ELDERLY SPACE IN CHINATOWN : A SENSE OF BELONGING AND ATTACHMENT TO PLACE

Singapore will face a growing proportion of elderly as a result of declining birth rates. This quadruple increase by the year 2030 will have an effect on the way urban spaces are designed for the elderly, and also the understanding of how elderly people react to spaces in which they inhabit and interact. In ‘Prisoners of Space’, Graham Rowles writes about the elderly’s attachment to space as he explores the changing relationship between an older person and his environmental context. His exploration led to his concept of routine and change as expounded by sociological theories of ageing. As Singapore’s urban landscape rapidly modernizes, more considerations have to be made for spaces for the elderly, and their importance in the urban planning policies catered for continual change and renewal of Singapore’s urban landscape is not one to be undermined. The government plays a very crucial role in providing them with facilities such as elderly friendly housing. This is subject to the discretion of authorities in their perception and definition of elderly needs, which might not be truly reflective of the real needs of the elderly. The focus of study will be based mainly on the Kreta Ayer estate in Chinatown as it represents one of the areas with the largest population of elderly people in Singapore.The research methodology emphasizes on extensive fieldwork made up gathering a range of responses and reactions from the elderly people who work, live and visit Chinatown. Survey and site observations were conducted to gather information from a multi-faceted perspective in seeking to understand and fulfill the real needs of an elderly living within the community. An investigation of the spatial relationships between the elderly and their spaces will be conducted, and this aims to show how the layering of sociological theories of ageing are directly inferred and translated into the way the elderly use space. The dissertation also seeks to explain how the effect of routine and change in the sociological and spatial psychic of the elderly is directly reflected in their way of life, by their daily activities and paths, they physically map out a routine of everyday life; crafting an ‘ongoing participation in the social life of the place’ and hence contributing to the making and sustenance of place. The dissertation concludes on the way the elderly relate to their physical environments, and how they interact and inhabit spaces, prescribing a set of routines that give them a sense of belonging and attachment to the space. The implication on policy planning and recommendations for the establishment of designed elderly estates or upgrading is proposed and it is hoped to be a valuable contribution that will improve on the current living conditions of the elderly living in Kreta Ayer and beyond.

Author dc:creator

• TAN YU REN

Advisor dc:contributor.supervisor

• CHEN YU

• Architecture
• Design Track
• Chen Yu
• Attachment to place
• Chinatown
• Elderly
• Routines

Language dc:language.iso

en

Repository record dc:identifier.uri

https://scholarbank.nus.edu.sg/handle/10635/220533

OAI record oai:identifier

https://scholarbank.nus.edu.sg/oai/request?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=dim&identifier=oai%3Ascholarbank.nus.edu.sg%3A10635%2F220533