Hawker Centres: A Social Space Approach to Promoting Community Wellbeing

Abstract

This article sets out to examine how the use of social spaces, namely hawker centres, has contributed to community wellbeing during the Covid-19 pandemic. Using an extensive thematic analysis of online conversations, we have identified that the use of social spaces can have a positive influence on individual, relational and social wellbeing. Access to social spaces during stressful events contributes to the feeling of normalcy, supports routines and structured activities, encourages responsible behaviours, facilitates social connectedness, and helps maintain community resilience. We present a new framework for urban social space characterisation containing three dimensions: coaction, copresence, and colocation (the three Cs). Here, coaction is associated with better visibility of community practices, copresence enhances the sense of connectedness, and colocation is concerned with the use of spatial design factors for influencing movement and interactions. The framework is central to our understanding of social space and its impact on wellbeing. Underpinning the three Cs is the notion of the integration of policy, community wellbeing, and various urban agendas. The findings were considered in terms of their relevance for social space development in Singapore.

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“…For example, urban design builds pedestrian access to promote human interactions and create venues to facilitate in-person meetings [6]. Hawker Center in Singapore serves not just as a dining place but as a vibrant community hub that promotes social connectedness and well-being [23]. These spaces become integral to community resilience, especially during stressful events like the COVID-19 pandemic, by maintaining a sense of normalcy and encouraging responsible behaviors.…”