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Age Integration Aging Society ISSN 2586-5692(Online) Quarterly Brief 1 Age Integration Aging Society ISSN 2586-5692(Online) The 6th issue Issue Date. 2019. 04.30 Publisher. Soondool Chung Ewha Institute for Age Integration Research / Room No. 504-1. SK Telecom Center. 52, Ewhayeodae-gil, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 03760 / TEL.02.3277.2235 Issue report I Creating a physical environment for an aged society: Korea’s experience Eun-ha JEONG Team Manager, Research and Development Team Policy Research Department Seoul Welfare Foundation The most crucial contribution made by the Global Network of Age-friendly Cities and Communities, a World Health Organization (WHO) initiative launched in 2010, is the government- led endeavors on reminding the global community of the need to develop policies in preparation for an aged society. It is particularly notable that the initiative puts cities and communities as the main agent of policy-making, enabling substantial changes that are relevant to citizens on the ground. The eight domains of an age-friendly community under the initiative cover the aspects of physical living environment, such as outdoor spaces and facilities, transportation, and housing, along with the issues related to the physical environment. This feature helped policy-makers expand and diversify their areas of interest in their efforts to prepare for population aging. Given the limited mobility in an old age, the lives of elderly people largely revolve around their decades-long residence and their community. The local community is therefore the backbone of their social relationships, enabling interactions with residents of various age groups and assistance for one another. This warrants attention to local communities as a spatial scope of activity where older citizens lead their everyday lives while maintaining various forms of social bonds. The elements of their physical environment should be the basis of this interest in pursuing the age- friendly values, including “aging in place” and “active aging.” This article explores a variety of policies implemented by Korean municipalities, including Seoul City, in relation to this physical environment aspect. The examples of policies in Seoul, those specifically executed by the Seoul Metropolitan Quarterly Brief 2 Government or by the autonomous district authorities under its jurisdiction, fall into the following three categories: public housing projects for the elderly population; renovation of senior welfare facilities; and creation of age-friendly outdoor infrastructure for senior citizens, such as parks and streets. There is a number of other examples related to mobility, such as subway fare exemption for elderly passengers, introduction of low-floor buses, and renovation of bus stops and subway stations. However, these measures were either implemented out of political motivations a long time ago or aimed more at enhancing convenience of the general public rather than the older population in specific. So the mobility-related examples are thus excluded from the present article. First of all, the Borin Housing project in Geumcheon District warrants a particular attention in terms of public housing for senior citizens. This affordable housing initiative combines studio apartments that guarantee an independent space for elderly residents and communal spaces that promote a community spirit among them and encourage interactions between the residents and the local community. A total of four housing units were built in the district under this scheme throughout the year of 2015 and 2016. They look no different from any other low-lying studio buildings in their appearance, but the idea behind this model was not only new but also appropriate, given the lack of consideration for elderly inhabitants under previous public housing initiatives. The Borin Housing model is currently being adopted by other district authorities, which is expected to be the starting point for future advances in the housing policies for the elderly population. The efforts on improving the physical environment of senior welfare facilities have a relatively longer history than senior affordable housing. This approach is based on the concept of universal design, where the concept of making facilities accessible to everyone is not only compatible with the objectives of age-friendly cities but also embodies the value of social inclusiveness beyond the mere focus on the aesthetics of the design. Starting with the guidelines applicable to daycare centers in 2010, Seoul City has published guidelines on implementing this concept of universal design in various types of facilities, such as senior community centers, senior welfare centers, senior welfare housing units, and long-term care facilities in 2011. These guidelines are being embraced in some new facilities although they fall short of general implementation. These attempts contribute to spreading the recognition that senior welfare facilities primarily serving older population should take their needs into consideration in designing and managing the buildings. The application of the age-friendly design should by no means be confined to senior welfare facilities; this approach gains even further relevance in residential buildings where elderly people lead their everyday lives. Potential increases in the prevalence of dementia, driven by population aging, warrant consideration for elderly residents with cognitive impairments. In this light, the Design Policy Division of the Seoul Metropolitan Government launched the so-called “cognitive health design” initiative in 2014 in Yeongdeungpo District, Yangcheon District, and Nowon District. The initiative introduced age-friendly, and easily recognizable design features with the aim of improving elderly residents’ cognitive health conditions in the areas with heavy presence of public lental housing that have been rented out to low-income citizens under the affordable housing schemes. More specifically, the initiative involved colorful paintings or markings to make apartment entrances, mailboxes, floors, and key passageways more easily recognizable, and installing elements that stimulates human’s five physical senses throughout neighborhoods, so that elderly residents can better recall their memories. Given the dominance of high-rise apartment-centered housing environment in Korea, it will be imperative to further expand this approach. Autonomous district authorities in Seoul have a long history of working toward an age-friendly environment, with the focus on neighborhood parks. For example, Yangcheon District created an Quarterly Brief 3 age-friendly Forest Trail Silver Park in 2005, and Seongbuk District installed a range of exercise equipments, specifically designed for elderly visitors, in Cheongnyang Neighborhood Park in 2008. These relatively larger-scale examples are also accompanied by a more recent, smaller-scale Ssamji [literally “small pouch”; here “small pockets of land in the middle of urbanized neighborhoods”] Playground initiative. Launched by Gangdong District in 2016, the purpose of the initiative is to transform small parks and children’s playgrounds across communities into communal spaces for elderly people. The district has created nine such places by 2018 with its plans to establish four more in 2019. These small-sized public spaces are expected to have better access to elderly residents compared to the larger-scale parks. So far, the efforts to improve the physical environment to enhance age-friendliness has been highly fragmented, with the emphasis on individual residential buildings, public facilities, parks, and etc. However, the recent trend involves an comprehensive community improvement project combined with the ultimate objective of building and promoting local communities. The best- practice examples in this regard are found in Busan, Gyeonggi Province, and Seoul. First, Busan is set to initiate an urban regeneration project this year in Geumsa Industrial Complex, Geumjeong District, with the aim of serving both the younger- and the older-generation populace. The area will be filled with affordable housing for the young population, age-friendly villages, community centers aimed at promoting the sense of community, and a food park that will jump-start the economy and create jobs in the area. The outcome is yet to be seen, but an age-friendly community project as part of a wider urban regeneration initiative, rather than a standalone, piecemeal measure solely for a specific age group, certainly has many implications for future age-friendly initiatives. For the past three years, Gyeonggi Province has been sponsoring a community-level elderly welfare project, dubbed “Carnation Village” Under this scheme, the Gyeonggi Provincial Government selects one community every year, through the process of receiving and reviewing applications from cities and counties under its jurisdiction. In 2017, Sanseong-dong in Sujeong District, Seongnam benefited under this project, and carried out a job creation project for senior citizens. The successful candidate in the following year was Wonmi 1-dong, Bucheon, where the endeavors were directed at elderly care and health. This year, the Province choose Yuljeon-dong in Jangan District, Suwon for a variety of projects, which includes creating a laundromat for elderly single residents, providing air purifiers, installing LED lights that shine at night at crosswalks, and forming a senior music ensemble, all of which are anticipated to ensure the safe and pleasurable life for elderly residents in the area. The Carnation Village project
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