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6 Public spaces

The Blue Court includes bright colours, many different games and seating areas, and clear wayfinding. Photos: The Centre for Liveable Cities, Ministry of National Development, Singapore

See it in action

Singapore – Blue Court project

Frequent and informal gathering spaces can serve as destinations close to home and provide opportunities for intergenerational connections. These spaces help people living with dementia maintain connections to their community and can also help people orient themselves in the neighbourhood.


Challenge: People with moderate stages of dementia can continue to navigate their daily lives and familiar neighbourhoods independently. It is important to engage people with lived experience to implement design interventions and measure the success of public spaces.

Solution overview: This design and research project engaged the local community in creative ways to understand people’s perceptions of public space and to design interventions. The research team selected two pilot sites, both under-utilized hard court public spaces in a neighbourhood with a high percentage of older adults. The resulting projects transformed the public spaces into gathering places with colourful designs and multiple activity corners.


Each court was designed to strengthen mental maps, minimize sensory overload, and integrate people living with dementia with the community. The courts offer opportunities to exercise the body and brain through fun activities, such as mobility games and gardening. The project also includes wayfinding and seating nodes that connect the two courts with the wider community.


Solution overview: This design and research project engaged the local community in creative ways to understand people’s perceptions of public space and to design interventions. The research team selected two pilot sites, both under-utilized hard court public spaces in a neighbourhood with a high percentage of older adults. The resulting projects transformed the public spaces into gathering places with colourful designs and multiple activity corners.


Each court was designed to strengthen mental maps, minimize sensory overload, and integrate people living with dementia with the community. The courts offer opportunities to exercise the body and brain through fun activities, such as mobility games and gardening. The project also includes wayfinding and seating nodes that connect the two courts with the wider community.


Relevance to the guidelines

Strategy 1.5 Open spaces

Strategy 3.1 Seating

Strategy 3.3 Placemaking


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