The streets of Singapore are designed for people—not just cars—with plenty of sidewalks and covered walkways. Communities are also designed so that essential services like grocery stores and coffee shops (yes, coffee is part of the longevity diet here!) are within walking distance of home. This type of condensed city design has been shown to improve the metabolic health of its residents2.
Another unique element of Singapore’s urban design is that it’s not all that urban. An abundance of nature reserves, public gardens, and parks means that 90% of the population lives within a 10-minute walk of green space. Spending time surrounded by greenery is known to combat loneliness3, dementia4, and cardiovascular disease5—three of the main threats to elders around the world.
Even one of Singapore’s main hospitals, Khoo Teck Puat, utilizes nature as a source of healing. When mindbodygreen spoke with one of the project’s architects, Jerry Ong Chin-Po, back in 2019, he shared how biophilic (nature-inspired) design helps de-institutionalize the space: fragrant native plants cover the medicinal smell, bird sounds in a central courtyard mask the whir of machines, and a rooftop garden provides patients with fresh, healthy food. These features have made the hospital a place for community members to gather, and up to 15% of visitors who come to the hospital do so for social and recreational reasons, according to one survey.
“When we first opened in 2010, it came out in the papers that the hospital was a hot spot for students to study for exams,” Chin-Po explained. “It demonstrated that the environment we created was conducive not just to patients and caregivers but the community at large… You don’t feel like you need to go there only when you have a problem.”
This project epitomizes Singapore’s approach to longevity and preventative care: By creating opportunities for movement, social interaction, and brushes with nature, Singapore offers a blueprint for anti-aging city design.
