AB044. Healthy ageing and socio-physical environments: re-designing high-rise housing estates in compact Hong Kong

Background: The paper aligns with WHO’s call for concerted global actions to achieve healthy aging. It aims to provide sustainable physical and social environments to enable healthy ageing by investigating and enhancing the contribution of mixed age high-rise housing estates of compact cities like Hong Kong and by recommending more socially sustainable estate planning, design and management principles and practices.

Methods: Applying the concept of social sustainability of housing, data were collected from a questionnaire survey of 600 residents living in eight different and mixed-age high-rise housing estates. Chi-square test and ANOVA identified how the use of and satisfaction with the estate facilities differ across different age groups. Multiple linear regression analyses examined whether and how people’s use of and satisfaction with the facilities/services were associated with perceived social and realistic physical environments.

Results: The use and assessment of housing estate facilities were similar across all age groups except the use of recreation facilities and restaurants. Residents who commended neighbourliness usually perceived open space as helpful in facilitating neighbor interaction, liked natural features, felt safer with more residents around, and complimented the quality and accessibility of community facilities. Residents who felt safe were those who found the management office supportive and helpful, public facilities good and accessible, and natural green features provided in their estate. Residents who felt unsafe with outsiders using the shopping centres opined their housing estates possessed special character.

Conclusions: The physical and social environments of high-rise housing estates help facilitate healthy ageing, particularly for sustaining functional ability and mental wellbeing. Estate planning and design must prioritise the quantitative and qualitative provision of open space, natural features, accessibility and quality of community facilities for nurturing neighbourliness, not only meeting daily needs. Apart from maintaining physical estate quality, estate management must also prioritise residents’ sense of safety and supportiveness.

Keywords: Healthy ageing; high-rise estates; socio-physical environment, estate planning/design