In recent years, the construction of cognitive-friendly communities has become a new issue in the context of an aging society and the concept of "people-oriented" urban development. This paper sorts out the theory and significance of cognitivefriendly communities. It also explores the group attributes, behavioural characteristics and environmental needs of cognitively impaired groups. Based on this, the paper discusses the construction of cognitive-friendly communities in terms of physical environment (safe wayfinding, environmental stimulation, need satisfaction) and social environment (social capital, social identity) through reviewing the existing studies. Finally, in view of the limitations of existing studies, the following research and practice outlooks are proposed for the future construction of cognitive-friendly communities: 1) dissecting the needs and preferences of cognitively impaired groups; 2) exploring the categories of stimuli and the mechanisms of environmental factors; 3) quantitatively analyzing the utility of environmental influences; 4) constructing a cognitive-friendly community assessment system. This research can provide scientific theoretical support for building cognitive-friendly communities.

cognitive impairment group  /  cognitive-friendly community  /  physical environment  /  social environment