17 Sep 2021
Inclusive Spaces 2021 – Harnessing Intergenerational Spirit for Active Aging
We will soon be completing the 2021 edition of Inclusive Spaces. This exciting event extended a number of Design Thinking concepts to primary and secondary student participants. Culminating in an Empactathon® (portmanteau of empathy + impact + hackathon) event bringing active seniors, youth mentors from tertiary design students and Frasers Property employee volunteers, we are soon ready to disclose the winning ideas that promote greater accessibility in real estate as well as promote intergenerational bonding.
This is not the first time we have run Inclusive Spaces. For us at Frasers Property, this is aligned with our purpose-driven journey of ‘Inspiring experiences, creating places for good’. Our purpose serves as our North Star, guiding us to drive innovation and progress across Environment, Customer Centricity, and Resilience with inclusion and mental wellness.
Inclusive Spaces is helping as an organisation to examine how real estate can promote better resilience with a focus on wellness and inclusion. With lockdowns affecting billions globally, many of us are spending even more time indoors. This is further accentuating the importance of real estate, which is integral to our overall experience of life.
With the first edition of Inclusive Spaces in 2019, Diversity and Inclusion was already an important priority for Frasers Property. Our inaugural project in Singapore enabled us to spur meaningful conversations with people suffering from physical challenges. This has encouraged us to make progressive emphasis in contributing to inclusive communities with real estate places with universal design catering to physical, functional and social inclusion.
For instance, Northpoint City is the only shopping mall in Singapore that has a community club administered by the People’s Association. The team at this mall also underwent a “Forget Me Not” training programme to equip them with the know-hows to provide a safe and comfortable environment for people with dementia and their caregivers.
Indeed with 2020 ushering an extended period of lockdowns, one of the impacts of COVID-19 has meant more digital interactions, the inability to travel and more time in indoors. We believe the biggest impact by demographics would be the elderly, because their health and age increases their vulnerability and limits to group size has impacted them the most. Furthermore, we must place sufficient emphasis on intergenerational bonding that has been proven to provide a positive dividend to social and mental wellbeing of not just seniors but our young.
By 2040, Singaporeans are expected to have the third-highest life expectancy in the world. How then should our real estate projects be better equipped and ready to better address the issues faced by our elderly? If the built environment has to be designed for active aging and longevity, we need to set the wheels in motion now.
This year’s Inclusive Spaces is all about bringing people of all generations together to develop ideas for greater accessibility of real estate spaces as well as promote intergenerational bonding. We are of the firm view that no one should be left behind.
Without giving away the plot now, you’ll just have to watch this space and tune in real soon!