Exploring the Sustainable Retirement Village Concept in the Malaysian Context: An Initial Review

The sustainable retirement village is designed for senior citizens to enhance the quality of the living environment by providing suitable accommodation, services, and facilities which meet residents' social, economic, and environmental needs. The concept of a sustainable retirement village can be adopted in Malaysia as the population aged 65 years and older is expected to increase to 24 per cent in 2050. However, in Malaysia, the provision of the elderly home is still at the introduction phase, and the concept of a retirement village is not clear because there is no technical and legal definition. Thus, this study aimed to explore the sustainable retirement village potential practices in Malaysia. A systematic literature review analysis was conducted based on practices in Malaysia and other countries. The findings of the study indicated that independent living, age-friendly environment, affordability and location are the main concepts of the retirement village. This paper provides a basis of reference to assist various stakeholders such as the government, developers, researchers and society in understanding the concept for the development of a sustainable retirement village.