The URA visit extends the learning perspective from the administration of social risks to the conditions that influence when and where these risks arise. Singapore’s long-term planning approach provides an opportunity to examine how housing, mobility, public infrastructure, economic development and quality of life are considered within a common strategic framework.

For the German delegation, the key question is how demographic and spatial information can be used to anticipate future needs. This includes the location and accessibility of healthcare facilities, care services, community support, age-friendly housing, public transport and other infrastructure relevant to an ageing population.

The discussion will also examine how different authorities align their plans over long time horizons. Relevant topics include the allocation of responsibilities, the coordination of infrastructure investment, the use of common planning assumptions and the management of dependencies between land use and public-service capacity.

Smart-city technology should be considered as an enabling instrument rather than an objective in itself. The visit should therefore focus on measurable public value: shorter distances to services, better accessibility, more resilient infrastructure, greater independence for older people and improved opportunities for social participation.

German social security institutions do not determine urban land-use policy. They do, however, possess extensive aggregated information on illness, rehabilitation, care needs, occupational health and regional service gaps. The visit can therefore provide an impulse for stronger cooperation between social security institutions, municipalities, healthcare planners and regional authorities. The transferable lesson is not Singapore’s planning law, but its long-term, cross-agency and data-informed approach to infrastructure and prevention.