Vertical retirement villages are becoming the norm and there is a lot going for them.
Laurel and Reg Scott last year booked a casino room to watch Brisbane’s Riverfire. This year, they took the lift upstairs.
The couple joined neighbours for a barbecue on the rooftop terrace at RetireAustralia’s flagship Arcadia Retirement Living in Yeronga, 5km south of Brisbane, with the city skyline and fireworks spread out before them.
“Honestly, this year was just as good, if not better, and cheaper!” Laurel said.
It is one of the attractions of the vertical retirement village: shared space above the surrounding streets, with an occasion such as Riverfire bringing residents together.
Diane and Neil Robertson had been looking at apartments in Brisbane’s inner south when they came across Arcadia. They had not considered retirement living but found the apartment lifestyle they wanted alongside a community they had not expected.
“Once you’re here, you realise that the community is a huge attraction as well,” Diane said.
Residents can join happy hours, coffee catchups and fitness classes, or spend time in their own apartments. For Laurel, that balance matters.
“You’re not living in someone else’s pocket,” she said.
Arcadia’s facilities include a rooftop barbecue, bar and lounge. On completion, the village is planned to have more than 217 independent living apartments and a 10-suite care hub.
Vertical living is set to account for most new retirement village supply from 2027, according to the sector’s annual census.
For Arcadia’s residents, the view from the top is already making a persuasive case.