Redhill: Multi-dimensional Narratives by Judy

REDHILL: Multi-dimensional Narratives 红山：多元叙事 Research Report 研究报告

ÂŠ Copyright Singapore University of Technology and Design 2013

CONTENTS 目录 Acknowledgement 致谢 Introduction 前言 Chapter 1: From Humble Hill to High Rise 第一章：从山村到高楼 Chapter 2: Seeing with New Eyes 第二章：红山新视角 Chapter 3: Stories to Tell 第三章：红山故事 Chapter 4: Projections and Possibilities 第四章：发展策略与可能性 Moving Forward 展望未来 Research Team 研究小组 References 参考文献

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 致谢 This research report is a product of a collaborative student project – iProject – between students from Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) and Zhejiang University (ZJU), China. We are extremely grateful to both universities, particularly SUTD Office of Research and Industry Collaboration (ORIC) and Office of Undergraduate Research Opportunity Programme (UROP) for offering us this unique opportunity to rediscover Redhill with fresh perspectives. As this project stems from two larger research projects, namely Creative Ageing City supported by SUTD-MIT International Design Centre (IDC), and Living in an Ageing World supported by SUTD-ZJU Joint Research Project, we would like to thank the respective directors, Prof. Kirstin Wood of IDC and Dr Wong Woon Kwong of ORIC, as well as all the managers including Dawn Chia and Monica Laurence from IDC, Evelyn Tan and Elaine Wu from ORIC, for their continuous support. The research team has also benefited tremendously from several respected individuals during the research process. We would like to express our greatest gratitude to Dr Ow Chin Hock, former Member of Parliament and former Mayor of Tanjong Pagar CDC, for sharing with us his vast experience and valuable knowledge through working with the Redhill communities under his care. Special thanks goes to Mr Clement Teh, Managing Director of Space + Dimensions Architecture, who has been a resident at Redhill Close, for his enthusiasm and passion in sharing his research and knowledge of the area with our students; as well as Prof. Samson Lim, Acting Assistant Cluster Lead of SUTD Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) for his valuable advice.

We would also like to thank National Library Board and all the helpful staffs from Bukit Merah Public Library especially Associate Librarian Mr Lang Yee Chuan, for their support of the community engagement workshop, without which this research would not be complete. We are truly blessed to have many Redhill residents participate in this project, including all the workshop participants and all the interviewees, whose stories have definitely touched all of us. Last but not least, it is our greatest pleasure to have work with Prof. Mihye Cho, Prof. Quin Yow, and researcher Ferninda Patrycia, in the two larger research projects; and all the SUTD students who have contributed to these projects in one way or another. This research will continue to form part of the larger research topic on ageing and the environment.

Prof. Chong Keng Hua, Debbie Loo, Zheng Jia (Judy) December, 2013

INTRODUCTION 前言 We had never grown up in a village. Not in the kampongs that our parents and grandparents did. We live through times of great and stampeding change, and one of the things that often get left behind are stories. Words of tradition and memories are sometimes forgotten in the day-to-day busyness of living. Our entry into Redhill, or Bukit Merah, asks a simple question: What are the many stories of living in this village as it transitions from humble hill to highrise? “Redhill: Multi-dimensional Narratives” is born. This research project investigates the mature estate of Redhill through alternative modes of reading architectural space. It explores dwelling communities that are undergoing spatial transition and transformation, in order to elucidate the palimpsest and nuanced personal narratives that contribute to a multidimensional and occupancy-based understanding, of how the resident negotiates and interprets their lived space and neighbourhood. This is often divest from the architect’s authorial voice and conventional architectural documentation. In particular, we are interested in uncovering the stories and spaces of the uncelebrated every-day, the next-door neighbour, and the elderly corner, that uniquely make up the intimate details of life in Redhill. Historically, Redhill is one of the few foremost sites earmarked for residential development, first developed by the British under the Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT). It has had a layered past – folklore under forest (based on J T Thompson’s survey map, Plan of Singapore Town and Adjoining Districts, 1845), agricultural land alongside swamps, burial hills lay waste beside “rubbish hills”, while flattened red clay hills provided raw materials for brickworks production, with racks of beehoon drying on hilltops.

Today, some of the emblems that mark Redhill are red-brick public housing flats – these grow taller day by day. The neighbourhood of Bukit Merah is a mature estate, home to a large elderly population. Some of its earliest re-settlers here, Singapore’s Samsui women, may have now left us, but a walk around this estate still reveals a richly-textured presence of our older generation of Singaporean men and women. It is through our students’ observation walks around the neighbourhood and interaction with the people that we draw out the myriad stories and capture the nuanced voice of elderly in the community here who have aged-together with this place. The first chapter “From Humble Hill to Highrise” is a historical overview of the transformation of Redhill’s natural landforms to its man-made housing flats. The second chapter “Seeing With New Eyes” is a collection of hand-drawn sketches and photographs documenting some of the everyday lived spaces and gathering places of the community. Lesser-noticed and nondescript, uncelebrated spaces are recorded here simply because they are part of our daily experiences.

The third chapter “Stories to Tell” consists of selected interviews with the people who live here and make up the Redhill community. It includes original writings by our students who have been inspired by the stories and lives they have heard and observed – even romance can find its place in a piece of architectural documentation. The forth chapter “Projections and Possibilities” is an introduction to the community engagement workshop that is integral to this research. The premise of this workshop seeks to draw out more stories and ideas from the community to envision what their neighbourhood could become. In particular, it selects a hypothetical site, Redhill Close, that has been slated for SERS (Selective En-bloc Redevelopment Scheme), and projects into a fictitious but promising future of how the estate could be designed for its present and future community. Finally, through this urban anthology of historical analysis and personal narratives, this research seeks to bring to the surface the complex and diverse interpretations of space by its community. It aims to contribute to developing a more holistic and meaningful knowledge of lived architectural and urban space, that escapes conventional means of architectural and design documentation.

Research Process: Top: Discussion in Redhill Bottom Left: Field study Bottom Right: Weekly meeting 研究过程：上图：调研讨论中图：实地考察下图：每周讨论

From Humble Hill to High Rise

From Humble Hill to High Rise 从山村到高楼 Redhill estate is known to many as “Bukit Merah” - meaning “red hill” in Malay - or “Ang Suah”, its Hokkien equivalent. According to a Malay folklore, a young boy who lived on a hill saved his island from swordfish attacks by advising the Sultan to plant a fence made of banana leaves near the shoreline.The Sultan was jealous of the boy’s intelligence and ordered his men to kill him. The young village hero’s blood covered the depths of the hill, which has then come to be known as “Bukit Merah”. Today, the dilapidated villages have long disappeared. As one surveys the estate, the great heights of housing blocks stacked by man are now drawn against the sky.

红山对老一辈的新加坡人而言是个收藏着许多集体回忆的组屋区。该区的齐名来自于一个马来传说。有一个居住在山上的小男孩建议岛上的苏丹沿着海岸建造一道香蕉叶围栏来解决岛屿所面临的箭鱼问题。苏丹认为小男孩过于常人的机智是一种威胁，就命令兵士们在深夜里暗杀小男孩。小男孩的血把山染红了，而这座山便是成为今日的红山地区。红山在当年殖民地时期是一个简陋的村落，而它在这短短50年不停的发展下以蜕变成一个布满高楼的组屋区了。 21 Blocks of SIT flats in the midst of 1995 upgrading programme (Source: Bukit Merah: From a Hilly Kampong to a Modern Town, p.221)

Chong Zhuo Wen Alexandria 钟卓雯

Map of Singapore based on proportion of residents aged 65 years and over by the planning areas

各城市规划区65岁或上的年长居民比例图

Legend

图例

G SI

DS M

< 5% W

ES CA TER TC N HM WA EN TER T

5% - < 10% >= 10%

CH CH U OA KA NG

Excluded from analysis

TC CEN HM TR EN AL T AR

PA B U K NJ IT AN G

BU BA KIT TO K

BO O LA N Y

RI TA

QU AS

From Humble Hill to High Rise

W E IS ST LA ER ND N S

N B M UKI ER T AH

HO OO

GE KA

M A PA R I RA NE DE

M M

TO AN RO N G CH OR OR CH M A US R EU D M DO W SI N NG CO TO AP RE WN OR OU E R TR IV AM ER

P LE

T PA O A YO H

BU TI KIT M AH

R EA ON ST G

JU R W ON ES G T

PU RT H IS -EA LA NDSTE S RN

Located at the lower belt of Singapore, near the Civic District and Downtown Core, Redhill is one of the 17 planning subzones under Bukit Merah (see figure below). As one of the oldest estate in Singapore, it has been long associated as an aging estate with one-fifth of its residents, aged 65 years and above (see figure on the left).

Although the residents of Redhill come from all walks of life, public housing provides an integral platform assimilating them into one community. Over 90% of the residents live in this particular type of dweling.

Y BA A R CH TA

EX NO AN RT DRA H

EX A HI ND LL RA

DE RO POT AD T BL EL A OK DR NGA IV H E

HE IL

ND E HI RS LL ON

B M UKI ER T AH T BL EL AN OK W GA AY H

M A SQ RIT UA IME RE

B HO UK SWIT EE

TI BA ON TI HR G B ON U ST AHR G AT U IO N SI N KA GE GA M HO NE POR TI PO R E S O PI AL BA N NG TA HR G L U EV T BL EL ER AN OK PA T O RK N RI GA SE H TA N PA J O GA NG R

Planning subzones within Bukit Merah 红山的17个城市规划分区

Changing Landforms

Urban History of Bukit Merah 红山的规划与发展

In the mid-1800s, Bukit Merah was used for the cultivation of gambier and pepper. These were plantations were sprawled over the region of the larger Telok Blangah mukim, made up of at least seven hills. The majority of them were owned by prominent Chinese businessman, Seah Eu Chin, who was otherwise was known as the “King of Gambier“. However, towards the end of the 19th century, the overproduction of gambier depleted the surrounding forests, turning Bukit Merah into an agricultural wasteland of barren hills and swamps. Meanwhile, Chinese cemeteries in Chinatown were fast becoming overcrowded, thus the community turned to burying their dead in the Telok Blangah hills. By the 1950s, approximately 55% of the land in Bukit Merah was used as burial grounds. While the dead lay on the high plains, the swamps served as a dumping ground for the city’s refuse. To others, it was known as Rubbish Hill. By the 1930s, brickwork establishments found their way into the estate, strategically tapping on the abundant sticky red clay found in the area. This, and other industrial factories sprung up and eventually Redhill Industrial Estate was developed. A variety of products ranging from bricks and glass, to biscuits and beehoon (rice noodles), to vehicle workshops and printing presses. These activities became important sources of employment for people. As large parts of Bukit Merah were still covered by swamps, there was little space left for residential purposes. Overcrowding was common in the kampongs and squatter dwellings here. In order to address the critical housing needs and congestion issues of the post-war population boom, the colonial government’s Land Office then set up the Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT) to develop housing. Redhill was subsequently designated for public housing development under the Urban Planning Area in the 1958 statutory Master Plan. Redhill Close, completed in 1955 by the SIT, was the earliest public housing project in the estate. It paved the way for the modernization of this once sleepy squatter zone and hilly kampong. After gaining self-governance in 1959, the government went on to set up the Housing and Development Board (HDB) the next year to carry out intensive public housing development projects. Today, as one walks through this estate, the area is dotted with public housing of varying typologies built across the span of five decades. 5

From Humble Hill to High Rise

Red

hill

MR TS

tati

Tiong Bahru Road

Point Blocks Slab Blocks

Redhill Lane

Slab Blocks Point Blocks

Bukit Merah Public Library

Jalan

Henderson Secondary School

SIT Flats Slab Blocks

son

Bukit Merah Community Centre

Red

hill

Clo

Gan Eng Seng Primary School

Slab Blocks

Roa

Bukit

Mera

Hen der

ok gk

Point Blocks

Redhill Road

Bukit Merah Town Centre

Facing page: Top: 1920 map showing the hilly landscape of Bukit Merah along with the locations of the cemetery grounds in the area (Source: “J T Thompson Survey Map”, from Bukit Merah: From a Hilly Kampong to a Modern Town, p.13) Middle: 1932 Map of Bukit Merah showing various locations of SIT land parcels planned for development (Source: ibid, p.24) Bottom: Yeo Brothers Publishing and Printing Company (Source: ibid, p.31)

Top: Today, Redhill estate is predominated by public housing blocks (coloured dark grey) with majority of the public amentities (coloured light grey) centrally located around the Bukit Merah Town Centre 上图：红山是一个政府组屋（图中深灰色标注）居多的区域，并且大部分的公共设施（图中浅灰色标注）都位于红山镇中心对页上图：1920的红山地图描绘了该区独特的丘陵地势以及区内坟场的所在地对页中图：1932年的红山蓝图，图中显示多种新加坡改良信托局用地发展规划对页下图：杨兄弟印务制簿公司

1950s

SIT Flats

新加坡改良信托局组屋 The British colonial government set up Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT) in 1927 to tackle the housing problems in Singapore. SIT’s initial concern was to carry out improvement schemes like the clearing of slums and housing the displaced squatters. After the war, SIT began building more developments to address the issue of overcrowding. Despite their best intentions, they could not keep up with the demand as 250, 000 people were still living in attap and plank huts. During those days, there was a widespread of diseases due to the lack of proper sanitation system. Crimes and massive civic unrest was also not uncommon during the era. Redhill Close Blocks 1 to 22 is one such SIT development. These blocks of flats were built in 1955 with Block 4 being demolished around the 1980s to make way for a road construction linking Redhill Close to Jalan Bukit Merah.

Top: The current view of SIT flats in Redhill Garden (Redhill Close), also known as “chek lau” (seven storeys in Hokkien) Bottom Left: Location of SIT flats in Redhill Bottom Right: Layout of a typical SIT (Singapore Improvement Trust) flat Facing Page: Upper Left: Seven-storey SIT flats in Redhill Close (Source: Bukit Merah: From a Hilly Kampong to a Modern Town, p.29) Upper Right: Construction of SIT flats in Redhill Close in early 1950s (Source: ibid, p.28) Bottom Right: Interior of an SIT flat constructed in the 1950s (Source: ibid, p.30) Bottom Left: 1972 map of Bukit Merah showing the area’s state of development (Source: ibid, p.40)

上图：建于新加坡改良信托局时期的住宅-红山园，即著名的“七楼”式组屋（闽南话）左下图：新加坡改良信托局住宅在红山的区位右下图：英国殖民时期新加坡改良信托局设计住宅平面图对页左上图：红山的“七楼”组屋对页右上图：1950年新加坡改良信托局建造组屋的情景对页右下图：建于1950年代的“七楼” 组屋内部对页左下图：1972的红山地图描述了该区当时的发展境况 Yard WC

Bath Kitchen

Living Room

From Humble Hill to High Rise

Bedroom

1960s - 1980s

HDB Slab Block 长形组屋 When HDB took over its colonial predecessor in 1960, it was faced with the post-war baby boom. Tasked to built affordable public housing rapidly, HDB went on to build 21, 000 flats within three years of its establishment. During its early years, 10-, 12-, 14- and 16-storeys flats were considered high-rise to the people who were resettled here from low-lying squatters and kampongs. Living close to the ground for most of their lives, they were initially unfamiliar with the sensation of taking a lift to their flat units. More families could be housed on one floor, and the corridors which flanked the sides of these early slab blocks became new communal spaces and children’s playgrounds for residents. These high-density blocks optimised land usage and were built quickly using precast construction methods, which were considered advanced during that time. Thus, HDB was able to offer Singaporeans affordable housing on a large scale.

From Humble Hill to High Rise

A typical flat unit in the first decade came with un-tiled floors and un-plastered wall, allowing residents to renovate their homes according to their preferences and budgets. Standardised windows and doors were provided as they exhibited uniformity and neatness on the buildings exterior, intended to create a coherent expression for each estate of flats. This maintained a visual uniformity in a highly dense environment. The slab block design offered little privacy for residents as the unobstructed corridors allowed strangers to peer into flat interiors. With the doors and windows located only at the front and back elevations of the flat respectively, this sometimes resulted in little light and ventilation to parts of the flat. In order to better address the living quality of residents, the slab block typology was modified to introduce more privacy with every pair of flats served by a flight of stairs as well as improved ventilation with more windows at the back of the flat.

Left: Location of HDB slab blocks in Redhill Right: Typical slab block typology constructed in the 1960s consist of a long corridor with 2 staircases on each end and a central lift serving selected floors of the block. The design was then modified to introduce more privacy and accessibility to the residents. 左图：红山地区建屋发展局建造的长形组屋位置右图：建于1960年代的政府组屋一般拥有一条长走廊衔接位于两端的楼梯，但建屋局后来修改了组屋的平面设计以便居民们能拥有更多的隐私以及便利。

Left: Slab block built during the early post-indenpendence years focus on quick construction and features minimal aesthetic design Upper Right: Samsui woman in her one-room flat, circa 1995 (Source: Bukit Merah: From a Hilly Kampong to a Modern Town, p.46) Bottom Right: During the 1970s, HDB projects in the estate included not only public housing but also the Redhill Market and Food Centre (Source: ibid, p.31) 左图：早期的政府组屋设计注重实用性和建造速度过于美观右上图：居住在一房式组屋的红头巾（拍摄年份大约于1995）右下图：建屋局在1970年代除了建造政府组屋，也建了红山市场和熟食中心

1980s - 2000s

HDB Point Block 点式组屋

As Singapore’s economy began to prosper in the 1980s, public housing started to evolve beyond catering to the basic housing needs of the population, to creating a more conducive living environment. One of the major design transformations HDB made during this period was the introduction of the point block which offered more privacy to the individual flat-owners and more window openings to views outside than its predecessor. The construction of the long slab block typology was eventually replaced by these high-rise houses. Meanwhile, Redhill was injected with the construction of major community infrastructures. The Bukit Merah Town Centre and Bukit Merah Swimming Complex were completed during the turn of the 80s. These public social spaces increased the quality of community life for its Redhill residents. Most noticeably in the 1990s, two blocks of flats (81 and 88) were designed with brick wall construction expressed on its entire façade.This has

From Humble Hill to High Rise

became a distinctive architectural and aesthetic feature, identifying it not only as a landmark of Redhill, but also recalls this estate as the seat of Singapore’s historical brickworks establishment. Perhaps this best signifies the development of Redhill from a red-clay hilly village into modern housing estate.

Into the Future After being home to its residents for the past 50 years, the 21 blocks of SIT flats in Redhill Close estate are slated for redevelopment in the coming years.The current residents of these flats will be relocated to a new super high-rise 48-storey HDB development “City Vue” in the vicinity along Henderson Road.

Top: Artist’s impression of 48-storey City Vue estates development Bottom Left: Location of possible 48-storey City Vue development in Redhill Facing Page: Top: Brick facade of flats built in the 1990s included more aesthetic detailing (brick aggregation pattern could be found beneath the window planes)(Source: Bukit Merah: From a Hilly Kampong to a Modern Town, p.230) Bottom Right: Development of Redhill Rise in the mid-2000s brought younger residents into the aging estate Bottom Left: Location of HDB point blocks in Redhill

上图：建屋局计划在红山兴建48层楼的政府组屋效果图左下图：建屋局计划的兴建48层楼组屋位置对页右上图：建于1990年代的政府组屋比起早期的组屋加入了较多设计的元素对页右下图：建于2000年后的政府组屋给老年化的红山带来年轻的居民对页左下图：红山地区建屋发展局建造的点式组屋位置

Everyone’s

Community Space 公共空间 Public spaces have always been an integral part of a housing estate. The familiar spaces of corridors and void decks evoke special memories in generations of Singaporeans. A common feature situated within the void deck of housing blocks is the Resident’s Committee (RC), for residents to meet and interact through common activities. Within Redhill estate itself, there are many public facilities and spaces catering to her wide demographic. The focal point of the estate is the bustling Redhill Market and Food Centre. Completed in 1969, it became an important communal space for residents both young and old, who did more than just shopping for daily groceries and food. They gathered here to eat, play, trade, gossip, and observe the daily on-goings of their community. After a major facelift three decades later, it was re-opened to the public in 2004. Another notable public space in Redhill is the Bukit Merah Town Centre located on the other side of Jalan Bukit Merah. An activity hub for this neighbourhood, it houses shops, offices, a bus interchange, and the Town Council, which provides essential services for the residents. Beyond the heady progress of housing developments, creation of public spaces have been important for community life. For These gathering places and parks offer a treasured space for Redhill’s elderly to gather with companions while watching the world go by. Life in the estate is slowly unfolded and keenly observed amidst these communal spaces. 13

From Humble Hill to High Rise

Top: In 1995, HDB spent $1.3 million upgrading SIT flats at Redhill Close under the Main Upgrading Programme (MUP), with lifts, sheltered walkways, playgrounds and gathering spaces, etc., making it the first SIT development to receive infrastructure improvements Facing Page: Top: Elderly gathering at public spaces to connect with their friends (Source: Bukit Merah: From a Hilly Kampong to a Modern Town, p.218) Bottom Right: Redhill Market and Food Centre prior to renovation (Source: ibid, p.219) Bottom Left: Bukit Merah Town Centre is a one-stop venue for all residents (Source: ibid, p.39) 上图：1995年建屋发展局在主要翻新计划（MUP）下耗资130万翻新了红山地区建于英国殖民时期新加坡改良信托局（SIT）所建造的组屋，如翻新电梯，增建遮雨廊道, 操场 , 公共聚会空间等，这是第一批新加坡改良信托局（SIT）组屋得到基础设施提高。对页上图：红山地区乐龄居民聚集在公共空间与朋友叙说往来对页右下图：翻新以前红山菜市场与熟食中心对页左下图：红山市中心提供居民极大的生活与交通便利

Seeing with New Eyes

Seeing with New Eyes 红山新视角 From afar, Bukit Merah looks just like any other neighbourhood. We were not only new to Singapore, but also new to what “HDB flats” were – a phrase we often heard. What a unique world existed in HDB flats! However, it did not take long before we began to see with new eyes. Since our first visit to Redhill Close, we started to wander about, and to record through drawings and photographs, the lives and daily on-goings of this community, and the unnoticed but special spaces that were familiar to the residents. These past two months, we have developed a connection with the people and faces that we met here. But it is more than just the curious architectural variety of flat blocks from various decades, or the people and little creatures who reside here – we feel connected to this place, Redhill Close. These beautiful photos and drawings are another dimension of capturing the present but transient lives and spaces of the everyday. Perhaps, you too, will start to see with new eyes…

红山也许看起来和其他社区没有什么不同。我们第一次来新加坡，组屋对我们来说是一个新概念。我们用全新的眼光去欣赏红山社区独特的魅力。从第一次走近红山开始，两个多月来整个过程中我们都在用相机与纸笔记录下我们眼中的社区。从建筑，到人物，再到一草一木，从一个完全的旁观者到融入当地的生活，甚至与当地居民建立了联系。这些美丽的照片与绘画，是我们眼中美丽的红山社区。也许通过我们的镜头你也会发现一个新的视角。。。 Ying Zhihan Chen Jiangnan 应之菡陈姜楠

Top: A temporary performance stage at the entrance of the market place Bottom Left: Children’s playground Bottom Right: Two kids toying with a bicycle Facing Page: Top: The uniquely designed garage Bottom: High rise flats in Redhill 上图：红山市场门口的临时戏台左下图：儿童活动设施右下图：墙边嬉戏的孩童对页上图：设计独特的车库（水彩）对页下图：红山社区的高层组屋

Seeing with New Eyes

As we walked down the road, we find that the seven-storey SIT flats are completely dwarfed by the surrounding recent high-rise.We could have easily mistaken it as a relatively young estate. The greeneries, children playing on the streets, and the colours of the newly painted flats all seemed to give the old estate a very lively and vibrant atmosphere.

Old water meters 老式水表

We visited Redhill on a quiet afternoon. There seemed to be no sign of people. The place was tranquil and neat, the facilities and amenities were well provided for. Everything seemed new, until signs of its age were revealed by the old water meters by the door, the narrow staircases and the old alleys. An entrance of the SIT block SIT单元楼入口

Seeing with New Eyes

A warning sign on the wall 墙上的警示牌

Plants grown by the residents 居民种的酢浆草

Well-equipped exercising facilities

完善的健身活动器材

Drying clothes in the open air next to the SIT block 在SIT组屋旁空地用传统的方式晾晒衣服 20

A young couple having meal in the hawker center 在食府吃饭的年轻夫妇

A friendly uncle 微笑的老者 21

Seeing with New Eyes

Some elders playing chess in the pavilion 在亭中下棋的人们

The owner of a juice stall

熟食中心的鲜榨果汁店主

The owner of a fruit stall

水果摊位店主

We always interact with people during our visits. They are very friendly and warm, ever ready to receive us with big smiles. Just as a juice stall uncle enthusiastically recommended his best-selling juice to us, we also discovered that playing chess and casual dining are among the favourite pasttimes of many people there. 22

A lively worship event of the Chinese diety “Guan Yin” 观音诞的祭拜活动非常热闹

Seeing with New Eyes

A Taoist Temple - Zhen Ren Gong

An elderly burning incense

附近的道教寺庙——真人宫

祭拜的老者

A couple paying their respects to the deities 祭拜者们

Top: A shrine hung high up a wall 上图：外墙上高高挂起的神龛

Top: An incense holder mounted on the wall 上图：楼道中的香座

Bottom: A shrine on a wall 下图：外墙上的神龛

Bottom: A shrine on the ground 下图：地上墙边的香座

Seeing with New Eyes

Top: Night scene of Redhill Market 上图：红山市场夜景

Redhill Close at night 红山园夜景

A deity pedestal installed outside the window 窗外的神龛

Bottom: A huge deity pedestal in the living room 下图：居民家客厅中的大神龛

Most Redhill residents own a deity pedestal in their houses, some are rather huge, almost taking up an entire living room. Taoism and Buddhism appear to be the most commonly practiced religions here. Especially popular is Guan Yin, as three special festivals dedicated to Guan Yin are highly celebrated in Redhill.

Night scene of Redhill Market 红山市场夜晚景象

It was past seven in the evening, we noticed that Redhill Market was gaining crowd, bustling with activities. A group of friendly uncles happily invited us to join them in their evening chats. “We always hang out here at night until eleven o’clock. It has been like this since we know each other when we were young. And the next day we will go to work early in the morning… We always chat under this tree, it used to be this tall, and now it is already this tall!” said one uncle, gesturing as he described to us.

Seeing with New Eyes

The busy hawker center at night 夜晚繁忙热闹的熟食中心

Redhill Market becomes even busier later into night. Some of them come to have supper with family, some come to purchase food, but most of them are just sitting around at the entrance of the market, drinking beer and chatting with their friends. Watching from a distance, the market is ablaze with lights. Perhaps this is the most typical, but also most representative, of the usual night for the people at Redhill.

Stories to Tell

You might never expect to meet a friend in a stranger. Yet once in a while paths cross, eyes meet, a smile lights up, and stories begin to flow. This is a collection of interviews we have gathered to reveal another facet to the life in Redhill for some of its residents. The lives behind the faces we meet each day buying breakfast from the market, walking to the bus stop, or just daydreaming at the void deck seats. From a group of middle-aged uncles to a lady who waits for her husband to return home. From love and happiness to farewells and pain, our interviews with the friendly residents here have inspired us to write some creative pieces and to make a short video as a tribute to our time spent with them.

Stories to Tell 红山故事你也许从没想到会和一个陌生人交朋友。当生活的轨迹交叉，一个眼神，一个微笑，故事也许就此展开。在这一章节我们用故事和采访来展示红山居民日常生活百态。这些故事可能就隐藏在我们每天买早餐，等公车，或者在楼下平台做白日梦时候每天看到的那些熟悉面庞背后。从一群喝夜啤酒的中年大叔到一位等待爱人归来的老妇，从美好的爱情到令人伤感的别离，这些平凡的故事感动了我们。在此记录下这些故事，献给陪伴我们共度一段时光的友好的红山居民。

Zou Min (Kate), Li Ouwen 邹敏李欧闻

"We have been together since childhood" “我们是从小一起长大的” A group of middle-aged uncles, residents in Redhill 一群中年大叔，红山的居民 Dusk’s light had given way to the deep purple of night. It was one of our usual walks around the estate and we were playing with a black cat at the entrance to the hawker centre. Nearby, we noticed a group of people sitting around a makeshift table away from the bustle of the dinner crowd, having beers. They invited us to sit together and offered to buy us drinks. “There are actually two black cats, but they always quarrel with each other, so they hardly appear at the same time. Maybe it would be better if they are different genders”, joked one of the men. We both laughed and then we started to chat. Q: Hello uncles, where do you live? A: We all live in this neighborhood, in the same building but on different floors. We have been together since our childhood, so we know one another well. Q: How is life like for you here? A: Living here is very good.Transport is convenient, with the MRT and bus. It’s very easy to go around. What’s more, there is a lot of food. We do manual work at daytime, and gather here every night to drink and chat. The idea of living in the same neighbourhood with a childhood friend into middle-age was foreign to us. It was already quite hard for us to keep up with friends from our primary school days barely ten years ago! 33

Stories to Tell

A: Well, I am 51 years old, that’s your dad’s age. You see this old woman, that’s my mother, she is already 92 years old. We witnessed the little tree growing into such a big tree. Most of us are living alone, but I am living with my mother. We are not married, so we don’t have children. Only our brothers and sisters will come to see us regularly. Perhaps this uncle saw the curiosity in my eyes, wondering why he did not marry. He offered the reason jokingly: A: No girl will marry bachelors like us (laughs). Singaporean girls have very high standards nowadays, they require “5Cs”: credit card, cash, car, condo, career… And we don’t have those things. And we eat out very often… not so lucky to have a wife who can do the cooking at home.

Q: So how do you meet other friends who live in this Redhill neighborhood? A: There are other groups of people who live in the same way. We generally know each other and we’ll say hello to them if they sits near our table.You see, that guy is a former professor of NUS teaching pharmaceutical research, do you believe it? Never judge people by their appearance...

“Redhill Hawker Center is always filled with people during dinner time” “红山熟食中心晚饭的时候人特别多” Owner of fruit juice stall in Redhill Hawker Centre 红山熟食中心卖果汁的老板

“Redhill hawker centre is always filled with people during dinner time. A lot of people would come to my store to buy juices. Soursop juice and avocado juice sell best in our store, people like to drink them. Other types of juices also sell well, I’m contented with my business here.” said the owner of the fruit juice store. “Our fruits are purchased from Thailand. We import fruits very frequently so that they can be fresh. It’s hard for you to find those fruits in other Asian countries including China. “The pudding was not made by us; we just buy pudding powder from the wholesale market. Singapore has a lot of wholesale market you know, so it’s very convenient for us.”

Top: A fruit juice stall in the hawker center Bottom: Redhill Hawker Center 上图：卖果汁的摊位下图：红山小贩中心景象 34

“Old people like us are reluctant to abandon things” “像我们这样的老人是不情愿丢弃东西的” Uncle Xu, aged 77, who has been living in Redhill Close for over 40 years 徐伯伯，77岁，在红山园住了四十余年 Q: Have you been living in Redhill since childhood? A: No, my wife and I lived in another place near to Redhill in our younger days, and we moved here in the 1970s when our children were born. Q: Do your children still live with you? A: They also live around this area. Every Saturday they will come and play mahjong with me. After that we would have dinner together at the hawker center. I’m happy that my children are filial, and that I have cute grandchildren. Q: Can you share with us what a normal day for you is like?

Stories to Tell

A: I have a maid to take care of me. I burn incense 3 times a day in memory of my wife. I also watch video tapes that record our travels around the world. Sometimes I’ll have some short chats with my neighbors, but most of the time, I’m alone. Q: Do you join any community activities? A: No, I don’t think their organization ability is good.Those activities are not appealing to me. I hope they can organize more interesting activities other than clapping hands and stretching legs. I think that a wide variety of activities are important to attract us. For example, they can organize interactive activities to get us familiar with each other, or organize short trips for us to get around...

activities should be open to all old people around this area, instead of restricted to those who live in a few blocks, and I hope they can encourage more of us elderly to join in... He shares that one of his morning pasttimes is exercising at nearby Tiong Bahru Park. Though it is a good 15 minute walk from home, Mr Xu is happy that he is able to join his friends in the early morning hours – his decades of living in this estate has formed a comforting routine which orders his day. We find out that in a few years, he will be moving out of his current place to a new block of flats as the Redhill Close estate undergoes redevelopment. We wonder what he feels about this future. A: I’m OK with it. I know it’s for the purpose of city development. They offer us a good compensation. I bought this house for only ten thousand dollars back in the 1970s. Now it sells for about five hundred thousand dollars. It’s a good deal, but for old people like us, we are reluctant to abandon things. It might be hard for us to transport all these furniture and small items in our homes to our new houses.

Love in Redhill 红山之恋 by Zou Min (Kate)

In loving memory of his beloved wife

悼念妻子

邹敏撰写

Sixty years ago, she was the girl-nextdoor. He knew that she was special. They fell in love and were married to each other like any ordinary Singaporean couple. “She is cute, virtuous, and devoted to family.” said Mr Xu. “It’s hard for a wife to take care of a whole family, and to me, she has done a great job.” Though some may say that marriage is the tomb of love, it was for them, the catalyst to a life of happiness. Life was difficult for them at the beginning. They lived in a small flat, and raised three sons in their first home in Lengkok Bahru. But their deep love for each other spurred them on to strive for a better life, and they

created a prosperous and loving family despite their many hardships. “Spats between couples are very normal, but we have no spats since we got married. I do not stay angry for long and if we do disagree, we make up very quickly. I love her very much, and she is the most important person in my life.” After his retirement, they were able to spend their time traveling to different places around the world on holidays. He reminisces fondly that, they had visited almost all of the major places of interest in China, and some destinations in Europe and USA. If you had the chance to peer into their cupboards, you would have a peek into a treasure trove of

their shared memories – displayed in the form of photo albums and videotapes. Yes, videotapes. “We were regarded as a role model couple in Redhill among our friends,” Mr Xu smiles as he drifts off in reverie. However, his whole world changed before his very eyes two years ago. Right after they came back from Hainan Island, his wife was suddenly diagnosed with a serious terminal illness. They went through her agony together, and Mr Xu suffered no less watching the love of his life weaken by the days, he knew that he had to face this painful reality. “She died very painfully,” he recalls. “Although I was very distressed during that period

Left: Memories of a tour group trip China’s Jiuzhaigou, organized by Uncle Xu and his wife Right: Showing us a youthful photo of his wife 左图：徐伯伯夫妇组织的中国九寨沟旅行右图：妻子的照片

of time, I knew I had to do something to let her go peacefully.” At his wife’s bedside while gently stroking her hair, he whispered, “I know you are in pain. I can feel it. Just listen to me this moment: you have been a great mom and grandma to your children and grandchildren.And to me, you have been an even greater wife. It is my fortune to have you accompany me through this life.You will always linger in my heart, till the end of time.You have three adorable grandchildren. Please don’t forget that you have accompanied me to the most remote corners of the globe, so there’s no regret in your life. Don’t worry about me either. Our children will take care of me. You can go without worries now. See you soon. I love you, my dear.” As he hugged her tightly for the final time, she finally gave up her last breath 37

Stories to Tell

and passed away with a faint smile on her face.“All I wanted to do was to make her feel better.” His voice trembles as it drops to a whisper, tears silently glide down his weathered face. Mr Xu prays to the memory of his wife every day. He hopes for the day he would be reunited with her in his dreams, but this dream never seems to come true. “Dear wife I miss you very, very much. How I wish that you would appear in my dreams?” Though friends and family often tell him that she loves him and so she doesn’t want him to wake up feeling lost, he persists, “As long as I can meet her in my dreams, even just once, I’d be willing to burn all the money I have!” Once a spritely and passionate traveler, organizing traveling teams consisting of over 60 elderly people to visit China, he has since stowed away his suitcase after

the loss of his beloved wife. To him, the most precious things in the world are now the photos and videos that recorded their happy days together, “If I want to give her something, I would burn it as an offering to her.” “Although it has been such a long time since her death, I still miss her every minute. To have someone you love and have her love you in return is really the happiest thing for a person.” He hopes that all couples will cherish their moments spent together, because he knows how painful it is to lose someone dear. Caressing one of their photos gently, he asks, “She really is beautiful, isn’t she?” I nodded. In fact, no matter how she looks like, she will always reign as the most beautiful lady in his heart.

My first date with Redhill 我与红山的第一次约会 by Zou Min (Kate)

If I were a stray Cat 假如我是一只流浪猫 by Zou Min (Kate)

邹敏撰写

I believe it’s fate that sends me to you. Three weeks ago,I was a lucky girl sitting on the plane, thinking about visiting all the famous resorts and tourist attractions in Singapore – Sentosa, Little India, Chinatown, Night Safari... But I could never have guessed that you would become the first place I’d visit in Singapore – and a place that I would frequently come back to during my whole stay on this brief three-month student exchange to this island. You stood there quietly, waiting for me, like a grandmother waiting for her grandchild.When I arrived, you filled my eyes with your newly-painted buildings and corridors, but the bright and beautiful colours cannot cover up your age. Walking in your world, I felt like my whole being calm down. It was a sunny afternoon, there were only a few people outside. When I started to take pictures of you, a man in uniform approached me and asked, “Is there something wrong?” I smiled, “No, I’m just having fun.” Maybe you have never had your pictures taken by strangers before. You are hardly considered a place of interest in Singapore, but you are a lonely walker who has witnessed the changes around here for more than 50 years. 50 years. It’s been such a long time, but somehow you are still you. Though your colours may have faded and been painted on; re-painted and then faded off, you are still you. Bukit Merah, as I call out your name, I feel your warmth and intimacy. I’m sorry to hear that you will be torn down in a few years. You are just too old to keep up with the rush of modern life. Perhaps it’s the right time for you to retire, after so many years of nurturing different generations of people. As I walk along your corridors and pathways, I’m realise how lucky I am to be able to spend some last moments with you before you go. In the days to come, I’ll try to understand you and your people. “To see the world in a small grain of sand.” I believe this is a better way to understand Singapore than going to any of those famous resorts. You have absolutely captured my heart. I believe there must be a reason why God has sent me to you, and I’ll cherish this chance to record every small corner of you, and every little story about you.

If I were a stray cat I would find my shelter in Redhill Go for a sun bath in the garden Lie on the corridor till the rain stops No one would catch me here No one would chase me away I could spend an afternoon licking my paws Without worrying about the outside world If I were a stray cat I would find my meal in Redhill Warm-hearted old ladies come and go Feed me goodies till my belly’s full She would tap me on my head Watching me eat with a big smile I would brush her with my tail Thanking her for this delicious meal If I were a stray cat I would find my friends in Redhill Walk together through thick and thin Never feel lonely and never feel pain We would gather from different places Regardless of color and regardless of race One day if the sky falls My cat family can make me safe If I were a stray cat I would lead a cozy life in redhill...

A stray cat in Redhill 红山的流浪猫

“I really, really, miss my children” “我真的真的很想念我的孩子” Uncle Raj (not his real name), 55, Indian elderly man at Redhill Market Raj大叔（非真名），55岁印裔，红山市场 So we were preparing to film for the day, and we just finished our Laksa for breakfast at Redhill Market, when we spotted this elderly Indian man sitting alone at a table not far away from us, having his breakfast alone. We didn’t want him to feel alone, so we decided to approach him, to talk to him and find out more about his life.

(About his family) A: My wife is in the prison... My two children are at MCYS being taken care of. They’re taking care of my two daughters… So I’m alone here. (On his current situation) A: Because I cannot take care of my daughters, so I let MCYS takes care of them. I am a sick man, so I cannot take care of them. I can end up in hospital anytime: I have diabetes, and heart disease. Q: How often do you see your children? A: Once a month. Q: Do you miss them? A: Yes I do. I really, really, miss them. (On his connections within Redhill) A: No, no close friends. I don’t like (interacting). I don’t like any friends. Q: Have you ever gone around the different estates in Redhill, because you live around here? A: No, I don’t go anywhere. (I) only go between this food-court and my house.

Stories to Tell

Top and Bottom: Around Redhill Market 本页二图：红山市场

“I keep coming back here... You know why?” “我总是回到这里来，你知道为什么吗？”

Uncle Tan (not his real name), 70, Chinese elderly man at Redhill Market 谭伯伯，70岁华裔，红山市场 In a morning we were on a video shoot at Redhill Market.We noticed a man in yellow shirt leaning against a stone pillar. Although it was very noisy around him, he was taking a nap. He then openned his eyes and smiled to us, and asked what we were doing. He was very talkative and we chatted for very long time...

(On prices of housing after the upcoming relocation and redevelopment) A: They like it… they like the place. But look at the price of flat sales, you see the housing are all… Q: Do you think the prices will go up here when the new houses are being built? A: Yes, yes, yes. (points to the new housing project in the distance) 40 storeys.With facilities and everything. And they are so near the MRT station! (On his views of relocation and redevelopment of old neighbourhoods) A: Of course the younger generation likes change… newer, better… (jokingly mimics the younger generation) all these facilities are old already, yet you are still keeping?

What is the point? I have seen all these things for so long already. I am fed up of seeing all these things… I think the younger generation will see it that way. Now, going on to the middle-aged generation, (they would think) will these facilities affect my income? Because they think more about their survival. Whereas the older ones, they have been here for over 20 years. So over the 20 years, they develop this… feeling. You keep coming back. You know why I come back? I’ll tell you why I come back… because my wife likes this market. There is a lot of variety in the market. So it’s just a win-win situation. A lot of people come to the market. And your varieties are there, and the prices are right, so people will come back. So this market is not only popular for the people who live here… but also for people who live in the surrounding places. They also make up the environment…

“We are more concerned about the future” Young couple working in the vicinity of Redhill 红山附近工作的年轻夫妻 Q: What’s special about Redhill to you? A: Redhill is a very old and distinctive community. The relationships between neighbours are close, people who live upstairs or downstairs know each other. This is very rare nowadays (in present-day Singapore). Q: Would you miss it (Redhill) in the future? A: No, we won’t miss Redhill Close because we have witnessed so many things torn down here, and we are used to it. There used to be a South Redhill Primary School

“我们更关心的是未来”

and a North Redhill Primary School, but they have been torn down already, then a new school was built with better facilities. We are more concerned about the future. Q: Do you think that food prices here will increase following the refurbishment? A: Although the new housing estate will stimulate economic growth, I don’t think prices will increase a lot in this Hawker Center because the food prices mainly depend on the rental fee of the stall. With

support from the government, the food price should not rise very quickly. Q: Are you concerned about the ageing society? A: Yes, it’s a common situation in Singapore. People in the older generations usually have more than five siblings, so their parents have enough children to support them. But middle-aged people of this generation only have one or two kids. And some young people in Singapore do not feel they have the moral obligation to look after their ageing parents. 40

“It’s Part of everyday life” “这是我生活的一部分” Master Huang, 70, working in Redhill temple 黄大师，70岁，红山寺庙(真人宫)工作 Q: What’s the origin of this Taoist temple in Redhill? A: People worship different kinds of gods in different places. When our ancestors came to Singapore, they introduced various religions to the country.Therefore, Singapore is a country of religious pluralism.You can see there are different gods inside our temple.Taoism here is quite different from that of China. Q: What’s the origin of the temple? A: As Taoism from different places possess different features, they gradually gather into the collective. Residents here spontaneously financed this temple, without any government funding. This temple will be rebuilt by the government in a few years. It will be built bigger and better. Q: What is Culture Festival? A: Culture Festival is a festival to worship the salvation spirit of God. During the Cultural Festival, people from mainland China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia and other countries will participate in the activities.These people who have different ethnic, racial and cultural backgrounds interact with one another during this event. Q: Will the people come back to this temple after the relocation? A: I think they will. There are people who come to our temple from very faraway places of Singapore. People like to pray here because it’s a part of their everyday life.

Top: Entrance to the temple Middle: Master Huang in front of the temple Bottom: Interior of the temple 上图：寺庙（真人宫）入口中图：黄大师在寺庙前下图：寺庙内景

Stories to Tell

Difference 区别 by Chong Zhuo Wen Alexandria 钟卓雯撰写

The kitchen was bathed in a tangerine glow as the sun sank into a bank of clouds. Rhythmic chopping of the shallots, escalating howls of the kettle of boiling water, and the protest of the old washing machine in dissent of that day’s extra load turned the cramped kitchen into a total bustle. However, over the years, Mrs Lee had grown accustomed to it. It was the frequency of her life; part of her cyclical day as a housewife. Mrs Lee whipped up the last dish hastily — stir-fried cabbage with shallots, as the clock struck seven. She sat by the dining table, sipping freshly brewed herbal tea while waiting for her husband’s return. After the frantic sounds of chopping shallots, howls of boiling kettle and the rattling of the washing machine all gone, the flat was now suddenly engulfed in absolute tranquillity. Mrs Lee enjoyed this peerless moment, staring at the vignette around the edges of her faded wedding photograph that hung a little askew on the wall. The radiant bride in the photograph had a subtle smile on her face, with her charming groom by her side. Though she wore a plain gown, her mesmerising beauty and sheer bliss was captured

so poignantly through the camera’s lens. But now, all of it was lost in time. Mrs Lee gazed upon her weather-worn hands — the loose skin carelessly thrown into deep folds merely gave more emphasis to her bony fingers. Her then-ivory skin has aged with time, with the addition of wrinkles, blemishes and prominently protruding blue veins. Mrs Lee caught her own reflection vaguely on the television screen, only to be overwhelmed by a moment’s gush of anguish. She looked so different from her younger self. Suddenly, a familiar clanking of keys was heard from outside of the flat. Mrs Lee’s husband had returned home. She caught a glimpse of his eyes, only to see weariness of the soul that had grown with the years. Her husband too, could not escape the trials of time. The charming groom in the photograph was reduced to a plump middle-aged man with a head of white hair. The once ambitious young man who dreamt of climbing to the pinnacle of the corporate ladder, was now just a man at the cusp of his retirement crisis, seeing his job as a mere source of income for the family. It was his top and only priority as the sole-breadwinner of the household — if life were to have a meaning. Mrs Lee and her husband ate in silence since she was not good with conversations and he was a man of few words. They let the silence do the talking. The almost deathly quietness with an occasional clanging of the porcelain ladle against the bowl of watercress soup felt homely. As they ate, Mrs Lee’s wretch-

ed heart was comforted by a tinge of tranquil, but she was still unable to face the fact that her youth was lost in the clutches of time. The sound of gushing water from the kitchen tap turned the news reports on television into faint and indistinct distractions. Mrs Lee gently placed the washed plates onto the drying rack and stared out of the kitchen window. The western sky was now covered in an ebony backdrop, adorned with a couple of dimly lit stars and long wispy clouds.The mysterious moon hung on the night sky replacing the position of the scorching sun in the day. Time made a difference to daybreak and nightfall. Time also made a difference to a person’s physical appearance by the years. Time, too, made a difference to a person’s take on the meaning and purpose of their life over the years. Mrs Lee let out a deep sigh.The gnawing difference between the past and present made her wonder, what had caused all of this? Was it solely time? Was it a twist of fate? Or was it a sleight of hand? Her dilemma was answered only with the silence of uncertainty.

Projections & Possibilities

Having traversed the grounds of this historical red-clay hill, and documented just some of the layered and personal narratives of this community, we wonder what lies beyond these stories of today. Redhill is, in some ways, a microcosm of Singapore’s public housing and ageing population landscape. It is both “home” and “community” at once, for many of its older residents who have lived in, and grown-up alongside its mature raintree-lined boulevards. How will this neighbourhood persist in the face of the hurried and determined progress taking place on all its sides? A thread of narratives has yet to be woven into this Bukit Merah tapestry – it is the voice that asks: What could be the projections and possibilities of a well-designed home and neighbourhood environment for its community? What does the old uncle and auntie, kindergarten kid, and roast meats stall owner, dream up for this home of theirs? This chapter wants to explore some hypothetical possibilities for Bukit Merah together with its community. Perhaps the best voices to tell this story are the lives who are living here.

Projections & Possibilities 发展策略与可能性穿越过多年的变迁，听闻了不少往事之后，我们更想知道将来它又会有什么故事。红山是新加坡房屋发展和老龄化的一个缩影。对许多居住已久，和红山一起成长的居民来说，它既是“家园”也是“社区”。然而这个社区将如何面对四周匆忙却坚定的发展呢？当仍在理清这一切关于红山的故事的时候，我们不经要问：有什么发展策略能为它打造更良好的家园和社区环境设计？这里的叔叔阿姨、儿童、小贩摊主等等对他们的家园又会有什么梦想？本章将探讨红山将来的一些可能性。 Yeo Song Pei Quak Chun Ming Goh Yi Qian 杨菘培郭春明吴颐谦

Redhill MRT Station

Projections & Possibilities

Redhill HDB Estates

Hawker Centre

Fitness Corner & Playground

Redhill Close SIT Estates

Bukit Merah Central

Main Challenges and Opportunities

Design for Ageing 乐龄设计：挑战与机遇

没有人能逃离衰老的过程，就算是建筑环境及社会本身也经历了转型和侵蚀。对属于高龄区的红山来说，予长者友善的生活环境尤其不容忽视。一个适宜居住的街区设计需要社会和空间这些无数方面的考量，以面对老龄化加剧及旧区凋零、社区重建的现实。然而我们应该如何营造对年长者，甚至对任何人都友善和宜居的生活环境呢？除了无障碍性和安全性的设计之外，接下来我们更加需要了解和回应年长者的心理需求。通过红山的多元叙事，我们发现了老龄化过程中的一些契机。从各界乐龄人士踊跃友善地参与和分享看来，这未尝不是促进“友善乐龄环境”及 “就地老化”的最佳途径。

For a mature estate with a high percentage of elderly people living in the area, the need for an elder-friendly living environment cannot be neglected. However, no one escapes the reality of the ageing process, and even the built environment undergoes transformation and change, wear and tear. Like our human bodies, community ties too can sometimes wither and fray at the edges. The design of a liveable neighbourhood needs to take these myriad aspects of community and space into consideration. The challenges of an increasing ageing population, the erosion of shared memories and community networks in older estates, as well as the needs of community renewal are real. We therefore ask: What can be done to make the environment both friendly and liveable for the elderly, and the larger community too? Beyond catering to the physiological needs of the community through improvements in barrier-free accessibility and safety fit-outs of flat interiors, there is a growing need to respond to the psychological and social wellbeing of our seniors.Through the process of documenting these multi-dimensional narratives of Redhill, we discover that the apparent challenge of an ageing community is in fact the opportunity to harness and draw out the generous participation and sharing of ideas and visions for what it means to develop and design “agefriendly” neighbourhoods that promote “ageing-in-place” for its people.

Bukit Merah Public Library

Community Workshop 红山公共图书馆社区工作坊

A community engagement workshop is one of the ways in which we hope to further engage with the Bukit Merah community. In particular, the workshop intends to create meaningful opportunities among the community for the sharing of experiences and pollination of ideas about what they envision their Redhill to be. It will also illuminate issues related to communitybased challenges and will explore different projected scenarios for participants to envision and discuss. The workshop projects three imaginary scenarios that sets the stage for our possibilities. Taking place on the 6th of December 2013 at the Bukit Merah Public Library, this is a future worth dreaming about. 在2013年12月6日举办的社区工作坊中，我们与住在这一带的居民一同交流、分享及探讨红山的未来。在进行了一系列的访问之后，我们总结以下三个对红山未来的设想，以便为工作坊拉开序幕。

Preserving Cultural Heritage 保留人文遗产 The SIT flats are a unique and significant historical landmark of Bukit Merah. However, are they of enough heritage value to be preserved, in order to retain the low-rise character of this estate? Can we imagine the length of Jalan Bukit Merah without these humble and stoic 7-storey flats standing guard? Should we preserve its charm? SIT组屋向来是红山一个独特的历史地标。然而，他们是否拥有足够被保留的文物价值？我们能否想象没有了这群不太起眼但坚韧的“七楼” 的红山道？我们是否应该保留这低楼群的魅力？

Projections & Possibilities

Selective En-bloc Redevelopment

Building Urban Community Village

选择性整体重建

打造乐龄城中村

These 21 blocks of flats sit on a valuable plot of land due to its location and proximity to the city area. Could it be possible to redevelop this area into highrise apartments – to house more people and revitalize the estate by expanding the community of young people into the estate?

The charm of this neighbourhood lies with its closeknit community who seems to move with a slow but harmonious rhythm. How can we strengthen and refoster the ties the community? Could this answer lie with the design of more open and green public space for social activities? Can we rebuild the hilly kampong spirit?

由于邻近市中心的便利，这21座组屋的位置具有高昂的土地价值。如果能重新发展为高层公寓，注入更多的青年，是否能振兴红山地区，舒缓老龄化现象？

红山的魅力主要在于它紧密联系的社区，及似乎缓慢却和谐的脚步。我们将如何加强或重新培养这样的社会关系？答案是否在于制造更加开放和绿色的公共空间，以重建甘榜精神？

MOVING FORWARD 展望未来

From its colonial past to the present-day high-rise living, Redhill has faithfully recorded not only the developmental history of the estate itself, but also the physical transformation of the island-state. Indeed, it is a “living museum” within which the lives and stories of people continue to be made and told. The multi-dimensional narratives of Redhill is all but a beginning of understanding the relationships between its architectural history, its planned urban form, and the resultant social lives and personal stories. It is through such juxtaposition of objective rediscovery and subjective reinterpretation that, we believe, will guide us towards the future of this unique neighbourhood.

Distributed wellness network in Redhill

红山区医疗保健网络

Among the various present and future challenges and opportunities, we focus our attention on ageing and urbanization. Compared to the proportion of Singapore residents aged 65 and above (9.9% in 2012), Bukit Merah has a relatively high percentage of elderly (16.7% in 2012) (Public Housing in Singapore: Residents’ Profile, Housing Satisfaction and Preferences – HDB Sample Household Survey 2008). In fact, it is the second highest amongst the public housing estates in Singapore after Marine Parade, and the trend is likely to continue. The increasing pressure of an ageing urban population impresses upon the scarcity of land in this 715 km2 island-state – this is especially so for housing and healthcare provision. Attention has since been given by both the government and non-government sectors, ensuring barrier-free accessibility, and disseminating healthcare and eldercare infrastructure within the existing fabric of the public housing estates, often pioneering in matured estates like Redhill.

Catchment of wellness services in Redhill 红山区保健服务范围

On the other hand, proximity to the city centre has led to increasingly high land value in Redhill, which together with the motivation to inject younger population to arrest the upward trend of ageing, make it logical to aim for higher-density redevelopment. Yet, staying abreast of the changing landscape of ageing requires a critical analysis of existing “ageing-in-place” policies and the sentiments of these seniors in their communities.The dilemma between preservation and redevelopment has thus moved to a new level when combined with communities of ageing residents. In a hypothetical design proposal sited in Redhill, which was awarded finalist in the World Architecture Festival Student Competition 2013, students working on this project respond to the dilemma by proposing a strategy to both preserve and densify the existing mid-rise housing typology, while adding value to the lives of elderly residents living in those blocks. As the space between these early housing blocks is much wider, instead of building upwards, the students seize the opportunity to grow horizontally, redefining existing planning boundaries by the strategy of grafting additional spaces and structures onto existing facades.These newly “grafted” spaces could then be used to accommodate new needs of the ageing occupants, either for individual or communal activities. Moving forward, more studies need to be done on ageing residents’ social-psychological wellbeing, beyond current research and design implementations that merely cater for their physiological needs. Environmental psychology and urban sociology will have to play much larger roles in future, to guide the design and planning for ageing neighbourhoods, such as the design of social public spaces, integration of outdoor activities and indoor environment; design for place attachment, healthy living, and walkability; and exploring alternative housing options for elderly, etc.When “elder-friendly” becomes the baseline of any neighbourhood development or redevelopment, we believe it will improve liveability for all. Building upon one such site of rich heritage, collective memories, and diverse everyday urban culture, we begin our foray with Redhill.

Moving Forward

Horizontal densification through “grafting”

横向发展模式

Continuity 持续

Compensation 补偿

Connection 联系

Contribution 成就

Challenge 挑战 5Cs of Elderly Needs (Adapted from Scharlach, 2012) 乐龄新需求

World Architecture Festival Student Competition 2013 Finalist Entry, by Yeo Song Pei and Quak Chun Ming 杨菘培及郭春明的决赛设计 2013 世界建筑节学生竞赛

RESEARCH TEAM 研究小组 Student Team:

Researcher Team:

Zhejiang University (ZJU), China

Debbie Loo Chia Hui 卢家慧

Li Ouwen 李欧闻

SUTD-MIT International Design Center Researcher

Zou Min (Kate) 邹敏 Chen Jiangnan 陈姜楠

Zheng Jia (Judy) 贾铮

Ying Zhihan 应之菡

SUTD-MIT International Design Center Researcher

Singapore University of Technology & Design (SUTD)

Dr Chong Keng Hua 庄庆华博士

Chong Zhuo Wen Alexandria 钟卓雯

Assistant Professor

Yeo Song Pei 杨菘培

SUTD Architecture and Sustainable Design

Quak Chun Ming 郭春明 Goh Yi Qian 吴颐谦 For more, do visit our blog: http://sutdredhill.blogspot.sg/

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Savage,Victor R., and Brenda S.A Yeoh. (2013). Singapore Street Names. Singapore: Marshall Cavendish Editions. Scharlach, Andrew. (2012). “Creating Aging-Friendly Communities in the United States,” Ageing International, Vol. 37, 25-38. Singapore Institute of Architects. (2013). RUMAH — 50 Years of SIA 1963-2013 Story of the Singapore Architectural Profession. Singapore: SIA Press. Teo, Peggy. (1997). “Space to Grow Old In: The Availability of Public Spaces for Elderly Persons in Singapore,” Urban Studies, Vol. 34:3, 419-439. Teo, Alida. HDB Floor Plans. Oct 13, 2013. http://www.teoalida.com (accessed Nov 19, 2013) Tze, Pin Ng, Birit F.P. Broekman, Matthew Niti, Gwee Xinyi, and Ee Heok Kua. (2009). “Determinants of Successful Aging Using a Multidimensional Definition Among Chinese Elderly in Singapore,” Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, May 17:5, 407-416. Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA). (1993). Bukit Merah Planning Area: Planning Report 1993. Singapore: URA. Wong, A. K., & Yeh, S. H. K. (Eds.). (1985). Housing a nation: 25 years of public housing in Singapore. Singapore: Maruzen Asia. Yeh, S. H. K. (Ed.). (1975). Public housing in Singapore: A multidisciplinary study. Singapore: Singapore University Press.