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OBJECTIVES:  To examine the relationship between characteristics of the physical environment and mobility disability in community‐living older persons.

DESIGN:   Cross‐sectional study conducted on three groups of community‐dwelling older adults.

SETTING:   Community‐dwelling older people in Seattle, Washington, and Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.

PARTICIPANTS:   Fifty‐four older adults (≥70) were recruited from two geographic sites and grouped according to level of physical function (elite, physically able, physically disabled).

MEASUREMENT:   Subjects reported on frequency of encounter versus avoidance of 24 features of the physical environment, grouped into eight dimensions, using a five‐point ordinal scale (never, rarely, sometimes, often, always). Never and rarely responses were combined and coded as not encountered or not avoided, whereas the sometimes, often or always responses were …