Reconceptualising the mobility capital model in an urban, car-lite, Asian context: A photovoice study of three Singaporean communities

Introduction Older adults are more mobile than ever as they age in place. However, functional decline typically increases with age. This can significantly affect older adults' mobility, making it harder for them to get around the community as they wish. Musselwhite and Scott's (2019) Mobility Capital Model focuses on how infrastructure, social, cultural and individual capital contributes resources older adults need to maintain mobility without a car. Yet this model remains underexplored, especially in Asian contexts. Therefore, the aim of this article is to explore Musselwhite and Scott's model of mobility capital in the context of Singapore. Methods and context This article focuses on photovoice and focus-group discussions with participants from three unique contexts in Singapore: A touristic, but still residential and commercial area, a residential satellite town and a residential, green area. Results Using applied thematic analysis, we found that the data mostly corresponded with the Mobility Capital Model. However, the use of the Mobility Capital Model helped to accentuate some key characteristics in the Singapore context that foregrounded how social, cultural and individual capital often were driving forces in how mobile older adults were, while infrastructure played a crucial, but background role. The data illustrates that when infrastructure is mostly sufficient, other capitals gain prominence for older adults living in the community. Conclusion Ultimately, our article underscores the utility of the Mobility Capital Model, while also proposing a more milieu-based perspective that spotlights the holistic nature of mobility capital, especially in well-connected, urbanised contexts like Singapore.