THE traffic light turns red and the light indicating that pedestrians may now walk across begins flashing green. The indicator below is already blinking 20 seconds as the countdown continues rapidly. Pedestrians from both sides of the wide busy street in the city centre dash across.
An elderly man shuffles along with his walking stick, at a much slower pace. There’re only a few seconds left before the traffic light turns green again, and the mad rush of the waiting vehicles begins again. The road is wide, ...one begins to wonder how the elderly man is going to make it across on time.
In another part of the city, an elderly woman walks slowly along the pavement. Tentatively, she steps off the curb but slips, and falls. The pavement is uneven; she couldn’t see clearly because of her poor eyesight.
Meanwhile, at a train station somewhere, an octogenarian is waiting patiently for the train to arrive. From afar, she can hear the train approaching. She stands behind the yellow line, ready to embark. The train stops and the doors open. The gap between the train and the platform is rather wide, making it a challenge for someone her age to step onto the train.
The above scenarios make you wonder how age-friendly our city is. It’s the same question that struck the mind of Dr Renard Siew, an environmental adviser for Sime Darby, who’s currently working towards creating better living facilities for the elderly in the city.
AGEING POPULATION
“Are we ready to cater to the needs of our ageing population?
The answer is ‘no’,” begins Siew, when we meet over coffee that morning at the Common Grind cafe in town.
And that’s a firm “no” from this dapper PhD holder in civil and environmental engineering from the University of New South Wales in Australia. “In my line of work, I make it a point to focus on the ageing population. We focus so much on the youth that we have neglected this group. We have forgotten about the elderly,” he remarks.
So what can we do to tackle this?
The World Health Organization (WHO) has been working towards an age-friendly world. What WHO is doing is creating environments that are truly age-friendly. It requires action in many sectors - health, long-term care, transport, and housing, to name a few. It also requires action at multiple levels of government and stakeholders. Many cities and communities are already taking active steps towards becoming more age-friendly.
For example, in Canada, the government has already implemented this policy — with a complete guide. According to the Public Health Agency of Canada’s website, an age-friendly community means having sidewalks that are well lit and kept in good shape, having buildings with automatic door openers and elevators, and seniors who are able to take part in all sorts of community activities such as visiting museums or libraries, taking courses, or volunteering for charities and civic duties.
And it’s these very things that Siew has been striving for in this country, which, according to him, lacks the facilities that allow for senior citizens to lead a healthy and active lifestyle. “I want a city that has the right infrastructure so that the elderly can also be catered for,” he says.
In June last year, Siew published a research study on the ageing population, assessing the readiness of mainstream sustainability reporting tools in helping to develop an age-friendly built environment. In his research, Siew found that the number of people aged 60 and older in the world is expected to grow to two billion by 2050.
“I give talks at smart city seminars, universities and colleges to educate people. I want developers to take this issue seriously. It’s not about developing fanciful buildings. It’s about purpose, whether it meets people’s needs. Do you supply enough water, are you using renewable sources, things like that,” says Siew, adding that corporations and governments also need to play their part to tackle this need.
HIGH PERFORMER
Besides developing a smart city for the elderly, this high performer is also involved in many other projects. And his efforts certainly haven’t gone unnoticed. His determined efforts in the area of sustainability earned him a spot as one of Malaysia’s Top 10 Most Inspiring Green Warriors, awarded by Top 10 magazine last year.
Among his projects is the Food for All programme, similar in concept to soup kitchens. “The only difference is we look at the nutritional needs of kids. For example, is the food distributed healthy enough for kids? We also look at the portion — whether it’s enough or too much for them,” explains Siew.
Then there’s also his After 5 initiative, a camp for Form 5 students where they’re exposed to what they can do after their SPM examination. “We want them to know that they are many different careers out there, not just medicine and teaching,” Siew says, smiling.
Last year, Siew was the country’s ambassador for Project Inspire, a competition organised by the Singapore Committee for UN Women and MasterCard to help young change-makers across the Asia Pacific to create a better world for women and girls. The bespectacled Siew was in charge of identifying local social entrepreneurs, as well as guiding and mentoring them.
You’re not a true warrior if you don’t face any battles, and Siew has had his fair share. “I think it’s more of an advocacy challenge. Most people are still quite sceptical. ‘Oh ok, another climate change issue. So what?’ They tend to not take things seriously. We need to change that mentality, that lackadaisical attitude. Yes, it happens quite slowly but I still need to find a way to break through,” he emphasises.
His “green heart” doesn’t just stop at big projects. Every day he practices green living as well. “I segregate rubbish and use public transport. I hardly drive nowadays. My friends said I’m crazy,” he shares, chuckling.
That said, this 29-year-old is not all work and no play either. During his free time, he loves to get engrossed in good books, mostly biographies — such as that on Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and business magnate, investor, engineer and inventor.
“We need to be the next Musk. Or maybe Iron Man,” he says, chuckling. “Iron Man is the real deal. He’s my favourite superhero simply because he’s an inventor with an engineering background, just like me!”
STARTING EARLY
At just 29, Siew already has an impressive resume, most of which marks his involvements towards a sustainable future. Siew grew up in Kuantan, Pahang, near the coast, and nature and the environment as a whole have always fascinated him. Also a school and national debater, he always chose the topic closest to his heart, namely the environment.
“I thank my grandmother, who’s been my influence since I was small. We always watched National Geographic together after I got home from school,” he says, fondly remembering his supportive 80-year-old grandmother.
Over the years, he confides that he has witnessed the erosion of his grandmother’s confidence. Living with him now in a condominium in the capital, she worries about everything, mainly about her safety outside.
Siew shares: “For someone who was socially active before, she now spends most of her time just sitting at home. She gets tired easily. I look at her and think that’s not how I want to lead my life when I reach 80. I shouldn’t have to worry about things like safety. I want to walk on streets which are properly paved.”
He expresses hope that stakeholders and city planners share in and help realise his goals for better living. Right now, he admits that development is moving at a slow pace. “At the end of the day, policies remain as policies if you don’t do anything about it. That’s why I’m championing this issue.
“Building a city doesn’t happen overnight. It takes years and years. So it has to start now.”