Built for old folks... but where have they gone?

Viper52 SG

How much do you want to bet this entire hare-brained scheme was thought up or approved by one of our much vaunted scholars who probably never bother to get his sorry butt out of his airconditioned office to canvass the opinions of the bird watchers, elderly folks who hang out at Kreta Ayer or the tourists to visit the place and ask them for their opinions on how they like it or how they want it to be?

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http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/singapore/story/0,4386,152990-1036533540,00.html?

5/11/02

The elderly are shunning Chinatown square redevelopment because of the lack of tree shade, among other reasons

By Neo Hui Min

A PROJECT by the Singapore Tourism Board to improve Kreta Ayer Square appears to have driven away the very people who were synonymous with the area - the retirees.

The elderly, who could be found at all times of the day and evening chatting or playing chess under the square's shady old trees, are no longer around since the area reopened in September.

Their disappearance follows the installation of new tables, seats, a bird-singing corner and an open-air stage at the open space outside Chinatown Complex, all of which should have made the place a bigger draw for them.

A trishaw depot and a booth from which trishaw rides will be sold in future has also been introduced as part of the Singapore Tourism Board's $97 million plan to attract more people to Chinatown.

But the area's regulars and shopkeepers at nearby Sago Street said that only about five to six elderly people can be found at the square now. In pre-renovation days, 40 or more would gather throughout the day.

The bird lovers the STB wanted to attract shun the place, saying that it is 'user-unfriendly and too tourist-oriented'.

A 70-year-old, who wanted to be known only as Mr Yau, said that the heat has driven him and his friends away from what was a 'meeting point for old folk'.

'They chopped down the old trees and planted saplings which provide little shade. It's impossible to sit there between 9 am and 5 pm,' he said.

He lives near the square and is one of a handful who still turns up there every morning to chat with old friends, some of whom used to live in the area.

'But they don't come anymore,' he said sadly. 'Because it's so hot, few people sit here.

'Sometimes when my friends come here from Jurong or Bedok, they are disappointed when they don't see anybody. So they seldom come back.'

Retiree Yip Yin Tong, 68, pointed out that transport concession rates for the elderly are valid only from 10 am.

'It's 11 am by the time they get here, how to sit here?' he said, pointing at the black tables and seats which would be roasting under the sun by then.

There is another problem with the chessboard table tops.

'We're happy to have proper tables to play chess on. But we're old and can't see very well. The black table tops make it difficult to make out the squares,' Mr Yip said.

Some players, he said, painted in the grooves to see them better. But even then, they have to keep their games short.

'We can sit here only from 5 or 6 pm, because it gets cool only then, but it gets dark soon after and the only nearby light is the street lamp, and it's too weak to see properly by,' he added.

Asked if they had spotted any bird lovers and their songbirds, the few retirees who still trudge to the square have inevitably replied: 'No. Is there a bird corner here?'

But some bird lovers have heard about and checked out the new arena, and they are choosing to stay away.

Explained retiree Wong Yeng Hin, 61: 'The hooks for hanging cages are so high, no one can reach them.'

He prefers his regular haunts at Ang Mo Kio and Bukit Purmei.

'There is a kind of atmosphere at those places, that's why many people go there. The Chinatown corner seems to be tailored more for tourists now.'

In an e-mail reply to queries, the STB said that a group of songbird enthusiasts is working out details for a bird-singing competition in the area.

A task force comprising representatives from the area's grassroots network, arts groups, stakeholders and business association has been formed to look into programmes and activities for the square.

Meanwhile, with no chess players to catch their attention, tourists rush across the square without stopping like before, anxious to get out of the heat.

Said Mr Yip: 'I guess we'll have to wait until the trees grow bigger.'

Viper52 SG

And a couple of readers responses in todays ST Forum (6/11/02)

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Stop the frivolous 'upgrading'

I SAW red when I read the article, 'Built for old folks... but where have they gone?' (ST, Nov 5).

The authorities are spending taxpayers' money on fancy amenities for the Chinatown square redevelopment that come straight out of a trendy design magazine but which fail to serve their intended purpose effectively.

Why cut down shady trees when it is more sensible to integrate the new square around them? Perhaps it is okay to ask a group of grandpas to wait 20 years for the saplings to grow and provide the much-needed shade.

The local authorities think nothing of spending millions on walkways, squares, hawker centres, etc, to promote a luxurious and prosperous lifestyle. But who is this aimed at? Tourists and foreign investors obviously. While people like us pay tax and put up with job losses, GST and fare hikes despite the poor economic times the Government persists in expensive and frivolous 'upgrading'.

So now I suppose the old folks will have to take their game of chess elsewhere while the young Singapore Tourism Board executives, designers and architects continue their chitchats in the air-condition-ed comfort of Starbucks.

KELLY NOGE
Fukuoka, Japan
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Insufficient research and common sense

I READ with disappointment about the project undertaken by Singapore Tourism Board at Kreta Ayer ('Built for old folks... but where have they gone?'; ST, Nov 5).

Not only did it appear that STB did not carry out proper/sufficient research into the needs of the target group (chess tables were coloured black, making it difficult for the elderly to make out the squares), but it also revealed a lack of common sense.

Tables and chairs put out in the open were painted black and a bird corner was built that people apparently missed completely.

Without being overly critical, it is clear that these mistakes could have been prevented. The mistakes have been costly, not only in terms of public funds but also in terms of the disappointment experienced by elderly folks frequenting the area.

It pains me to see good money being spent carelessly.

ELAINE TAN EE LIAN

CenturionMBT SG

Haiz. . . .In the effort to make good money, the gov have neglected the people.How sad.

Viper52 SG

I think the bigger issue here is incompetence by the STB. From what I have seen of their efforts to attract tourists, it has almost always left me with an impression that they apply only 2 standards as to what makes a good tourist attraction

1) It is new, squeaky clean feel

2) If it don't resemble a theme park, it ain't gonna attract tourists.

I don't see why they cannot leave these places alone and let the develop and blossom into tourist attractions. By all means, assist it by promoting it in brochures, facilitating tourist access via transport facilities etc, but I really don't see the need to remodel everything into a microcosm of neat, orderly and clean Singapore. Sometimes the charms of a tourist attraction lies in its spontaniety. That seems to be a concept the STB can't or refuses to grasp, from the "remaking" of Sentosa(puke) to this issue.

Or are we seeing another case of control-freak tendencies?

silkmagic SG

Again, another project with no feedback from the end user. and therefore come up with something that is not suitable for the end user. This people from the civil service always assume that they know best and this is what we get. For goodness sake, stop wasting our money building things that does not work. Having more feedback from the end user is very important.