Enabling Village is the first-of-its-kind development in Singapore involving creation of a facility aiming to help integrate persons with disabilities into society. Completed in 2015, the project is based in a repurposed school and consists of a mix of community amenities, lifestyle retail facilities, and inclusive programming. In addition, it provides a range of services focused on disability-inclusive training and employment for persons with disabilities.

In real estate terms, the Village comprises 14,000 square metres of space featuring social service agencies, offices, socially-oriented businesses, and multi-purpose spaces that balance commercial activities with the social goal of promoting inclusion.

The project site was challenging because, at the time the former school was built, the local neighbourhood was relatively deprived, with higher than average rates of crime and unemployment. Possibly because of this, the former school compound had been designed to be inward looking, with a perimeter fence, slopes, driveway, and a car park. It was neither a very welcoming space nor well-integrated with the community.

While conditions in the neighbourhood have improved in recent years, security concerns remain, especially given that Enabling Village serves more vulnerable communities such as persons with disabilities and the elderly. However, management at Enabling Village believed that access to the repurposed facility ought to be as open as possible – the overarching aim being to foster an inclusive community that welcomed people of all abilities and boosted integration with the local neighbourhood.

This open-access policy has proved a resounding success, Security concerns have proved unfounded and local residents now commonly access the site to enjoy its green and open spaces, use it as a short cut to nearby parts of the neighbourhood, or frequent shops and cafes. The different retail offerings not only draw in the general population, but also serve to generate revenues that can fund the project’s different support services.

Design elements introduced during the repurposing were implemented at low overall cost but have been thoughtfully calculated both to serve a range of disabled users while also drawing in the public.

In general, existing buildings have been reused, with just one new building constructed (ie, the facility’s main hub, known as “The Nest”). The fencing barrier was dealt with by introducing numerous gates, and a welcoming, well-designed landscaping layout was introduced offering a number of sitting out options.

At the same time, various disability-friendly amenities were introduced. These include:

• Wheelchair access both in interior spaces and outside. This proved challenging given the undulating terrain – in particular, one hillside area was converted from an unusable space into an appealing, garden-setting amphitheatre offering wheelchair access via built-in ramps.
• Classrooms for learning new skills and job training.
• A dedicated care-giver space.
• Singapore’s first inclusive playground, serving both able-bodied and disabled children.
• A similar inclusive pre-school (now being replicated across Singapore).
• A community gym with specialised equipment.
• An assistive technology centre.

In creating the repurposed site, coordination between various government agencies (such as the Land Transport Authority and the Urban Land Authority) was facilitated by government support that allowed it to expedite official decision-making processes. This has meant, for example, that provision of safer access linking Enabling Village to the local mass rail transit station and other transport nodes.

In terms of replicability, Singapore’s slowing population growth has left the city with an older demographic, fewer children, and lower demand for school places. Instead of tearing down disused schools, however, facilities like Enabling Village offer an opportunity to repurpose what are often centrally-located sites for socially useful purposes. Already, similar projects are now underway to convert two other disused Singaporean schools.

As one juror commented: “The idea of repurposing schools can also be applied in other countries, not only those with aging populations, but also because the way kids will be taught in future may change because of COVID – so there may be more schools that become obsolete and be available for repurposing.”

View all thirteen winners for the 2022 ULI Asia Pacific Awards for Excellence.