Distinguished guests

Ladies & Gentlemen

I am delighted to join you at this event to acknowledge and support community-friendly developments, and to increase awareness on how important design can be in improving the quality of living in the community.

Why the Need – Scenarios and Challenges Ahead

2. Community-friendly, or barrier-free, developments are increasingly relevant to Singapore, as we expect the number of people with mobility difficulties to increase over the years. The key driving forces behind this expected increase are the proportion of a growing population who use the wheelchair as a result of medical conditions and accidents, and the rate of aging of the population itself.

3. Today, 7% of our population is 65 years of age or older. This segment will increase significantly with the ageing of the baby boomers and increasing life expectancy. By 2030, it may reach 19%. Many of us will be part of this group by then. Improving the design and provision of barrier-free accessibility will directly cater to the needs of all who face mobility challenges.

The Efforts so Far

4. Over the years, we have improved barrier-free accessibility considerably.

5. Since 1990, new buildings and existing ones that undergo major renovation must comply with the Code on Barrier-Free Accessibility in Buildings. The Code is also regularly reviewed.

6. The result of these efforts has been an increase in the number of and facilities, such as accessible entrances, toilets, car parks and lifts that are wheelchair-friendly. This points to growing awareness and understanding in our society of the needs of persons with accessibility difficulties. For this, I would like to commend SIA and HWA for your role in helping to promote these changes.

7. I would like now to update you on certain developments.

8. First, I am pleased to inform you that the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) will be leading another review of the Code later this year, and I hope you can continue to partner us in this important journey.

9. Second, following the recommendations of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on the Ageing Population (IMCAP) in support of “Aging in Place”, a Committee on Aging (CAI), was formed in Nov 2004 to bring about collaboration among stakeholder groups from the private, people and public sectors.

10. The CAI is formulating an Eldercare Master Plan, and my Ministry is leading a Workgroup on “Ageing in Place”. The Workgroup will focus on better ways of bring about an elderly-friendly physical environment in our neighborhoods to facilitate the daily movement of the elderly.

11. One way to do this is to have seamless and barrier-free connection between buildings. This will benefit all who are using wheelchairs to get around. The current Code on Barrier-Free Accessibility in Buildings applies to the approach to a building and the spaces within the building. As part of the Code’s review, BCA will explore ways to enhance inter-connectivity between buildings.

12. Third, to further improve connectivity between different modes of infrastructure, such as providing barrier-free access features starting from lift-landings to footpaths that lead to car-parks, bus-stops, MRT stations, shops or markets, HDB and BCA have set up an inter-agency workgroup comprising government agencies, professional associations and VWOs to coordinate efforts to eliminate mobility barriers at the interfaces of infrastructure. I am happy to know that SIA and HWA have agreed to contribute to this work.

Concept of Universal Design and Community-Friendliness

13. I should add that in promoting barrier-free accessibility, we should indeed think beyond the needs of the wheelchair-dependent, and as far as possible consider how design can concurrently benefit the overall community. For instance, facilities that enhance the mobility of wheelchair users can also help parents pushing their baby prams. Hence, we will encourage universality in building and environment design, so that the facilities can be of general utility.
In this regard, we will work with industry to develop a practice guide on Universal Design. We will also work with tertiary institutions to incorporate Universal Design into their architectural and engineering programmes. This will reduce downstream barrier issues, and save us from costly retrofitting or reworking subsequently.

Everyone has a part to play

14. As you can see, there are many ways for us to move forward on this subject, and that the Government is committed to improvement in this area. But the Government cannot do it alone. To achieve the vision, all stakeholders must play their part.

15. And many are already doing so. I commend our architects, designers and allied professionals for their contributions toward the use of Universal Design in their projects and the spaces around those projects.

16. I also congratulate all winners and participants in the SIA-HWA Design Award, for your efforts and value-adding to this endeavour. SIA and HWA have been very gracious hosts for this Award and Seminar and deserves our appreciation.

17. I hope you will enjoy the seminar, and benefit from a better understanding of this subject.

18. Thank you.

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