TRANSFORMING SINGAPORE’S PARKS TO BE MORE SENIOR-FRIENDLY

Abstract

Recently, the Singapore Government introduced a new strategy – Healthier SG, as part of Singapore’s measures to tackle issues relating to an ageing society. As individuals grow older, there is a tendency for them to fall sick more easily and therefore the new strategy aims to focus on prevention in order to alleviate the burden on the country’s healthcare system. One of the factors under the umbrella of preventive care is staying healthy. There is substantial evidence in extant literature that denotes links between environmental attributes and their influence on older adults’ health and activity participation. Therefore, outdoor spaces need to be able to provide a senior-friendly environment with little to no barriers so that older adults may be more encouraged to spend more time outdoors. In Singapore, parks are one of the neighbourhood outdoor spaces that hold potential for an active ageing environment given the various benefits parks can bring and their proximity to residential areas. At present, there is a lack of studies on the senior-friendliness of parks and their potential as a platform for active ageing activities. Thus, this study seeks to analyse the senior-friendliness of parks in Singapore by evaluating current initiatives at the park and understanding older park users’ experience and their needs. A survey questionnaire was conducted at six different parks in Singapore, with a total of 120 responses collected. In addition, an interview was conducted with staff from an active ageing hub and the Environmental Audit Toolkit from the Innovative Planning and Design of Age-friendly Neighbourhoods in Singapore study was utilised. The responses from the survey questionnaire provide an understanding of the park experience from an older adult’s point of view as well as some key concerns that older adults faced in their park use. A thorough analysis of the responses revealed that in general, older adults are satisfied with the condition and environment of the parks for their usage and that they are open to more therapeutic gardens (an initiative evaluated in this study) at the parks in Singapore. The interview elicited insights into park programming. To tackle the issues raised in the survey questionnaire, this study has also proposed a few recommendations. This study seeks to enliven the active ageing lifestyle through the creation of a senior-friendly and supportive environment at the parks in Singapore. With the shifting demographic structure, the creation of age-friendly neighbourhood spaces becomes even more pertinent and is an influential aspect of the healthy ageing process. However, to integrate elements that are senior-friendly into the park design, it is essential to seek the views of older adults and gain an understanding of their experiences.