Designing an Age-Friendly Singapore: Urban Planning for an Ageing Population

Singapore is getting older. That change raises questions about more than healthcare. It also affects the homes people live in, the neighbourhoods around them and the way they move through the city.

Designing an Age-Friendly Singapore looks at ageing through the lens of urban planning. It considers how the built environment can support older residents in their everyday lives, from housing and public transport to walkability, public spaces and community facilities.

The book looks at Singapore’s existing approach to planning and considers how neighbourhoods can adapt as the population changes. It explores the idea of ageing in place, the importance of accessible everyday environments and the role that different parts of a neighbourhood can play in helping people remain independent and connected.

Singapore already has many of the foundations needed to respond to an ageing population. Its public housing system, transport network, planned neighbourhoods and extensive green spaces provide a starting point. The challenge is making these elements work well together as the needs of residents change.

Using Singapore as its main case study, this book brings together research, policy documents and existing literature to examine what an age-friendly city requires and where Singapore could go next.

It is a short introduction to the relationship between ageing and urban planning, written for students, readers interested in cities and anyone curious about how the places we live in shape everyday life.