Conservation and Development : a Singapore Perspective*

ฉบับ International วารสารวิชาการ Veridian E-Journal Volume 7 Number 5 July – December 2014 Conservation and Development : A Singapore Perspective* Sinith Watanamongkhol** Abstract This paper looks at the transformation of the built heritage in Singapore in the context of the intense contest for land use by development forces. It looks at the works of the planning authority and the engagement of stakeholders in heritage conservation. It also looks at the dynamism between conservation, tourism and development. Historical buildings are physical links to the past, acting as signposts and repositories for the shared memories of the community. Built heritage give meaning and identity to a place and its people, providing the common bond necessary for social cohesion. Place identity is important in this rapidly changing world where urbanisation and globalisation has erased traces of the past and eroded the richness and diversity of our culture. The built heritage of a city is increasingly seen as providing competitive advantage in the global competition for investment and tourism. It gives cities their unique and distinctive character that attract foreign talents, investment and tourism. Heritage conservation has found its economic value. Singapore is a small city state without natural resources and a limited land space. It has long been held up as a miracle economy for its rapid advance from a trading outpost to become one of the most developed nation in Asia. Urban planning played a critical role in the successful transformation of the physical and social landscape of the island into one of Asia’s most modern and cosmopolitan city with one of the highest standard of living. Known for its methodical focus on planning and development in relentless pursuit of economic growth at the expense of its historical urban heritage, the state authority suddenly focused its attention on heritage conservation in the mid 1980s. The popular belief is that the state’s new found enthusiasm for heritage conservation comes from the realisation that heritage conservation is an effective policy tool in the pursuit of economic and tourism development. The study show that the motive for conservation of the historic districts was to enable heritage to rekindle tourist interest in Singapore. Developing the tourism industry was part of the strategy to focus on the service industry for growth at a time when the economy was facing a slowdown because of the loss of competitiveness in the manufacturing sector. * This paper is an extract from a dissertation for the Architectural Heritage Management and Tourism (International Program) of the Graduate School at Silpakorn University ** PhD candidate. Email address: [email protected] 130 วารสารวิชาการ Veridian E-Journal Volume 7 Number 5 July – December 2014 ฉบับ International Introduction Singapore island was a collection of humble fishing villages before it got on the world map with its founding by Stamford Raffles as a trading post of the British Empire. It became an independent nation state in 1965 and has since developed into a prosperous city state that continues to serve as the trading and transportation hub for the region. Singapore has been described as a 'cultural desert'. Its society originated from the inflow of migrants who brought with them their vernacular culture, traditions and beliefs. This gave rise to the fabric and characters of the Singapore society today – a multi ethnic, multi lingual and multi religious cultural landscape with English as the common language of business and commerce. Singapore has a past and an identity that deserves to be preserved and further developed in order to temper the trend of globalization and Western cultural and lifestyle influences. Cultural heritage is the source of the shared memories that a society uses to build its identity. This binds the people and gives society its cohesion. This is critical for the multi ethnic and cultural society in Singapore. The built heritage carries the history and shared memories of the nation and is valuable and irreplaceable heritage assets that deserve to be protected and conserved for both the present and future generations. We look at how Singapore has managed to balance the need to protect its common built heritage that gives it its identity, sense of place and cultural diversity against the needs of development and economic growth in the context of a nation with a small and limited land space. Urban planning and development Urban planning in Singapore began in 1822 when Sir Stamford Raffles implemented a land use plan called the Raffles Town Plan. The key features of this plan were for the creation of a grid layout for the road system and the segregation of residential communities by ethnic groups. The Raffles Town Plan guided growth for a brief period but there were no updates and the city area soon became severely overcrowded. Slums sprung out in the inner city and spread into the outlying areas. Roads built for bullock carts were not suited for the motor vehicles that came in the early 1900s. The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) is the national planning authority of Singapore. Using the concept plan to forecast the long term land use needs and the master plan to translate the development strategy into detailed development guidelines, the planners set about to execute the physical transformation of Singapore. The first Concept Plan 131 ฉบับ International วารสารวิชาการ Veridian E-Journal Volume 7 Number 5 July – December 2014 in 1971 laid the foundation for the infrastructure development of the country including the industrial estates, expressway, mass transit, airport and sea port. The business and commercial centre of the city state was re-developed by the re-settlement of the people from the overcrowded city centre slums into new housing estates and the intensive development of high rise office buildings and shopping centres. The creation of a modern business and financial district served the economic objective of developing the country into a regional business and financial hub. The plan included the reclamation of land south of the island that was to be used for the future Marina Bay business district. The Raffles Town Plan of 1822 with the grid layout road system The 1971 Concept Plan that laid the foundation for the physical transformation of Singapore 132 วารสารวิชาการ Veridian E-Journal Volume 7 Number 5 July – December 2014 ฉบับ International The Singapore River had been the lifeline of trade on the island throughout its history as boats and lighters carried goods from ships in the harbour up the river to the warehouses that lined the river. This was now obsolete with the containerization of shipping and the river needed a new role. The plan was to clean up the river and give it a new role in the modernisation of the city state. The old shophouses and warehouses were preserved and restored to be converted into bars, pubs and restaurants to serve the locals and tourist industry. A promenade was created to join up Boat Quay and Clarke Quay and river cruises were introduced. Singapore River - A promenade joining Boat Quay, Clarke Quay and Robertson Quay with river cruise and alfresco dining to give a new life and role the river The URA master plan for the Marina Bay area was to direct the flow of the river into the bay with a barrage built to create a fresh water reservoir for the city centre and to control sea water and prevent flooding. A waterfront promenade linked the attractions in the Marina Bay area which include the Gardens by the Bay, a 101 hectares park to transform Singapore from a 'Garden City' to being a 'City in a Garden'. A feature in the Marina development was the creation of a network of common services tunnel carrying water pipes, electrical and telecommunication cables, and other utilities service underground. Singapore is the second Asian country after Japan to implement such a system. The Marina Bay area together with the new business district in Marina South is the showcase of urban development in Singapore. 133 ฉบับ International วารสารวิชาการ Veridian E-Journal Volume 7 Number 5 July – December 2014 The Marina Bay area is constructed from reclaimed land to form an inland reservoir. The Marina Barrage is a dam separating the water flow from the Singapore River from the sea The Common Services Tunnel is an underground network that carries utility services such as power, telecommunication, water, district cooling pipe and a pneumatic refuse system 134 วารสารวิชาการ Veridian E-Journal Volume 7 Number 5 July – December 2014 ฉบับ International Garden by the Bay in Marina South Marina Bay - the new downtown business district 135 ฉบับ International วารสารวิชาการ Veridian E-Journal Volume 7 Number 5 July – December 2014 The living environment in the 1950s and 60s 136 วารสารวิชาการ Veridian E-Journal Volume 7 Number 5 July – December 2014 ฉบับ International The living environment then ……………… 137 ฉบับ International วารสารวิชาการ Veridian E-Journal Volume 7 Number 5 July – December 2014 The living environment now …………………… The Marina Promenade - a modern metropolis 138 วารสารวิชาการ Veridian E-Journal Volume 7 Number 5 July – December 2014 ฉบับ International In just a short two decades after independence, the built landscape in Singapore saw a total transformation with new public housing estates developed throughout the island together with industrial and transport infrastructure developments. The physical landscape of Singapore today is the result of urban planning from the first Concept Plan of 1971 to subsequent concept plans and the many master plans in between to guide development. Conservation URA is the national land use planning authority as well as the conservation authority in Singapore. Its role as a conservation authority is best summarized by the below statement, “Conservation of our built heritage is an integral part of urban planning and development in Singapore.

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