A Study of Older Adults’ Perception of High-Density Housing Neighbourhoods in Singapore: Multi-Sensory Perspective

Abstract

Associated sensory and cognitive declines progress with ageing and profoundly impact the daily living and quality of life of older adults. In the context of an increased ageing population globally, this paper outlines an exploratory study of socio-sensory properties of two high-density housing neighbourhoods in Singapore and the ways senior local residents perceive their familiar built environments. This study employed exploratory on-site exercises with 44 student researchers (including sensory photo-journeys, documentation of sensory properties and daily activity patterns), and 301 socio-perceptual surveys with local residents, the majority of whom were older adults. The findings reveal important aspects related to sensory assessment and appreciation (e.g., crowdedness, noise, smell, cleanliness), walking experience (e.g., safety, wayfinding) and overall satisfaction with the neighbourhood (e.g., available public amenities, opportunities for inter-generational bonding), some of which correlated with age and reported health condition. Multi-sensory assessment shows the capacity to inform more integrated, empathetic, ability-building and context-specific ageing-friendly neighbourhood design.

Evaluation of Spatial Pressure in High Density Residential Areas

“…Previous studies have proved that there is no significant difference between using photos to replace landscapes as the evaluation of the space [15,16], and using photos even has advantages of high efficiency and cost savings and the ability to compare and evaluate multiple spaces at the same time. This method has been widely used in related research [17][18][19][20].…”

Sustainable Renewal Strategies for Older Communities from the Perspective of Living Experience

“…Zdravko Trivic conducted a multisensory assessment of older people in a high-density residential area and found that the sensory richness of the community influences the daily behaviour of older residents and ultimately residential well-being, and that the findings provide sufficient information to support the redesign of the community [24].…”