Where is the temperature of a city?

The blind road on the sidewalk is gradually improving, the toilets for the elderly in bank outlets, the newly installed handrails in elevators and steps in old communities … Some seemingly insignificant changes in life have facilitated the daily life of the disabled and the elderly, and also made the city more friendly and livable.

This year’s "Government Work Report" proposes to promote the construction of barrier-free environment and the aging transformation of public facilities. In recent years, what progress has been made in China’s related work, what changes have been brought to people’s lives in various places, and what should be done next? The reporter conducted an interview.

Let people with disabilities travel more smoothly

Reduce the "breakpoint" of the blind road and the height difference of the kerb ramp.

When visually impaired people travel daily, obstacles will always appear inadvertently: it may be a raised step at the intersection, a manhole cover above the ground, or a discontinuous steep slope. In the capital Beijing, these "blocking points" in the past are gradually decreasing.

Shi Jing, a visually impaired person who lives in Fahua Nanli Community, Dongcheng District, Beijing, is 54 years old. After graduating from the school for the blind in 1990s, he became a masseur for the blind. Over the years, traveling back and forth between home and activity centers for the disabled day after day, Shi Jing measured the pace of barrier-free construction of roads in Beijing with a blind stick.

"Travel has to go through three levels, walk on the trail, cross the road and find the station." Shi Jing said that in the past, blind roads were not perfect in many places, so they had to knock on the road teeth and often went astray. Nowadays, leaving the community and turning into the trail, a large area of warning blind roads are laid; At the junction of the road and the trail, the steps were changed into gentle slopes; Around the bus stop, there is also a circle of blind roads, which is very practical.

Behind the convenience of visually impaired people, it is inseparable from the efforts and efforts of relevant departments. Jing Lubo, the relevant person in charge of the Urban Road Management Office of the Beijing Municipal Commission of Communications, told the reporter that since the implementation of the special action on barrier-free environment construction in Beijing in 2019, the city has managed more than 26,000 blind road problems, more than 6,500 crosswalk curb ramps have been sloped, and 35 pedestrian overpasses and underground passages have been transformed, achieving the basic "no breakpoint" for blind roads and "zero height difference" for curb ramps.

In order to create a barrier-free environment, the relevant departments have carefully crafted-

Turn a curve into a straight one. There are many manhole covers on some trails. In the past, blind roads were built around manhole covers. Although obstacles were avoided, it was not convenient enough. After many visits and listening to users’ needs and suggestions, the transportation department began to transform: first, "go to the height difference" and sink the raised manhole cover to the ground as much as possible; Then "bend to straight", change the traveling blind road located on both sides of the manhole cover into the prompting blind road for going straight, which not only reminds the visually impaired, but also allows them to take fewer detours.

Turn emergency into slow. According to the barrier-free design code, a gentle slope with a slope of about 8 degrees should be set at the interface between the road and the trail. However, many bus stops located on the isolation belt are small in area, which makes it difficult to slope in both directions. The design team made efforts to "embroider" the gentle slope from horizontal to vertical, and added handrails, which not only made the ramp gentle enough, but also made the space be effectively used.

For many cities, promoting barrier-free environment construction has become a "required question". In Beijing, a megacity with a population of over 20 million and an urban road mileage of over 8,400 kilometers, every "micro-renovation" tests the wisdom of managers.

At the 9: 00 am rush hour, at the intersection of Haidian District, Zhongguancun East Road and Zhichun Road in Beijing, people and cars passed by, but they were orderly. "Such a scene was unimaginable two years ago." Pointing to the auxiliary road separated from the main road of Zhichun Road by the green belt, Yang Yang, chief of the maintenance management section of Beijing Urban Road Maintenance Management Center, told the reporter that the auxiliary road originally had both motor vehicle lanes and non-motor vehicle lanes, and there was no room for footpaths, not to mention blind roads. During peak hours, people and vehicles were mixed, and the traffic was not smooth and pedestrians were inconvenient.

How to solve the problem? Through long-term monitoring and analysis of the traffic situation at the intersection, the optimal solution soon emerged: remove the motor vehicle lane on the auxiliary road, merge the right lane into the main road, and build new trails and blind roads at the same time. After the implementation of this plan, the traffic is smoother and the satisfaction of all parties is high.

"The construction of urban barrier-free environment is endless, and it is impossible to do it overnight." For more than 10 years, Yang Yang has participated in and witnessed the changes of barrier-free facilities in Beijing from scratch and from excellent to excellent. "Barrier-free construction is to make every link of road traffic smoother and safer, so that more people can feel the convenience of travel. In the future, we will combine the changes in roads and surrounding public facilities, sort out and adjust roads one by one, and strengthen the daily inspection and management of barrier-free facilities. "

In early spring, Shi Jing often takes his apprentices for an outing in Beijing. "Sometimes the important thing is not that I have to go to this building, but that I can go to this building myself." Shi Jing likes this sentence said by famous writer Shi Tiesheng very much. "In recent years, it has become more and more convenient for visually impaired people to go out to work. Even if it is difficult for us to see the city with our own eyes, we can really feel her kindness and warmth to us from the bottom of our hearts. "

Make it easier for the elderly to do things.

Add an "elderly area" offline and develop a "caring model" online.

China has the largest elderly population in the world and one of the fastest aging countries in the world. How to actively respond to the aging population and make the city more friendly to the elderly? It is imperative to adapt to aging in a wider range and at a higher level.

Early in the morning, Dai Qiulan, a 71-year-old Nanjing citizen, walked into the lobby of Nanjing Municipal Affairs Service Center. She felt a little weak: she wanted to apply for a preferential card for the elderly, but the words on the self-service machine could not be read clearly. Later, under the guidance of the staff, the doubts suddenly disappeared.

It turns out that the homepage of the self-service machine is specially set up with the "elderly area". When you click it gently, the font becomes larger and the color is clear, which saves you energy. In less than 10 minutes, Dai Qiulan completed the application process and quickly got the documents.

"Convenience service wants to facilitate the people, and you have to wait for the elderly." Du Zhongyu, deputy director of the Information Technology Department of Nanjing Municipal Service Management Office, said that in recent years, Nanjing has steadily promoted the aging transformation of public service institutions-

As soon as the elderly enter the hall, they will be guided by a special person and accompanied throughout the process; Set up the "elderly priority" window, equipped with special seats for the elderly; In the self-service machine and online service network, the "elderly area" will be opened simultaneously, which will be related to more than 50 high-frequency matters handled by the elderly, such as basic pension personal account inquiry and citizen card replacement; Open the Nanjing government service network, social security, provident fund, medical care and other convenient services are lined up, just click "barrier-free browsing" and you can switch to "care mode" in one second.

Intimate service won the praise of Dai Qiulan. According to statistics, after the aging transformation of government services in Nanjing in 2021, the number of elderly people’s offices increased by 67% year-on-year, and the satisfaction rate increased from 99.1% to 99.5%.

Praise is hard to come by. Aging renovation of public places is a systematic project, which requires both more manpower and more investment.

"Every old man needs special guidance when he enters the hall. After calculation, the service personnel gap is about 30%. " Du Zhongyan introduced that the relevant departments mobilized everyone’s enthusiasm to take more posts and take the initiative to make up the position through party member’s leadership and evaluation, and the shortage of personnel was effectively alleviated.

Funds can’t be absent. The number of old-age items is lower than that of ordinary items, and the cost of aging renovation and upgrading is hardly proportional to the number of users. "Suitable for aging transformation, and more importantly, its social value." Du Zhongyu said that at present, the proportion of elderly people over 60 years old in Nanjing is close to 20% of the city’s permanent population. The aging transformation will not only benefit the present, but also play a long-term role.

"The aging transformation of urban public space can not only better meet the needs of the elderly, but also benefit the long-term economic development." Wang Yu, director of the Laboratory of Building for the Aged in China Institute of Architectural Design and Research, believes that during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, the growth rate of the population over 60 in China will obviously exceed that during the 13th Five-Year Plan period. According to the characteristics of the elderly, finely improving urban public facilities will effectively enhance social vitality and further stimulate the development of the silver-haired economy.

Make community pension more comfortable.

Hardware space is perfect, software management is improved, and supporting facilities are optimized.

At present, most elderly people in China choose to live at home for the aged. Community is the carrier and foundation of home-based care for the aged, and it is also the focus of aging transformation.

Spring in Hangzhou in March is just right. In the Qian Jing community in Shangcheng District, Zhu Shuangmei, a retired old man, and his wife had just had lunch from the elderly canteen, and they went to the elderly activity center dozens of meters away to rehearse new songs with the old sisters of the choir. "Community pension, quite comfortable!" Zhu Shuangmei said.

Regular and simple old-age canteen, well-equipped health consultation room and brand-new and exquisite activity center, through the introduction of third-party institutions, Baimi Street across Jingfang East District has a one-stop community pension service integrating life care, culture and entertainment, and medical care.

Two years ago, the 100-meter street was another look. Jingfang East District was built in the 1990s. After the rise of commercial streets, it was convenient for residents to buy food and eat at home, but it also caused cross-flow of sewage and dirty environment.

In September, 2020, with the continuous promotion of the comprehensive renovation and upgrading of the old residential areas in Shangcheng District, the community in Qian Jing ushered in an opportunity of "changing its old look into a new one". In order to do a good job and make the work in the hearts of the masses, the community specially held a forum for soliciting opinions, asking everyone to brainstorm and discuss the plan.

"At present, the number of elderly people over the age of 60 in the community has exceeded one third, and the voice of community public pension services is very high. Building an elderly canteen can not only meet the dining needs of the elderly, but also be open to all community residents, which can maximize the use of existing space. " At the meeting, Zhu Hongying, secretary of the community party committee, listed the community development needs one by one. In the end, the aging-adaptive transformation scheme has been recognized by most people.

Qian Jing community is a microcosm of the aging transformation of old communities. "Today, meeting the needs of the elderly in the community with high quality has become a key task in the transformation of old communities." Yan Gang, secretary of the Party Committee of Hangzhou Urban and Rural Construction Management Service Center, said that Hangzhou has systematically optimized supporting facilities for the elderly in the community through measures such as tapping the potential of hardware space, multi-subject collaboration and software management upgrading, and has used market-oriented mechanisms and actively introduced social capital to stimulate the sustainable motivation of upgrading community services, so that more and more elderly people can enjoy more professional and more yuan-based aged care services in the community.

According to reports, since 2019, Hangzhou has completed the renovation of 714 communities, benefiting nearly 360,000 residents. The city has added 121,000 square meters of service facilities such as old-age care and cultural activities, including about 22,700 square meters of old-age service places, and added 3,851 barrier-free and aging-friendly facilities. From a national perspective, from 2019 to 2021, the country started to renovate 115,000 old urban communities, benefiting more than 20 million households; In the process of transformation in various places, a total of 51,000 elevators were installed, and more than 30,000 community service facilities such as old-age care were added.

In the living room of Zhu Hongying’s family, the discussion about the aging transformation of the community continues. "The old-age day care center mentioned last time, we are working on the transformation, and we will focus on it this year." Zhu Hongying tells everyone. "This is good! When you get together, you are not alone. " Community residents nodded in praise.

At the national level, the blueprint for promoting barrier-free environment construction and aging transformation has been drawn. The 14th Five-Year Plan for Barrier-free Environment Construction issued at the end of last year clearly states that by 2025, the legal guarantee mechanism for barrier-free environment construction will be more perfect, the barrier-free basic public service system will be more complete, the information barrier-free service will be deeply applied, the barrier-free humanistic environment will be continuously optimized, the systematic, complete and inclusive level of barrier-free facilities in urban and rural areas will be significantly improved, 1.1 million families with severe difficulties and disabilities will be supported to carry out barrier-free transformation, and barrier-free facilities with complete facilities, perfect functions, smooth information and comfortable experience will be accelerated. (Reporter Han Xin Yao Xueqing Dou Yuyang)

　　The layout of the Forbidden City embodies the designers’ wisdom. The clever thinking of "facing the mountain and facing the water" is one of the obvious characteristics. Jingshan Mountain is in the north of the Forbidden City, and Neijinshui River is in the south. There were no mountains in Beijing. When the Forbidden City was built in Yongle period, more than 1 million cubic meters of soil was excavated by opening a moat, and the piles of muck demolished by the Yuan Dynasty Palace could not be treated. So, a "waste utilization" came, which piled up the soil into mountains and planted trees on them. This is the Zhenshan in the north of the Forbidden City. Zhenshan was called "jingshan park" in the Ming Dynasty, and it was renamed "Jingshan" in the Qing Dynasty, and it has been used ever since. Jingshan is the commanding height in Beijing, which is east-west and narrow in the north-south direction, much like a screen. At the same time, when the Forbidden City was built, a culvert was dug downstairs from the northwest corner to introduce the moat water into the city. This is the specially dug Jinshui River. Jinshui River winds south through Chenglong Temple, winding all the way, turning east through Wuying Hall, passing Taihe Gate and Wenyuan Pavilion, and flowing out of the Forbidden City from the southeast corner. Jinshui River not only provides drainage channels for people in the Forbidden City, but also echoes with Jingshan Mountain, forming an aesthetic image of mountains, rivers and mountains in harmony. The surface of Jinshui River is lower than the ground of the Forbidden City, and the main part of the Forbidden City is built on the balcony between Jingshan and Jinshui River. Through Jingshan and Jinshui River, the Forbidden City is in harmony with nature in the aesthetic sense.

　　"negative yin embraces yang" is also a feature of the layout of the forbidden city. All the important palaces in the city face south. Chapter 42 of Laozi’s Tao Te Ching says: "Everything is negative and holds Yang, and rushing into the air is thought to be harmonious". It means that everything in the world is shady and sunny, and yin and yang interact to form a new harmonious body. The important palace buildings in the Forbidden City face south, with a large number of doors and windows in the south and fewer doors and windows in the north. The Book of Changes, Zhuan Zhuan Zhuan, says, "Sages listen to the world from the south, and govern from the Ming Dynasty", which means that the ancient sages ruled the world by listening to the south and facing the bright sunshine. Similarly, this layout has scientific significance in geography: the Yellow River Basin in China is located in the most remarkable subtropical monsoon climate area in the northern hemisphere, and in winter, a high pressure is formed in the northwest of the Asian continent, with a northerly wind for several months; In summer, the center of high pressure turns to the southeast Pacific Ocean, and the rainy monsoon from the south makes the temperature rise and the summer heat pressing. Under this geographical condition, it is most suitable for the building to face south, with the north side closed to keep out the cold, and the south side with windows for sunlight and ventilation in summer.

　　Another feature of the layout of the Forbidden City is "taking the positive center". "Correcting" means that the north-south direction is the main axial direction of the building layout. This is mainly due to the construction experience of ancient Chinese craftsmen based on the geographical location and natural environment of China, that is, the main seat faces south and is symmetrical left and right. "Centripetal" means that all secondary buildings face the main building. All the ancient buildings in the Forbidden City are mainly quadrangles, with the main rooms facing south and the wing rooms facing east and west. This centripetal architectural style not only makes the distance between houses smaller, which is conducive to the convenience of transportation, but also reflects the idea of "China is supreme" and "China is still big" in ancient China culture. At the same time, this orientation layout reflects the unity and coordination of the ancient buildings in the Forbidden City, and there is no sense of clutter.

　　The architectural division of the Forbidden City is also particular. From the perspective of architectural functional zoning, the layout of the Forbidden City includes the imperial court area and the imperial court area. The buildings of the former dynasty were located in the south of the Forbidden City, mainly including the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Hall of Zhonghe and the Hall of Baohe (commonly known as the Three Great Halls), which was the place where the emperor held important ceremonies. The imperial palace buildings are mainly located in the northern part of the Forbidden City, including Ganqing Palace, Jiaotai Palace, Kunning Palace (commonly known as the last three palaces) and the East and West Six palaces, which are the places where emperors and empresses live. The three great halls of the former dynasty occupied a large area and formed a huge pattern in the Forbidden City. These three buildings stand on a three-story platform, which is 8.13 meters high and takes the form of Sumitomo. Sumeru is actually the base of the Buddha statue. "Sumeru" is an Indian Buddhist term, which means "the center of the universe". Sumeru is used as the foundation of the building, which means that the building is stable and long-lasting. The three-story platform of the three halls can highlight the grandeur and height of the building, form an obvious contrast with other buildings in the Forbidden City, and highlight its extraordinary position. Not only that, the three halls are elegant in richness and dignified in exquisiteness, which highlights the majesty of the emperor. The Three Great Halls are not only the center of the Forbidden City, but also the center of Beijing, with the axis from Yongdingmen in the south to the Bell Tower in the north, becoming a straight central line. On both sides of this axis, buildings with less important functions are arranged symmetrically and orderly in turn. There is also a square with an area of 30,000 square meters in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony. This layout is conducive to showing a grand scene when holding important ceremonies.For the six palaces of the East and West, they are symmetrically arranged and vertically arranged. These buildings are separated vertically and horizontally by the East-West Second Long Street and the alleys in front of the palace, forming a very regular and rigorous closed space with streets and lanes, and the doors and walls of the seats are connected and separated. In their own space, that is, in the independent courtyards of each palace, they have the same layout and basically the same architectural form. The plane of each palace is square, and the layout is in the form of a three-in-one courtyard with two courtyards. The front hall and the back bedroom are all equipped with halls, which are strictly symmetrical. The layout of the courtyards of the East-West Six Palaces is subtle and compact, which not only guarantees the privacy of the life of the Empress Dowager, but also has reasonable planning: "How deep the courtyards are" can reflect the location characteristics of the East-West Six Palaces in the Forbidden City. On the whole, the architecture of the former dynasty was Yang, and Yang was majestic and tall. The architecture of the imperial palace is yin, and yin converges to the reality of hiding. The six palaces in the east and west and the three halls form a harmonious and unified wisdom thought of rigidity and softness, yang and yin.

　　In addition, the architectural layout of the Forbidden City was convex in the former dynasty and concave in the imperial palace. The combination of convex and concave is just like a mortise and tenon. This layout of tenon-mortise connection not only shows the ingenious tenon-mortise locking concept of the ancient buildings in the Forbidden City, but also embodies the concept of "Yin and Yang in one" in ancient Chinese architectural culture, which is a reflection of the wisdom of the builders of ancient architecture.

　　(The author is a research librarian of the Palace Museum)