Singapore is currently the sixth Blue Zone on Earth and is its newest member. According to writer and researcher Dan Buettner, who popularised the phrase to describe areas of the world where people live healthier and longer lives, this is the case. Here’s all about the policies that government have implemented.
Singapore Is The 6th Blue Zone Member!
According to the reports, residents of these areas have several characteristics that contribute to their longevity, including a regular movement schedule, a reliance on plant-based diets, and a purposeful way of life. Okinawa in Japan, Sardina in Italy, Ikaria in Greece, Nicoya in Costa Rica, and Loma Linda in California are the first five Blue Zone locations.
According to the reports, Buettner refers to Singapore as a “manufactured city,” in contrast to the original five, which evolved naturally through customs and practices and managed to prosper over time. The most recent government data for 2022 states that life expectancy in Singapore is 85.2 years for women and 80.7 years for males, according to reports. According to figures from the World Bank, however, the country’s average life expectancy in 1960 was only 65 years.
The government’s recently implemented policies in the areas of housing, transportation, and hawker centres have combined to produce what Buettner refers to as a “Blue Zone 2.0” in this tiny Southeast Asian city-state.
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Records also show that more than 80 per cent of Singaporeans reside in high-rise public housing apartment buildings constructed by the Housing Development Board, also known as HDB flats. These estates were purposefully created in Singapore to promote social contact among the locals.
Real Estate Of The Country
The sources further say that each HDB estate is often made up of identical apartment buildings that have been grouped. On the estates, there are further designated social areas including playgrounds, exercise centres, and community gardens.
This implies that in addition to the highly urbanised environment, these common areas give people from different backgrounds an opportunity to interact. The Singaporean government also offers housing grants to encourage couples to purchase open-market resale apartments so they can live with or close to their parents or kids.
The government is attempting to address the issues associated with an ageing population with this plan. According to Chan Heng Chee, ambassador-at-large for Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, by 2030, 25 per cent of the country’s population, or one in four, will be older than 65.
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These homebuyers are eligible for grants of up to 30,000 Singapore dollars, which is equal to $22,000 if they reside with their parents or kids.
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