Fit Uncle Healthy Aunty

We are a group of undergraduate students from SUTD interested in mapping active retirees carrying out self-initiated activities in Singapore's parks CLICK ON ARCHIVE TO BROWSE OLD POSTS QUICKLY

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Final Exhibition!

By Tracy Tan

As a conclusion to our Social Architecture: Theory and Practice course, we held an exhibition to showcase our findings on active ageing in parks. We chose to represent our findings in a conceptual model, supplemented by poster boards. The conceptual model showed the interesting spaces we noted on our trips to the different parks and also the human behaviour of elderly that went to these parks. 

Here are some photos! 

YAY TO TERM BREAK :-) 

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Activity Mapping of the Bedok Precinct

by Audrey Chin

Last week’s study of the Bedok area gave us a good idea of how different spaces within a precinct can be utilized for all sorts of activity. To understand the full picture our group decided to head down to Bedok once again to map out informal exercise activities that occurs within the entire area.

We wanted the community to be more involved in our mapping process. As such, we designed a map that would allow residents to easily pinpoint their location. This is done by naming the major roads, as well as creating icons of landmarks that can be found in Bedok (shopping malls, schools, stadium, swimming complex, church, mosques, etc.) The map was also printed on large A2 paper to allow the elderly to better read it.

The idea was to allow residents to paste stickers to mark their exercise spots, and then note down the time that they usually show up for exercises.

While it is easy to note the large green spaces that can be found on the map, smaller precinct spaces will not be discovered until we walk the ground and see it ourselves. It is also part of our objective to note down such precinct spaces and put them on our map. This information can then be put out there in the web and allow the public to better identify spaces which they might want to use for their exercises.

This is the printed out map with the various stickers and notes.

Red represents individuals.

Blue represents group exercises.

White (not visible here lol) represents unused open spaces..

The first type of space + activity we observed was this mass exercise session held at the Bedok Stadium. Because of the sheer number of people, it only make sense that the activity is conducted at this huge field.

The next type of activity we observed was people utilizing the tiny pots of fitness corner scattered all over the precinct. One old lady commented that she would only use the older fitness corner because the newer ones were too complicated and she didn't know how to use them.

Another lady commented that she wished that there were more of such fitness corners because sometimes there wasn’t enough. However, we spotted many other fitness corners that were not utilised.

On many previous site observations, we have noted that people tend to use spaces not designated for exercises (void decks, open field, shaded pathways). This trip was no different, this old lady was using the sheltered walkway to do her daily morning exercise (she was just walking up and down). It is interesting to observe such activity, and that this walkway was preferred to a small little park that was less than a minute away.

Right smack in the middle of Kakit Bukit Green was a relatively large precinct park and this is where a high concentration of exercises took place. There were dancing groups, tai chi groups, people using some instrument to hit various parts of their bodies, people taking a stroll down the pebble paths etc.

Official government bodies / orgainisation have probably realized the potential of (not just small precinct parks) the entire precinct space being a facilitator for informal exercise. Here, a walking route around the neighborhood is being mapped out, encouraging people to take this particular path to keep fit and healthy. 

Exercise tips can be seen posted along the suggested exercise route.

There was also a pop up exhibition at Bedok central, encouraging people to exercise by spreading knowledge of the benefits of exercising and staying active. While this is a government initiative, the informal nature of it (here for a day, gone the next) does have its effectiveness as well.

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Marine Parade - A unique identity

By Tracy Tan

Marine Parade is a estate with rich history and also the highest number of elderly residents aged 65 and above in Singapore, according to the Department of Statistics in 2012. Marine Parade used to be just by the coast and most of it lies on reclaimed land. I did a visit to explore the spaces and facilities that are provided for elderly residents there and to assess if these were  highly frequented spaces. 

These are the precincts in Marine Parade. Before I went down, I realized that there were few green park spaces; most common areas were plazas, playgrounds and fitness corners. 

I started my walk from Block 1 Marine Terrace where immediately I was greeted by the first of many playgrounds in this estate. There were a few elderly doing exercises but I observed that more people were crossing the overhead bridge over to East Coast Park. 

This was one of the few things I enjoyed during my walk - the themed playgrounds. This first one was a dinosaur themed playground with the pebble path (commonly used by elderly to massage their bare feet). I saw more children and parents rather than elderly using these facilities. Nonetheless, it was a unique common space. 

This fitness corner is surrounded by several blocks and its location can be considered to be at the heart of this precinct. Yet, it was empty and I guess this may be either because it was not well shaded (see photo directly above), or that these exercise equipment may not be well liked by elderly residents here. Such a prime location but yet an underwhelming response and use of this site.

The market was where all the activity was at on this Sunday morning. I found interesting that this pebble path was incorporated into the market space, possibly to encourage elderly to use it when they visit the market. It also has a shape resembling seaweed which is very apt for a coastal estate that Marine Parade is. However, despite these wonderful facilities being provided, I realized that nobody was using it for its purpose, and elderly were more likely to sit on the benches in the shade instead.

The two pictures above show ample public spaces meant for use as community gathering spaces but I only saw one middle aged man under this pavilion. The surrounding blocks look down onto this central space, forming a shared view for everyone who lives around this space. A space is always underwhelmed without the activities that are meant to take place in it. 

I think Marine Parade has a distinct identity and these little spaces bring out the character of this estate. The little details such as wave-like railings and wave-like walkway roofs and floor patterns make this estate an enjoyable one to walk through. 

Above, we have an outdoor amphitheater of sorts. It has a wonderful view of the blocks lined up in rows and is rather shady on a weekend morning - perfect for exercise. But once again, nobody was around :( 

Another sheltered pavilion with a cool canopy but nobody again

FINALLY, ONE UNCLE EXERCISING! He was alone and blasted loud chinese music while he used the equipment that was provided in this fitness corner. This was located at the outskirts of the estate so it was not a central space with blocks surrounding it. Perhaps since it was quieter and more private, the uncle chose to do his exercise here. 

The blocks closer to Marine Parade CC are arranged more in a parallel slab block layout. Thus, there are many long green spaces between blocks. This one here is a large grass patch with large trees which can become an interesting precinct park. 

Perhaps it was just too hot for exercise.. 

Another pebble pathway designed for elderly but I haven’t actually seen a single elderly using it in my life. 

A F T E R   T H O U G H T S

I think that the government and town council has done a marvelous job at creating an identity for Marine Parade and providing ample common spaces for the ageing community here. However, evidently, these spaces are not used on a supposed ‘peak hour’ on a weekend morning. The possible reasons for these observations could be:

1. It was too hot (32 degrees in the morning at 8am??!)

2. Spaces with blocks onlooking could be too public such that it may discourage elderly from bringing their radios to blast loud music while they exercise. They may wish to shy away from the public eye. (as observed from solo uncle at a quieter exercise corner)

3. The equipment may be too “man made”. I gather from previous site visits in larger parks that elderly frequent spaces where nature is lush and trees and plants create the landscape. In a housing precinct, common spaces are often very man made -- the disconnect from nature is very apparent and this may thus discourage elderly from choosing these spaces if they can simply walk over to ECP. 

4. There is probably little neighbourliness when it comes to exercise. When planning a space for group exercise activities, there needs to be 2 things: 1. the space and 2. self-initiative by individuals/groups to start exercising. In this case, I saw that there were definitely ample spaces, so perhaps the lack of neighbourliness was the reason why people keep to themselves and decide not to exercise in their housing estate. That being said, the market at Marine Terrace, is overflowing with neighbourliness. I observed strangers bonding over table space and food. Wouldn’t it be great if this friendliness from the market could take a step further and turn into regular exercise groups? 

Moving forward, I think it would be interesting to get residents from the market to imagine what their ideal precinct community spaces should be like. Can’t wait to go back again next week! 

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Active Aging in Bedok

by Audrey Chin

Bedok is a mature estate with the second highest number of elderly. We set off on a morning walk to find out how people, especially the elderly utilize the precinct spaces around them

7:30 am, and the area atop Garden Hill Park was filled with many going about their morning routine. No groups could be spotted.

I interviewed this lady, who told me that she chose this park because she lived nearby. Even though she was alone today, she did mention that she sometimes exercise with acquaintance she met at the park on other days. There would be days where there could be up to five people exercising together.

While there isn’t a fixed group, activity nor timing, it is heartening to know that precinct park is a space that could facilitate the gathering of strangers who then meet up time and again.

This elderly stressed the importance of trees in making the park a great space for exercise. He frequents the park on a weekly basis,  after he drops his son off at a tuition center nearby. When ask if he prefers to exercise alone instead of with a larger group, he stated that the timing at which those larger groups ‘with all the housewives’ aren’t suitable for him as he would have to work. He prefers exercising in his own time whenever he feels like it.

It seems that the choice of parks are more often than not due to convenience than specific activities that takes place there.

A Vietnamese man we encountered on our way home was exercising alone at the huge field behind Bedok Swimming Complex. Though there is a small precinct park right where he lives, he prefers the vast open space that this field provide.

We spotted a group of elderly doing tai ji on the path behind the swimming complex. While not officially a park per se, they have adopted this small little shaded corner because it suited their activity just fine. We interviewed a guy and asked him why he chose this particular area, and he cited that the teacher taught here, therefore this is where they congregate.

Bedok Adventure Park was another larger park that was located near the town center. Unfortunately, it has been turned into yet another development.

Afterthoughts

Informal groups don’t need fancy spaces, manicured gardens or any sort of frills. There are many nooks and cranny within a town that allows for such spontaneous activity to sprout and take place. The convenience, the presence of greenery and shade, which can be found in abundance in most Singapore towns, is the only thing that’s required for people to start exercising and be active.

Unless one is awake and adventurous to explore our neighborhood at 7am on a weekend morning, these activities remain unknown to many.

Some elderly who may be keen to start such activities may also not know where to begin searching.

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{Snippets}

Well isn’t this another splendid way to age actively? :)

With recent local news highlighting the void deck’s contentious role in our society today, i.e. Railings to prevent soccer, the RCs at Toa Payoh, and the chess saga along the corridor at Haig Road, it is extremely heartening to see retirees such as Mdm Chen and Mr Ye doing their little bit to preserve neighbourliness in Singapore’s housing precincts. Will acts like this influence authorities to protect the void deck? Will acts like these even continue with the younger generation?

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MacRitchie Morning

By Tracy Tan

While visiting MacRitchie this morning not on an intended “site visit”, I happened to see some elderly uncles doing taiji under a big tree. I didn’t manage to go over and talk to them but they look like an independent group of friends, unlike those large groups we saw over at Botanic Gardens, Bishan AMK park and ECP. However, one thing to note is that this is a dedicated exercise spot as this deck was seem to be architecturally programmed for community activities such as small group exercises. Here, people seem to use the spaces quite well because it is relatively well designed. 

Apart from the wooden deck and the pond, there are various sheltered pavilions, a large green grass patch, wheelchair friendly ramps, and lush landscaping. These may be components that attribute to a good garden public space. 

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Pasir Ris Park

By Evelyn Yeo

I entered Pasir Ris Park via the entrance at car park C, which leads to the main bulk of Pasir Ris Park. The first group I saw upon entering were not elderly, but a group of 4 middle aged women and an instructor.

They were doing slightly more intense workouts, including drills and ball passing. Further in was a group of bird watchers. Bird watching is actually a very common activity in Pasir Ris Park, being a coastal area with mangroves dotting the area. No matter what time of the year you visit, you will definitely see groups of birdwatchers with their professional cameras waiting around. (I even saw a blue kingfisher)

Behind them was the first group of elderly spotted, a group of 4 practicing qi gong.

At the viewing plaza was a much larger group of about 15 practicing taichi.

They enjoyed coming to Pasir Ris Park for its fresh sea breeze and calmness. Being less popular, the park is less crowded and much quieter.

Another group practicing the sword in a skating ring.

The most interesting activity I witnessed however, was a large group of middle aged to 50s men and women doing aerobics.

The instructor was leading with moves following K-pop music. The music was more upbeat and fast paced, resulting in the workout being more intense than usual. It was not something I have witnessed before and it was nice to see the older generation enjoying the same music as the younger generation in their own way.

Pasir Ris Park is a very open spaced and lush park, where anyone can pick any random spot and turn it into an activity space.The park does not have specific designated spots for activities, and you can do almost any activity here from taichi to camping to bird watching and even fishing. It feels like rather than the spaces decide the activity, the activities are the ones creating formal spaces.

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Community Organisation for North-ies

By Au Cheuk Yee

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Bishan - AMK Park

By Au Cheuk Yee

We have been analyzing different scales of parks in Singapore and Bishan - Ang Mo Kio Park is considered one of the largest urban parks in Singapore. 

There are actually a lot more elderly frequenting the park compared to Botanic Gardens. In Botanic Gardens, the elderly tend to congregate in certain spaces in the large park, however for Bishan - AMK Park, active ageing activities are more evenly spread out throughout the whole park. 

1

I arrived at this area at 6.20am, with no expectation to see anybody in the park. I was pleasantly surprised by this group of women and men alike in their 60s and 70s doing warm ups and voice exercises. This space is convenient as it was located right next to a carpark, yet far enough from the road to avoid noise pollution. It was organised by a community organisation based in Bishan - AMK park. From their facebook page, they do not only cater to the elderly, but for the wellbeing and community spirit for the Bishan and Ang Mo Kio community. 

2 

A unique thing to note is that these women are not doing morning exercises in a space, but along a path. 

3

A few women were chatting before doing some stretching together. This is a more informal space, presumably frequented by elderly who live nearby. There is a toilet right beside this fenced space which makes it popular with visitors. 

4 

This space is designated by community programs organised by the government, yet at this timing, it was occupied by an independent organisation teaching a large group of elderly how to carry out breathing exercises. 

5 

This was taken around 7.20am, showing a small group of senior citizens doing meditation. 

Small Spaces for Individuals 

Small spaces that boast a great view to work out to and one that encourages cross ventilation, has encouraged the use of such spaces for self initiated exercises. This is found along a small stream between areas 3 and 4. 

In my opinion, Bishan - AMK Park is successful in creating a large space that encourages the elderly to work out in. HDB has organised such events (image above) to foster active ageing, but what’s interesting is that the elderly are capable of doing this themselves. The spaces mentioned in this post are not government designated active ageing spaces, yet due to the architecture of such spaces, it encourages the elderly to take the initiative to exercise in the space.

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The online community for Active Aging

by Audrey Chin

With the prevalence of social networks and smartphones, the way people keep in touch with one another has very much evolved. While many social activities still continue to take place in community spaces all over Singapore, communications and dissemination of information is starting to shift from offline to online platforms.

The older generation is also jumping on board and embracing the new technology.  

These are several Facebook groups started (some by seniors themselves) to engage other seniors in the community to partake in exercise together. It should be noted that these are informal groups, and not governmental initiatives.

QiGong Exercise & Healing

While this Facebook group isn’t specifically targeted elderly, who says active aging starts only when you’re old? It is heartening to see a group of like-minded people coming together to motivate each other to maintain an active lifestyle and while at it, enjoying each other’s company.

Team Strong Silvers

Scroll their Facebook photos be wowed by how fit and muscular these uncles are. They challenge the stereotype that senior citizens are frail and week. This informal group of Calisthenics practitioners aims maintain a healthy lifestyle and age actively.

Aspire55 Pte Ltd

While this group may be a social enterprise, they deal with a very interesting concept of a ‘virtual retirement home’. 

Final Thoughts

As the social structure continues to evolve, we could look into different ways in which we could bring people together, or to allow easier access of information through the use of social networks.

While there are already several informal groups of elderly that engages in exercise at their regular spots, with some already having their own Facebook group, there could be others who are not yet active in such activities for one reason or another.

Perhaps they are interested in a very specific kind of activity (e.g. Team Strong Silvers with their public calisthenics demonstrations) but are unable to reach out to other like minded people. There could also be groups who are looking to recruit more members but do not know how to go about advertising their activities.

Therefore, we could look into creating an online platform that help bridge different people with common interests together so as to further propagate the formation of such informal groups.

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Active Aging in my Neighbourhood

by Audrey Chin

There are many different scales of park in Singapore:

NATIONAL PARKS:

These parks are usually visited by locals from all over Singapore, as well as tourists. They are often nature reserves, parks that are rich in arts and heritage, or even offshore islands.

Examples: Botanic Gardens, Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, Fort Canning Park

COMMUNITY PARKS:

These parks are usually located in residential precincts. They are usually built to provide green spaces for residents.

Examples: Punggol Waterway Park, Bishan Park

NEIGHBOURHOOD PARKS:

These parks are usually small in scale and serves the few blocks that surrounds it. Common amenities includes street soccer court, playground, basketball court, fitness corners.

Having looked at Botanic Garden and the various groups that have organically formed within that area the last time, I decided to check out the community and neighbourhood parks within the Tampines / Simei precinct. I wanted to find out if there would also be informal activities that promotes active aging taking place within these areas and if so, what are they?

These are the parks that I visited on a Saturday Morning. They can be as large as Sunplaza Park, or as small as a little a small green space located between several block at Simei St. 3 and 4.

PARK AT SIMEI ST 3 / 4

This is the first neighbourhood park that I visited, and to my dismay, it was undergoing some upgrading works.

i was expecting all possible activities to cease. Surprisingly, people were using the surrounding spaces to do their morning jog or exercises.

2 uncles were doing their morning exercise to at the void deck right next to the park.

Another Uncle was doing Tai Chi under a sheltered pavilion nearby.

Also, people weren’t generally bothered by the lack of park spaces. No more pathway around a lush green space? I’ll just do my morning walk on the roads linking to the carpark then.

It seems that people who are determined to lead an active lifestyle will make do with whatever space that is available to do so, and aren’t deterred by the lack of a formal designated space (park, fitness corner, etc.).

SIMEI PARK

This being the largest park in Simei, I was expecting larger groups of people to gather and conduct some exercises together. I was proven wrong, for there were only a few joggers doing round on the track designed for IPPT training.

Even though there was a large open space conducive for mass exercise to take place, no one was utilizing it.

TAMPINES STREET 22

This park simply a small green space by the park connector. 

There were three elderly in total engaging in morning exercise, separately.

TAMPINES GREEN

Largest group of people engaging in an early morning routine.

SUNPLAZA PARK

Being the largest park in the precinct, I was expecting the highest number of large informal groups to be spotted here. I was wrong. Most people were engaged in their own morning routines, doing some warm up, brisk walking, mediation, or dancing to music alone.

An elderly doing his own stretching exercise.

Two sisters and an elderly man doing their own Tai Chi exercise, but seperately.

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No park? No problem, simply move to the cold deck! This was near the park at Simei St 3 / 4.

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Simei Street 3 / 4 park, where aunty was not deterred by a lack of park and walked on the road.

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Simei Park, with individual brisk walkers / joggers.

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Tampines Green, where elderly were exercising individually.

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Women in dress doing her own morning dance, while women in blue doing her own morning exercise at Sun Plaza Park

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Man doing his morning exercise at Sunplaza Park alone.