29.0 Best Retirement Villages are our Small Urban Areas!

With the rising aging population of "Baby Boomers"  around the world and the high cost of living, people of developed countries are constantly looking for alternative places to retire and live the "Golden Years" of their lives.  The western model of retirement villages which are low density developments sprawling among a golf course in a location with cheap land seems to be an obsolete and flawed model, but something I constantly hear being talked about all over Asia. Certainly there must be a better model and perhaps only in the west are places so specifically labeled, "Retirement Villages" and hence the only models being studied.  Instead the question should be asked,  "What is the most suitable environment to live in retirement?"

Typical American Sprawling Retirement Typology  (300m yellow line scale)

So let's see how we can best answer the question, "what is the best environment (ecosystem) to live in for the elderly?"

Could it be that some of our current urban environments are ideal places for elderly to live in retirement?  We would make a case that the following requirements / priorities would indicate urban environments can be ideal.

1.  Convenience and variety of amenities at your door step - Yes most "retirement villages" claim to have these and yes most offer a good variety.  Gym, pool, recreation room, dining, library, gardens, clinic, convenience store, laundry service, etc.     

2.  Access to good public transport - Most "retirement village" are only accessible by car and are not catering for elderly who can still move around freely without their own private cars.

3.  Places to meet people and interact - Yes with the abundance of public spaces you can always interact with your fellow residents, but with the exception of employees of the property you will rarely have outsiders to interact with.

4.  Spaces where people of all ages can meet them and feel comfortable - Designed to cater to primarily residents and being suburban locations, they generally are not comfortable for all people to can and visit for long periods. 

5.  Green spaces for exercise and fresh air - Yes most have nice and extensive gardens and courtyards that are pleasant, but the interaction will be primarily with the same people as  in other public spaces. 

6.  Small living units easy to maintain - Yes living spaces being specifically for elderly usually appropriately sized and service for the units are available

7.  Economical units affordable for fixed incomes -  Most American models of the retirement villages are probably targeted at the middle to upper income retirees.

8.  Access to medical facilities - Most retirement villages will have some sort of on site clinic or doctor.

In searching the internet for retirement living in the USA, it is not surprising that one of the sub headings is Great College Towns for Retirement.  If we think about it for a moment the desired characteristics of College Towns are really almost the same as the ideal retirement environment!  If you looked at the list above, you can see the list applies equally to both!  Most of these college towns are basically small scale urban centers!  The other places that tend to meet most of the characteristics especially in the USA are the numerous older original "Chinatowns", mostly parts of urban areas with a diverse mix of uses and you can see by the abundance of elderly always hanging out and walking around clearly a desirable life style for retirees, but also people of all ages!

Westwood Village adjacent to University of California Los Angeles (UCLA)
(photo by Michale L Jiroch)

San Francisco Chinatown Public Plaza

Singapore Chinatown a popular hang out for the elderly

Another type of place that you can most often find elderly are in beach towns, which is not surprising since one of the key factors is for beach town and for the elderly like wise is the warm climates.  Places like Southern California,  Waikiki in Hawaii and Patong Beach in Phuket are a few places that immediately come to mind as great places for the elderly both as local residents or tourists. Not only do these small urban areas usually have a great mix of commercial activities and services, they have the added healthy recreation of the beach! These locations tend to be retirement place for the more economically well off, but someone from North America might find living in Patong Beach in Phuket may be very affordable! 

Southern California Beach Cities

In the case of Singapore, the typical small urban government built HDB Centers are another such example of ideal environments for living in retirement.  Lets take a look at one such example, Clementi Town Center.

Clementi HDB Town Center, Singapore

The HDB Town Centers all posses the similar characteristics as the eight I have listed above.  In fact in most of the town centers there is always an abundance of elderly out walking around, shopping, socializing, etc.  These are not just great places for elderly but families in general and that's why it is a place where families will enjoy to spend time with and visit their elderly relative with a meal in the local hawker center or coffee shop or a little shopping. 

Clementi Town Center, Singapore
New Highrise Apartments above mall / bus terminal next to MRT Station

Clementi Town Center, Singapore
Apartments above retail fronting pedestrian mall.

Clementi Town Center, Singapore
Hawker Center along Pedestrian Mall a key social amenity.

As the old cliche of property value goes location, location, location! So what further would make these environments ideal for retirement living? Certainly as locations, all the physical features and amenities seem to be in place so what more can be required?  Going back to our earlier list numbers 6. Small living units easy to maintain and 7. Economical units affordable for fixed incomes.  

These places would ideally have a variety of living unit sizes both from studios for singles or couples, especially the elderly to full family units of 3 to 4 bedrooms.  So another added twist that would make these locations even more attractive for retirement is if the larger units could have the flexibility what  a "granny unit" has in the older house of America and what is now referred to in Singapore as "dual key units".  (see our earlier article 3.0 The “Granny Unit” transformed in Condominiums)

In the case of developed countries like Singapore where retirement funds/savings are fairly well organized, it is possible there will be a good sum put away for retirement, but not necessarily totally sufficient.  Living in a small urban center with everything in walking distance also make part time employment easily accessible.  

A "dual key unit" can do even one better that is, give passive income in retirement in a location which is suitable for the elderly to enjoy, are familiar with and already has strong social ties from early in life.  See more details of the full life cycle of the dual key units and how it applies in retirement.  (see our earlier article 3.0 The “Granny Unit” transformed in Condominiums).  

In conclusion and particularly for myself Small Urban Areas are not only ideal living environments for retirement but anytime in your life, whether its during university, as a young adult, to raise a family or in retirement.  Further more if unit types can cater to the full life cycle and allow flexibility for both privacy and community and unlock asset value by adding valuable cash flow at various stages of your life all the better!  

The other question I would ask is, why would anyone want to live in a "Retirement Village"?

Jiwa Studio, Singapore 

April 2014