Abstract
Population ageing and urbanization are two global trends that together comprise major forces shaping the 21st century. Cities are growing and their share of residents aged 60 years and more is increasing. Urban areas have already started experiencing the issue of providing services and infrastructure to support their ageing residents’ wellbeing and necessities. In practical terms, an age-friendly city adapts its structures and services to be accessible to and inclusive of older people with varying needs and capacities. However, the aging global population is also a major concern for economists and policy makers since it has numerous global economic and financial implications affecting economic growth, health care costs, and social support systems. In Singapore, the number of elderly aged 65 and over is almost matching that of youths aged 14 and below. The proportion of eldering residents aged 65 years and over among resident population has seen a 6% increase over the last decade from 8.8% in 2009 to 14.4% in 2019 (Singapore Department of Statistics, 2019). While life expectancy will rise further over the next decades, fertility rate has been gradually declining. Thus, making Singapore more senior-friendly has become a necessary and logical response to keep the city vibrant and active and to promote the wellbeing of its older urban residents without affecting its economic growth (Bozovic-Stamenovic, 2015). An example of this effort is offered by the Kampung Admiralty (KA) integrated retirement community project. KA is Singapore’s first age-friendly public development and combines a variety of uses and activities specifically tailored for the needs of an ageing population. However, while KA and few other ageing-related initiatives have been implemented in the city, little is known about their real effectiveness in promoting social inclusiveness and physical wellbeing among the seniors. The study therefore aims to develop a qualitative and quantitative index termed the Silver Population Wellbeing Index (SPWI) to assess the well-being of seniors vis-à-vis the performance of residential age-friendly buildings. The index will include metrics to assess the social and physical wellbeing of the residents at KA as well as their attachment to place and the meaning of home. Methodologically, this seed project will first review relevant literature on existing aging wellbeing indexes to define the best indicators and criteria to be included in the SPWI. The proposed index would be used to assess and evaluate the well-being of seniors vis-à-vis the performance of Kampung Admiralty (KA) with a more traditional HDB estate (Aljunied Housing Board Development Estate, AHBDE) through a post-occupancy evaluation. We will collect feedback from a representative sample of residents from KA and AHBDE through semi-structured interviews, workshops, systematic observations and a walking tour assessment to reflect on the functional, social and perceptual attributes of the two estates. This pilot study seeks to evaluate the suitability of design practices to meet the needs of an ageing population retirement community project. In doing so, it initiates a conversation on innovative urban planning and design to find new solutions and creative ideas to population ageing in Singapore. The findings can contribute to public housing projects in tropical Australia, and Southeast Asia. In a fast ageing world, this research will help in building capacity and design thinking by engaging with industry and bridging academic knowledge and real-world planning and design endeavours.
