Environments to Support Ageing in Place in Australia
PhD research Summary
This PhD research examines how the built environment supports ageing in place in Australia. Ageing in place means older people can continue living in their own homes and communities as they grow older, rather than moving into institutional care. This study focuses on how housing, footpaths, parks, transport, and community facilities work together to shape older adults’ independence, safety, and quality of life. It uses a mixed-method approach, combining Citizen Science, Bayesian Network modelling, and participatory workshops. Citizen Science means older adults contribute their own lived experience as research data. The study aims to identify key environmental factors and their interactions, and to develop evidence-based design and policy recommendations for more age-friendly communities.