Issue 21 | August 2019

HDB Friends of Our Heartlands student volunteers share what it means to give back to the community

Find out how a hydroponics garden in Woodlands is bringing the community together

Catch up on the latest happenings at NParks Biodiversity Week and URA Draft Master Plan Exhibition

Friends of Park Connector Network chairperson and cycling enthusiast Woon Tai Woon shares how a cycling group can bring people together to do good for the community.

Woon Tai Woon Chairperson, Friends of Park Connector Network A Quarterly Newsletter for Friends of the MND Family CONTENTS 04 PEOPLE Starting a chain reaction

Image: URA 07 08 PEOPLE PROGRAMME Eco-trailblazers Celebrating life in lead the way in the heartlands green heartland living Image: HDB

PROGRAMME PROGRAMME PARTNERSHIP 10 Building a community, 11 Showering animals with 12 Celebrating ’s seed by seed love and care biodiversity

IN THE NEWS EVENT 14 16 The Bicentennial Experience

EDITORIAL TEAM

Jeanine Tan (MND) Contributors: Fiona Seah (MND) Pearly Cheong (CEA) Wong Yeang Cherng (NParks) Nur Elysa Sapari (MND) Tan Xiao Rong (HDB) Tan Xiao Rong (HDB) Michelle Wong (MND) Chong Poh Choo (NParks) Ang Ruyi (URA) Jamie Sing (MND) Denise Chen (NParks) SHARE A STORY FEEDBACK

Share a story with us today! We would love to hear your Tell us how we are doing and how we can make Happy inspiring stories and personal journeys about volunteering Hands more interesting for you! Do you have suggestions with the MND Family. Be it an article, illustration or that could jazz up your read? photograph, we welcome your contributions.

Do drop us a note at [email protected]! 2 Issue 21 | August 2019

Chairman of the MND Family Volunteer and Alumni Network, Minister for Social and Family Development and Second Minister for National Development Desmond Lee (right) with Team Hydroglen, one of the winning teams at Build-a-thon 2019 celebrating HDB Community Week at Kampung Admiralty. CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE CHAIRMAN’S

Dear Friends of the MND Family,

Together with you, our work touches the everyday lives of many Singaporeans.

Our neighbourhoods and towns are home to families and communities. Our green spaces offer respite amidst our cityscape, and green buildings help us to be urbanised yet sustainable at the same time. And careful, long-term urban planning enables us to be a modern global city while preserving the distinctive character and identity of our heritage buildings and conservation areas.

Our volunteers and partners are an invaluable part of our MND Family. You lend us your advice, experience, ideas, time and expertise to help us make Singapore a better home for everyone, now and for the future. In doing so, you also inspire others to be a part of these efforts. Thank you!

In this issue, we feature some ways that we are working together. For example, cycling enthusiast Woon Tai Woon is our Friends of Park Connector Network chairperson. Tai Woon champions a car-lite lifestyle and promotes safe riding etiquette so that shared spaces like our park connectors may be enjoyed safely and graciously by everyone. I am also happy that our youths are doing good for the community, from organising activities for seniors in the neighbourhood to caring for animals and encouraging responsible pet ownership.

Whenever I meet our volunteers and partners, I am always encouraged by your passion and creativity for the causes you care about. If you have ideas for bringing communities together in our shared spaces, whether it is HDB void decks, along our park connectors or other public spaces (even our streets!) we would like to work with you to bring your ideas to life. I believe that by working together, we can do more and make an even bigger impact on the life of fellow Singaporeans.

Yours sincerely,

Desmond Lee Minister for Social and Family Development and Second Minister for National Development Chairman of the MND Family Volunteer and Alumni Network

HOUSING & DEVELOPMENT BOARD

3 A Quarterly Newsletter for Friends of the MND Family

PEOPLE

Starting a chain reaction Chairperson of Friends of Park Connector Network, Woon Tai Woon shares how a cycling group can bring people together to do good for the community.

Beyond riding safely and saving the environment, these activities bond the community. It makes me very happy when people share that they find the event meaningful “ and realise that they too can be a part of the solution to “ make things better. Woon Tai Woon Chairperson, Friends of Park Connector Network

Woon Tai Woon is the co-founder of and allowing those who live nearby to LovecyclingSG and chairperson of the go on their own rides more easily. Friends of Park Connector Network. Just like how park connectors link Occasionally, everyone would also various parks in Singapore, allowing gather to support large-scale events people to park-hop easily across such as URA’s Car-Free Sunday. We the island, Tai Woon mobilises also collaborate with URA and NParks communities and actively brings at other events. One of the first Sunday rides by together people who share a common LovecyclingSG, at the former National interest in cycling and doing good for Tell us about some of your Stadium in 2010. society. collaborations to promote a car-lite Singapore. What prompted you to set up On Car-Free Sundays organised by LovecyclingSG? URA, segments of roads are converted We started LovecyclingSG (LCSG) in into pathways and cycling paths. At the 2010 with the idea of “playing tourist same time, family-friendly and sports- in our own backyard”. We wanted related activities are made available for to explore and share various parts everyone to enjoy the car-free streets. of Singapore that held our personal At the inaugural Car-Free Sunday childhood memories. One of our earliest in 2016, LCSG and fellow riders, or rides was around the former National angels as I like to call them, led about Stadium and the Marina Bay area. As 800 riders from 3 different parts of the group cycled around, we shared our Singapore to the event in the Central personal stories about the places with Business District (CBD). Car-Free one another and in the process, learnt Sunday is a fun way to experience (Above) Tai Woon at the first Car-Free the CBD differently and for people to interesting things about them. Sunday event on the bamboo kar built experience going car-lite. by the LovecyclingSG team. (Bottom) Find out more about LCSG at the blog here. Tai Woon sharing about the bamboo kar One of our creative initiatives at Car- project with fellow cyclists. How has the group evolved since? Free Sunday was the bamboo kar. It Images: LovecyclingSG LCSG has grown in outreach and scope served as a visual comparison of the of our activities. Some of our members amount of space taken up by a car as have created their own cycling groups, compared to a bike. helping to connect like-minded people

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Effectively, a car takes up as much space as 10 bicycles. Imagine the amount of space we could free up for the community if we go car-lite!

Find out when the next edition of Car- Free Sunday is here.

We also work with URA to showcase Watch the videos on going car-lite here. Tai Woon with URA volunteers at a everyday people who use bicycles as a cycling event co-organised with URA. mode of transport to work, in hopes of inspiring more to do the same. Image: URA

Earlier this year, we organised a cycling activity for URA volunteers, sharing with them the simple joy of riding and the experience of riding in the city.

You also volunteer with NParks. What do you do as chairperson of Friends of Park Connector Network (PCN)? As part of NParks’ Friends of the Parks community, the Friends of PCN engages Members of LCSG coming together to paint speed regulating strips at park connectors the community by introducing them to our for the safety of all users near Simei MRT. various park connectors and promoting Images: LovecyclingSG safe use. With the safety of park users in mind, we identified some danger spots and designed speed regulating strips to make the hazard areas more visible, such as the area near Simei MRT. It was a collective effort as the community chipped in to help paint them.

We also encourage safe riding etiquette through the “Share the Track” programme. We believe that a great way Members of LovecyclingSG and My Bike Group gathering at the junction of Yishun to learn is by doing, so we designed drills Ave 7 to widen the landing area of a junction for the safety of pedestrians and PMD to teach safe riding. Some of the drills users. include keeping a stable balance when navigating narrow spaces on the roads Images: Eugene Wee and Uncle KC or pavements, manoeuvring an S-course, and using emergency brakes confidently.

Together with NParks, we also created a video promoting the responsible use of Personal Mobility Devices (PMD) in our parks.

As part of the “Share the Track” programme, members learn how to navigate narrow spaces (left) and manoeuvre an S-course (right).

Images: LovecyclingSG

Watch the video here.

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(Left) The LCSG and NParks team with the completed floating plant platform. (Right) Members transporting a platform made from upcycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles for launching in the water.

Images: LovecyclingSG

Tell us about some of the meaningful experiences you things to carry. After 6 months, I got used to going car-lite. have had working with the community. And I love the fact that I do not have to go around looking for Besides cycling-related events, the LCSG community parking spaces. worked with NParks to upcycle PET bottles and create floating platforms for plants. It was really heart-warming to Some tips to encourage riders to ride safely? see the LCSG community come together to improve our Along the PCN, we have some human-sized posters surroundings. featuring regular folks like you and me. They serve to visually trigger the thought: “Hey, they could be my parents Beyond safe riding and saving the environment, these or my children.” I hope riders will be more empathetic activities bond the community. It makes me very happy towards other pedestrians. when people share that they find the event meaningful and realise that they too, can be a part of the solution to make Let’s also try to be more gracious. When cycling on things better. pavements, we should give way to pedestrians and prioritise their safety. If it is too crowded, I will walk alongside the Do you think that going car-lite is achievable in bicycle. I avoid ringing the bell as it may irritate them. Singapore? Instead, I smile and say, in a friendly tone: “Hello, excuse I used to drive a van until 3 years ago. I live in Punggol and me, passing through, thank you.” I do this all the time used to work in Jurong. The daily commute was not pleasant and most pedestrians I have encountered are very at all. The infamous traffic jams along the expressways understanding. made the drive a long one, if not longer than taking public transport. So I switched to public transportat after my van’s Certificate of Entitlement expired, commuting conveniently via a mixture of various modes of public transport.

Did you know? I personally feel that going car-lite is achievable. All it takes There is a common misconception that going car-lite is a leap of faith and an open mind to try out alternatives. I and going car-free mean the same thing. To go car-lite do admit that there were some adjustments to make at the is to reduce the frequency of travelling by car and beginning – I did not know what bus or MRT to take as I had travel using alternative modes of transport (e.g. public been driving for many years. But I just did it. I cycle on my “foldie” (foldable bike) to the MRT station. I take a taxi or a transport, personal mobility devices, bicycles) more private hire car when my destination is not as accessible, often. To go car-free means to be car-less entirely. when I am with my in-laws or when I simply have too many

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PEOPLE

Eco-trailblazers lead the way in green heartland living

Sharing tips to be more environment-friendly, one eco-guided tour at a time.

By sharing with my juniors what HDB has done to create an eco-friendly living environment, I hope they come to realise how much effort has already “ been put in, and decide that they too, should play “an active part in saving the Earth. Hannah Poon, Friends of Our Heartlands volunteer (second from left, standing)

Curious about Singapore’s sustainability efforts, schoolmates Yandapalli Sri Dhanya, Hannah Poon and Keya Ojas Doshi learnt about eco-friendly features of Punggol town and became eco-guides, imparting eco-living tips to their fellow students. Through their eco-guiding tours, they hope to encourage more residents to adopt more environmentally-friendly habits. Students learning about the town’s Along with six other trained eco-guides sustainable features at the Punggol also from St. Margaret’s Secondary Discovery Cube. School, they volunteered to bring 29 schoolmates on a half-day guided tour of Punggol Eco-Town. Destinations The playground at Treelodge@Punggol is included the Treelodge@Punggol, the made entirely of recycled materials. first HDB eco-precinct; the Punggol Waterway include the floating wetlands Waterway, Singapore’s first man-made consisting of wetland plants which help waterway that was designed to bring to improve water quality. The natural residents closer to green spaces; and filtration system makes the waterway the Punggol Discovery Cube, which is more conducive for wildlife to thrive. Inspired by these youths? Join the first heartland visitor centre of its HDB’s Friends of Our Heartlands kind in Singapore! Becoming an Eco-Guide (FOH) network to sign up for In preparation for their role as eco- upcoming volunteering opportunities The eco-guides started the tour by guides, the students went on an eco-tour that benefit the community. introducing participants to the numerous of Treelodge@Punggol to familiarise green innovations in Treelodge@ themselves with the route and kept Eco-guiding is an initiative under the Punggol, HDB’s first eco-precinct which themselves abreast of news and current FOH network where volunteers are supports eco-friendly high-rise living. events relating to the environment. given opportunities to channel their skills, knowledge and resources for Some pit-stops included the Eco-deck, a Having enjoyed the eco-guiding the benefit of the community. playground made of recycled materials experience, the students shared that and a community garden which they were interested in conducting more Find out more here. residents can harvest and consume tours in future. Yandapalli reflected that produce from. “It’s not just a place she really enjoyed being an eco-guide. This is an abridged version of an to plant trees but also where people She found that it was a good fit for her article originally published in HDB’s can interact with one another among as it was a great opportunity to connect Life Storeys, a quarterly community greenery,” Keya shared. with her fellow schoolmates. “Last year, publication featuring stories and a friend came up to me and shared how happenings from the heartlands. Read The final stop of the tour was the impactful the tour was for her and she it here. Punggol Discovery Cube, which includes even became more eco-friendly through an exhibition on Singapore’s first small steps as a result. I hope our guided All images courtesy of HDB. man-made river. Eco-features of the tour can have that same impact too.” 7 A Quarterly Newsletter for Friends of the MND Family

Programme

Celebrating life in the heartlands Exemplary neighbours and community spirit take centre stage at this year’s HDB Community Week.

Second Minister for National Development Desmond Lee (in green) and Minister for Transport & Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure Khaw Boon Wan (centre, in blue) with Friends of Our Heartlands volunteers.

Kampung Admiralty Community Plaza was abuzz on 25 May 2019 as the annual HDB Community Week was launched in celebration of life and community spirit in our heartlands.

Besides key events held in Woodlands, Bedok and Punggol, the HDB Community Week 2019 also included a series of island-wide ground-up activities conducted by residents and HDB’s Friends of Our Heartlands volunteers such as performances and fun-filled workshops. Here are some highlights over the week. Minister of State for National Development Zaqy Mohamad with 14 winners of the Good Neighbour Award 2019 and their neighbours who nominated them. At the Friends of Our Heartlands Appreciation Ceremony, Second Minister for National Development In April 2018, courageous Sahanna saved Desmond Lee paid tribute to over 760 her neighbour’s flat from fire. When Friends of Our Heartlands volunteers she noticed smoke coming out from her in recognition of their contributions in neighbour’s flat, she called the police and making a difference in the community. SCDF immediately. Sahanna kept her cool These volunteers participated in and provided a precise address and a clear a myriad of activities ranging from description of the situation to the SCDF and sharing tips with residents on they were able to put out the fire before it heartland living to conducting eco- went out of hand. learning journeys for participants and facilitating community conversations Good Neighbour Award 2019 recipient, Sahanna D/O Ramash (left) who was nominated to improve HDB estates. by Mr Eric Ng (right).

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Affectionately known as Aunty Rose by neighbours, Mdm Rasamal takes care of other elderly neighbours, visiting and sharing food with them and inviting them to neighbourhood events. When Mei Cheng’s father fell ill, Rose visited Mei Cheng’s father regularly when he was hospitalised for 5 months and kept an eye on Mei Cheng’s house whenever Mei Cheng had to stay with her father at the hospital.

Good Neighbour Award 2019 recipient, Mdm Rasamal D/O Nadayson (right) who was nominated by Ms Lim Mei Cheng (left).

Tapping on HDB’s Friendly Places, Lively Places Fund, Temasek Polytechic (TP) students organised the inaugural Silver Fitness and Wellness Carnival at Bedok Town Square on 26 May 2019, which included a mass exercise session (right), a mindfulness talk and other hands-on activities such as a batik painting session (far right) for seniors. The carnival was the first collaboration under a new The HDB Friendly Faces, Lively Places (FFLP) Fund is for residents to Memorandum of Understanding initiate community-driven place-making projects that develop stronger signed between HDB and TP for place identity among residents in their neighbourhoods. Gerontology students to organise community events promoting active Find out more about the Fund and how you can start your own community ageing lifestyles in HDB towns. project here.

Also part of Community Week was Broom it! Day, an annual event under HDB’s Project SPHERE, to celebrate the spirit of volunteerism and care for the elderly. Broom it! Day 2019 was held on 29 May 2019 and close to 390 participants gave back to the community by conducting a photo-frame painting workshop, spring-cleaning homes of elderly residents living in HDB rental flats and distributing senior-friendly bedside tables, also known as EASY tables.

All images courtesy of HDB.

Giving back to the community and helping elderly residents on Broom it! Day 2019.

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Programme

Building a community, seed by seed Team Hydroglen’s winning community project for HDB’s Build-a-thon 2019 challenge.

Ever had an idea of bringing residents in your community Team member Mr John together? Well, you are not alone! 8 teams at the HDB’s Soh was thankful to see Build-a-thon competition this year turned their ideas their ideas come to fruition. into reality. Build-a-thon is a platform where like-minded “It was a journey with individuals gather in teams to brainstorm ideas for the many ups and downs as benefit of the community. HDB supports the teams with we had to make multiple funding from the Friendly Faces, Lively Places Fund changes along the way to implement their projects. This year, 80 participants and overcome various comprising residents from Sembawang and Woodlands challenges, including and students from Republic Polytechnic participated in the budget constraints.” After competition. two months of hard work, the team successfully The teams took on the challenge of proposing and launched the garden on 23 Members of Team Hydroglen implementing solutions to create friendly and lively March 2019. working on their prototype neighbourhoods by encouraging community bonding, enhancing neighbourhood identity or by exemplifying care With the support of eco interest groups in the for neighbours. neighbourhood, they organised talks and workshops and rallied residents to help plant and harvest their own edible One of the winning teams, Team Hydroglen, exhibited greens such as chye sim (Asian mustard greens) and all of the above through their community project – a Chinese cabbage. They also interested many residents, community hydroponics garden. They also received the including young children, to adopt a pot to grow their own ‘Best Social Media’ award for their proactive use of social plants as well. media to engage residents and encourage participation in their harvest events.

Residents of all ages planting their own edibles in the community hydroponics garden. Now, the team is working with residents to create a schedule to upkeep the farm. “Once the vegetables are grown, we hope to share the harvest with as many people as possible,” said Mr Soh.

Second Minister for National Development with Team Hydroglen, “Hopefully more residents will take part in the farming and one of the winning teams at Build-a-thon 2019. Participants were in the process, get to know each other better.” able to tap on HDB’s Friendly Faces, Lively Places Fund and all 8 projects from Build-a-thon this year will be implemented by Visit Team Hydroglen’s Facebook page for updates here. end-2019. Looking to draw young families in Woodlands Glen to Find out more about Team Hydroglen’s hydroponics farm farm together and get to know each other better, Team in Life Storeys, HDB’s community publication here. Hydroglen turned to community gardening. However, instead of conventional community gardens, they Read more about the other Build-a-thon 2019 projects envisioned a high-tech version. here.

All images courtesy of HDB.

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Programme

Showering animals with love and care An educational volunteering experience for Ngee Ann Polytechnic Veterinary Bioscience students.

With cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, a terrapin, a dog and a chinchilla all roaming freely under one roof, the room where the outreach animals live in may strike visitors as a harmonious little farm. These 10 animals, once given up or neglected by their previous owners, now play an important role in educating people more about responsible and considerate pet ownership.

Veterinary Bioscience students from Ngee Ann Polytechnic have been volunteering weekly with these outreach animals at the Animal Management Centre since 2017. Through this process, the students gain valuable experience taking care of different types of animals. Students from Ngee Ann Polytechnic Veterinary Bioscience Programme with the outreach animals at the NParks Animal Management Centre. Summing up his experience, student volunteer Zack Lim The student volunteers learn more about animal shared, “We are usually more exposed to the happy and husbandry and gain experience handling different types fun aspects of owning a pet but we may not be as aware of animals. Through this partnership, we hope to instil of the many cases of abandonment and neglect of pets. responsible and appropriate behaviour to those who play a part in an animal’s life cycle. The experience made me realise the importance of being a responsible pet owner.” Dr Grace Lim, Veterinary Bioscience lecturer at Ngee Ann Polytechnic

Student volunteers meticulously bathe, administer preventive medicines, clean the animals’ pens and keep track of the animals’ health status. 11 A Quarterly Newsletter for Friends of the MND Family

PARTNERSHIP

Celebrating Singapore’s biodiversity Across the island, communities come together to appreciate and help conserve our natural heritage.

During the 2019 Biodiversity Week from 18 May to 26 May, a series of nationwide activities and events were organised for the communities to get involved in conserving our natural heritage. Individuals, schools, including pre-schools, and nature groups all came together to explore and appreciate our biophilic city.

Nationwide BioBlitz and Habitat Enhancements Citizen Scientists looking out for various species of flora and fauna across Singapore during the nationwide BioBlitz.

Left to right: BioBlitz at Admiralty Park, and .

Left to right: Community volunteers, Youth Corps Singapore and Ahmad Ibrahim Secondary School students carrying out habitat enhancement works at Coney Island Park, Park and respectively.

Play Time with Doo and Ollie and Green Wave

Image: Gracelyn Tan Image: Heng Chong Yong Pre-school students from PCF Sparkletots @ Bishan North Bukit View Secondary School students planting a Yellow Cow Blk 219 watching an animated video about Doo, a dugong, in Wood tree as part of Green Wave, a worldwide biodiversity search of his friend Ollie, an octopus, in the seagrass meadows. campaign where students from all around the world plant trees Playtime with Doo and Ollie teaches the young ones about in their school compounds on International Day for Biological Singapore’s seagrass and marine life. Diversity on 22 May.

Check out the video for a round-up of activities that took place during the Biodiversity Week here.

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Festival of Biodiversity at HDB Hub Mall Discoveries from the comprehensive survey of Bukit Organised in collaboration with the Biodiversity Timah Nature Reserve were shared at the event. Around Roundtable, the Festival of Biodiversity celebrates 200 species which were new to the nature reserve had Singapore’s natural heritage and raises awareness about been listed, including plants, spiders and a stick insect. our island’s biodiversity and efforts to conserve them. Many species that are very rare in Singapore were also recorded within the nature reserve. NParks also shared Biodiversity Week culminated in the eighth instalment of about a suite of modern technology which they are the Festival of Biodiversity at HDB Hub Mall on 25 and using to study and understand our biodiversity and their 26 May 2019. Nature groups and school groups set up habitats better. informative and interactive exhibition booths to share the wonders of Singapore’s natural heritage with visitors.

An image of the Sunda Pangolin captured on one of NParks’ The Festival of Biodiversity was launched by President Halimah night vision goggles. The thermal imaging equipment provides Yacob together with Minister for Social and Family Development an additional dimension to conventional survey techniques and and Second Minister for National Development, Desmond Lee enables researchers to observe fauna in their natural states. and CEO of NParks, Mr Kenneth Er. The night vision goggles are part of a suite of technology that NParks will be employing to understand our wildlife better.

Image: Shirley Lee Image: Cicada Tree Eco Place Young participants learning interesting Sengkang Green Primary School Volunteers from Cicada Tree Eco-Place facts on Singapore’s native biodiversity students take the audience on a journey sharing with visitors about Singapore’s while trying their hand at craftwork with a performance on why we should natural heritage designed by Lee Kong Chian Natural not feed wildlife such as the Long-tailed History Museum. Macaques.

(Left) Cora Gabriel-Dean and Marcus Lau from Jane Goodall Institute (Singapore) telling the story of a Raffles Banded Langur named Po, which was written by students from Raffles Institution’s Eco literacy Programme.

(Right) Otter Working Group volunteer sharing about dos and don’ts when encountering otters.

Images: Ong Xin Zhu All images by NParks unless otherwise stated. 13 A Quarterly Newsletter for Friends of the MND Family

IN THE NEWS

All hands on deck to transform the real estate agency industry

Like many industry sectors, the real estate agency industry faces challenges brought on by technological Spearheaded by members of the Digitalised Property innovations and changing consumer expectations. Transactions Workgroup, these are some initiatives These impact the way property agencies and agents to streamline and digitalise property transaction operate and deliver services. processes, making them more seamless, efficient and hassle-free for consumers and property agents

alike while increasing transparency and raising Since the launch of the Real Estate Industry professionalism within the industry: Transformation Map (ITM) in February 2018, CEA and industry partners have been working closely on 1. Greater clarity on rental transaction process initiatives to enhance productivity, innovate and raise Tenants and landlords will enjoy a more efficient professionalism in the sector. rental transaction process and better understanding of how to protect their interests.

More than 500 real estate agency practitioners 2. Checklists for consistency participated in the CEA Estate Agency Industry Checklists for rental transactions benefit landlords Conference held on 26 March 2019 to discuss how the and tenants as both parties will be aware of the sector can remain productive and resilient in a fast- various checks needed to protect their interests. changing environment. 3. Standard agreements protect agents’ and consumers’ interests Invaluable perspectives and insights from To help reduce disputes over tenancy contracts, industry practitioners have enabled CEA to refine standard tenancy agreement templates for residential implementation plans and work more effectively with properties have been developed to protect the the industry on its transformation journey. interests of both parties.

Image: JTC Corporation Image: CEA Stakeholders across the real estate industry have worked Minister of State for Ministry of National Development Zaqy closely with government agencies to formulate the Real Estate Mohamad (centre, in suit) at the CEA Estate Agency Industry Industry Transformation Map, which was launched by Second Conference in March 2019 with real estate industry stakeholders. Minister for National Development Desmond Lee on 8 February 2018.

14 Issue 21 | August 2019

Planning Singapore’s future with you Bring history to life with BALIKSG

How do we ensure that Singapore continues to be an Have you explored the nine new gardens at Fort Canning inclusive and sustainable city to live, work and play? Park?

As Singapore’s land use planning and conservation The historical gardens, including one named Pancur authority, URA adopts a long-term and comprehensive Larangan (“Forbidden Spring”), showcase the rich history planning approach towards shaping Singapore’s physical of the area where ancient kings resided during the 14th development in a sustainable manner. This is done century. through the formulation of strategic plans, such as the Master Plan, in consultation with the community. With the BALIKSG app, a personal guide will explain the significance of various historical elements in the gardens. The recently exhibited Draft Master Plan 2019 (DMP19) Let an archaeologist bring you on a tour of the Sang Nila was the outcome of extensive engagement with Utama Garden, which is a restoration of a 14th century residents, businesses, interest groups and members royal orchard. You can also join Major-General William of the public over the past two years. Launched on 27 Farquhar to learn more about Singapore’s first botanical March 2019, DMP19 showcases key proposals to guide and experimental garden. Singapore’s physical development over the next 10 to 15 years.

DMP19 focuses on planning for inclusive, sustainable and green neighbourhoods with community spaces and amenities for all to enjoy while rejuvenating our familiar spaces. It also includes strategies to develop economic gateways for the future and create capacity to meet our future needs.

Image: iOS Minister for National Development and Second Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong (centre, in suit) at the launch of the Use the Augmented Reality feature in the BALIKSG app to scan Draft Master Plan 2019 exhibition. markers around the gardens and meet various characters who will share historical stories and legends about . Visit the Draft Master Plan 2019 site or watch this video Download the free BALIKSG app today (for iOS or to find out more. Android) and start your exploration at Fort Canning Park!

Watch a video for a glimpse of what to expect here or find out more about the trails available here.

15 A Quarterly Newsletter for Friends of the MND Family Issue 21 | August 2019

EVENT

Get your free tickets for “From Singapore to Singapore: The Bicentennial Experience”

Date: 1 June 2019 – 15 September 2019 and 1 October 2019 - 31 December 2019 Venue: Fort Canning Centre

Admission is free. Reserve your tickets here.

Did you know that there is so much more to Singapore’s history than its past 54 years of independence? Get ready to be brought back in time to witness key moments in Singapore’s transformation from as far back as 1299! Bring your family and friends to a unique multisensory experience at the Singapore Bicentennial centrepiece event. From live actors to moving sets and special effects, get up close to the sights, sounds and drama of Singapore’s history like never before.

For more MND Family News, please visit www.mnd.gov.sg/mndlink Brought to you by:

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