“Design for the young and you exclude the
old; design for the old and you include the young.”
(Bernard Isaacs,
Founding Director, Birmingham Centre for Applied Gerontology)
Background
Because The World is Growing Older
Ageing
population is now a global phenomenon in almost all parts of the world. It is
no longer only a discourse and trend in developed countries, but it has also
risen in developing nations. The World Economic Forum reports (2012) that from 12% share of
people aged 60 and over in 1950, the proportion of seniors in developed
countries has now reached 22%, and predicted to gradually reach above 30% by
2050. Whereas in developing countries, the number has significantly increased
from 6% in 1950 and expected to continually rise to 20% in 2050. For the first
time in human history, rapidly shifting demographics, with ageing population, will
occur in every country. People is and may live longer, as life expectancy rises
from 48 years in 1950 to above 65 years by 2005, and is expected to reach above
80 years in 2050 (Epstein, 2001, pp. 33-38). Moreover, the fall in
mortality and declining fertility, where most of today’s contemporary families
have fewer children, are recognized as the other factors contributing to the
ageing population (Forum, 2012).
With
those changes, the challenges would be how ready the world with its environment
to adjust? How, then, we cope with getting old, to remain healthy and active,
mobile and independent, and can continue participating in the society,
including being recognized in our contribution to the economic growth. Whereas
for the policy design, how to avoid the increased of large number of senior
cohort from becoming a burden to their younger generation and to the global, as
well as to the local, economy.
“Age-Friendly”
Melbourne means Friendly for All-Ages
The world knows Melbourne as one the most
livable city in the world and recognizes Victorians are among those have the
highest life expectancy. But how friendly is the city, especially to the older
people?
As from the Department of Planning and Community
Development - Victoria published in 2010, the number of senior Victorians aged
over 60 years will continue to increase by at least up to ten percent, from
about 20% of population or about one million in 2010 to about 30% by 2050 or
about 2.4 millions. As a response, a ten-year project plan has been developed
by the Victorian Government (2010) to address an ageing
society in the state and outlined a strategy to ensure the rights of older
people and ensuring the wider communities can gain benefits from the skills,
experience and wisdom of their seniors. In one of the three priorities areas of
the plan it aims to make the city, its infrastructures and services, activities
and offerings become age-friendly, makes it safe and accessible for everyone: residents,
businesses and tourists, and especially support the active participation and
inclusion of older Victorians (S. G. o. Victoria, 2010, pp. 5-10). As internationally
Melbourne now known and rated as the most livable city in the world for the
last three years (Staff, 2013), therefore it is important
to keep its profile that the city provide its best services and attractive to
all ages with diverse abilities.
This paper tries to contribute in assessing one
of Melbourne’s public areas, the building of its railway’s icon, the Flinders Street
Station and its outdoor space. How “age-friendly” the area to accommodate the
mobilization of older people living and visiting Melbourne and facilitate them
to remain active and independent? What can be improved to ensure that the city
of Melbourne, especially its public facility, could address the needs, provide
better services and given priorities for the older people.
How Friendly is Melbourne’s Railway
Icon?
Flinders Street
Station, locates on the corner of Flinders and Swanston Street, is the first
railway station in Australia and known as the world’s busiest train station in
the late 1920s. Today this station remains the busiest in Melbourne’s
metropolitan network, provides its Metro service to the suburbs and regional
services by the V/Line to nearly a quarter of a million people during a routine
day (P. T. Victoria, 2013). Over the years the
station has become Melbourne’s landmark, as a meeting place for Melbournians,
and a-must-place-to-visit and take photo for tourists from all over the world.
“Meet me under the clocks”, or “I’ll meet you on the steps”, are some of
Melbourne’s famous idioms, which refer to the clocks above the main entrance
and the wide staircase underneath the clocks.
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines an
age-friendly city as its structures and services are accessible and inclusive
for older people with their diverse needs and capacities (Organization, 2007). Therefore the idea of
this evaluation is to examine and assess whether the building and outdoors
spaces to and from Flinders Street Station are age-friendly and accessible. Do
those provision of facilities acknowledge the needs and rights of older people,
as it states on the WHO Global Age-Friendly Cities Guides, that everyone should
have equal opportunity and treatment in all aspects of life, including when
they grow older.
Methodology
The
Age-Friendly City Framework developed by the WHO is used as the guidance and
reference in undertaking this assessment. The evaluation is focus on the
age-friendliness of the building and the outdoor spaces of the Flinders Street
Railway Station. The ethnographic observation and spot-checks to the location
were undertaken from the period of March 29th – April 5th,
2014. The observation was taken during the weekday at morning peak-hour from
8AM-9AM and afternoon 4PM-5PM, the non-peak hours from 10AM-11AM and 2PM-3PM,
and during weekend (on Saturday at March 29th and Sunday on April 5th).
Those observations followed with semi-structured interviews with ten senior
elderly whom just departed and about to embark the Station during those above
mention periods. Six out of ten senior persons interviewed are women. Four out
of ten of them are immigrants coming from non-English speaking country.
Some of the challenges found during the
observation, spot-checks and interviews. One of the difficulties was in
approaching the informant. At the beginning most of them were reluctant to be
interviewed due to their limited time availability, and also most probably
because the interviews were undertaken without prior notice, in casual approach
and led by an Asian-looking single woman. The other constraint found that
evaluator has limited access and time to inspect the whole areas within the
building without formal consent request to the management of the Station. Furthermore,
because relatively only a small number of older people could be interviewed,
this may effect the richness of data collection and analysis. Ideally to have a
better evaluation result, more people from diverse user groups of the station
could be involved as part of variety of data collection.
Finding
Overview of Finding
In
general, Flinders Street Station is equipped with most of the basic features to
support older people to stay active, safe and independent during their journey
to and from the Station. Referred to the WHO’s checklist, this evaluation
consider the building as moderately age-friendly, with basic features such as
elevators, escalators, ramps, non-slip flooring, and availability of toilets
with handicap access. One highlight and important service is the Travellers Aid
Access Services, located at the main concourse between Platforms 9 and 10. This
service aims to promote independence, autonomy and inclusion of seniors and
travellers with disability, to assist them to maximizing their ability to
participate in day-to-day activities such as employment, volunteering, social
and community events (TravellersAID, 2014). This facility is in line
with the concept of activity theory in social gerontology, which encourages the
older persons to maintain their existing activities as long as it possible (Estes, Biggs, & Phillipson, 2010, pp. 68-69; Havighurst,
Neugarten, & Tobin, 1963, p. 419). Mobility equipment, such
as wheelchair, and communication assistance for people with speech and hearing impairments
freely provided for those in needs with minimum 24 hours notice required,
available everyday from 8AM-8PM. By having this facility and service, it helps
older people to remain active, independent, and maintain their healthy
lifestyle.
A
secure environment is another important facility available at the Station.
Having the 24 hours Police Station just outside main entrance of the station made
especially seniors and disabled travellers feeling secure in their journey to
access the Station. However whereas this safety service is in-place, the
surrounding areas still need improvements. For example, the lighting at the
concourse area and the street lighting just outside the police station need additions
and maintenance. The lighting is relatively dim at night, which may hinder the
visibility and mobility of older people and disabled, especially when there are
high pedestrian traffics.
Inside The Building
When asked about how friendly is the building, most of
the informants’ state that they feel more comfortable traveling alone to and
from Flinders Street Station, compared to the other railway stations especially
in the suburbs. They mostly praised the numbers of elevators available in all
platforms, it mostly always available whenever they use it. Female informants
state they prefer to use the elevator because it’s quieter and less crowded than
using escalator. However they raised concern over the lighting inside and
outside the elevator, which as they said, “ it’s
a bit dark”. On the contrary, some of the male seniors prefer to use the
escalator, because its placed in a more convenient location, easy to reach and
do not require them to walk longer.
Within the building, there are three concourses
link the 13 platforms. The main concourse at the main dome, located off the
Swanston Street, provide direct access to all platforms via escalators, stairs
and elevators. Whereas the Degraves
Street Subway located just under the center of the station with exiting way to
Flinders Street, serves with stairs and connecting to all platforms, except for
platform 12 and 13. The last is the Elizabeth Street Subway, located at the
west end. This can directly access with ramps to all platforms, except for
platforms 1,12, and 13. In regards to the accessibility of the elevators, this
evaluation found that some elevators, especially which link platforms 1 and 2,
12 and 13, are located at the back corner of the area which required passenger
to walk longer, and may not easily found or seen by older passengers and
especially disabled in wheelchair, blind or with low vision impairment.
Services
are another important age-friendly feature available at the Station. Other than
the Travellers Aid Access Services, the Customer Service counter available in
the middle of the main concourse is highly appreciated by the informants. Whenever
they get confused with the train timetable and direction, they come to the
counter. Most of the informants also state that when they traveled alone
without carer or companion, they feel welcome and being helped by the friendly
approach of the officers and other younger passengers. In regards to this, we
can see on the importance of the social behavior and attitude toward older
people in building age-friendly environment within society, and furthermore in
shaping ageing as identity in contemporary society (Biggs, 2001).
Despite
the convenience expressed by the informants, a number of barriers are
identified in relation to the adequate public toilets within the Flinders
Street Station. Whereas the handicap-accessible toilets are available, but all
the informants state that they prefer to use the public toilet available at the
main concourse area, as it easier to found. However they point out on the
cleanness of the facility. In addition to the female toilets, they expressed
that they sometimes need to wait on a long queuing especially during the peak
hours. During spot-check to the location, the researcher found that the female
toilets are not too well maintained. It’s smelly, run out of toilet papers, some
area of the floor are wet and lighting quality are poor, which may present
danger to older women. Due to health and bodily changing issues, elder people
tend to visit toilet frequently, it should be a priority for the Station on the
quality of their public toilets facility, in both numbers and convenience for aging
people.
It is
notable that most informants admitted that whenever they travelled alone and
unsure about direction or timetables, they prefer to approach an officer or
make a visit to the Customer Service Counter. One of the reasons in taking the
effort is because as they said, they have difficulty to see clearly on the
signage. They point out that both of the display and the font of the signage are
too small to be seen. Furthermore, they also feel fear to come closer to where
the main signage placed in at the concourse, as the area are always crowded with
large number of busy people passing by in and out, coming from all directions
in a big space. In addition, some comments from the immigrant informants whom
wish to have multi-languages signage, other than English, can be available at
the Flinders Street Station, which they said, “this is an international railway station”.
Outdoor Spaces
Due to special concession and arrangement by the
Commonwealth Government and the Victorian Public Transport, senior Victorians
have free access to public transport during weekend (P. T. Victoria, 2013; S. G. o. Victoria, 2010). This
evaluation found that this might be the reason that during two times
observation on weekend, many more seniors were seen in the station, compared to
observation during weekday. However Swanston Street and the Federation Square have
also known for overcrowding during weekend, with various social and community events.
Crossing the street from the station to Swanston Street and Federation Square
may bring some challenges for the older people, as they mostly walk slower among
the crowd and within high pedestrian traffics. On this situation, pedestrian
crossing light time may no longer sufficient for older people. In addition,
this evaluation found that despite visual and audio signal are available, but
the tactile button signal in surrounding Station (Swanston and Elisabeth
Street) are found not working. This type of pedestrian signal crossing is especially
an important feature for older people with hearing and low vision impairment, the
blind and other type of disability.
Accessible and affordable public transport is
one key factor which influencing active ageing. In regards to this, the
strategic location of the Station offers this to their user. Public transport
such as trams, taxis, and buses are easily found just outside the Station. All
are accessible by walking distance. However, lacks of public seating are found
surrounding those areas, which are another important facility to support older
people to resting and relaxing during their walking journey. In addition,
beautiful heritage buildings such the old church opposite the Station and the
Yarra River walk-side just beside the Station provide another attractive value
for the older people, as well as visitors and tourists, to visit the area and
this compliment the uniqueness offered by the Melbourne’s iconic Station and
its surroundings.
Conclusion
In general the building and
its surrounding areas have been equipped with basic age-friendliness features as
stated in the WHO’s Checklist. However some improvement and new initiatives may
need to be considered in supporting active ageing in Victoria. This evaluation
found a number of ways that could be improved to increase the age-friendliness
of Flinders Street Station and its outdoor spaces.
These are as follows:
1.
Regular monitoring and maintenance of the amenities
within the building, especially those that considered high-use and needed by the
elderly and disabled travellers, such as toilets and lightings.
2.
Ideally, monitoring and evaluation to the facility of
the Station should involve older people as part of the team, as they could
provide insight on what would be needed and added to help them confidently
enjoy their mobility.
3.
Knowing that the Station is one of the busiest, a
clear line of pathway for people’s in and out traffic, especially at the inside
main concourse, entrance and exit way of the building may need to be re-design
to accommodate the older and disabled passengers’ to feel secure, safe and comfortable
while walking towards the building and the outside area. The same things for
other supporting main facilities such as the signage and timetable information
with bigger font or large print, and in multi-languages, or ensure the availability
of language support for older migrants. Providing special targeting information
packs for the older people may also be considered as another strategy.
4.
The Victorian Coalition Government is currently on
process to rejuvenate and restore the iconic Station. An International Design
Competition has started since last year to sough the best ideas to re-energize
the building and its surrounding areas. This would be an opportunity to include
one of the prime characteristics of an age-friendly feature into the design,
which are the “Design for Diversity”. A concept that aims to enabling spaces
and structures are not just function, but barriers-free and accessible for
users with different capacities and abilities. Public seating, adequate public
toilets, dropped curbs and ramps, good lighting, and safely timed pedestrian
crossing signals that friendly for the elders and disabled, including
information and communication technologies should be adapted to support the
other facilities offers by the Station.
Melbourne, Autumn 2014
Lia Marpaung-Abidin
