Older Adults’ Views of the Connections between Neighbourhood Built Environment and Health in Singapore

Abstract

Increasing life expectancy in cities has heightened the urgency to understand how built environments affect the various health dimensions of the ageing population. This study explores community-dwelling older adults’ (n = 80; aged 52 and above) perceptions of the links between neighbourhood built environment and their physical, social and mental health in Singapore. Content analysis of focus group discussions reveals that Singaporean older adults associate different but overlapping built environment factors with the physical, social and mental dimensions of health. Safety, amenities, pedestrian-friendly spaces, transport infrastructure, and social and public spaces are most frequently identified with older adults’ health. In particular, safety and pedestrian-friendly spaces are considered most important to older adults’ physical health while safety and amenities are most important for social health, and aesthetics and wayfinding for mental health. These findings underscore the diversities and complexities of everchanging person-environment fit that must be considered while planning, designing and/or retrofitting neighbourhoods and outdoor spaces in high-density Asian cities.