Issue 18 April 2018
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ISSUE 18 APRIL 2018 TALK OF THE TOWN BUILDING TOGETHER SINGAPORE’ S FIRST-EVER COMMUNITY-BUILT PLAYGROUND 04 10 16 AROUND OUR LIFE LIVIN’ IT UP THE BLOCK STORIES Pick up some Remaking Our Volunteers and photography Heartland residents tell all tips and tricks Contents ISSUE 18 APRIL 2018 Dear Readers, Welcome to the newly-redesigned Life Storeys! We’ve given Life Storeys a makeover to bring you even more exciting stories and happenings from your neighbourhood! EDITORIAL ADVISERS In Talk of the Town, we highlight the biggest story in our Director, Policy & Planning heartlands. This issue, we talk about the launch of Singapore’s Eileen Neo first-ever community-built playground at Canberra! Deputy Director, Planning Shivvonne Wong Find out what’s happening in the spaces around you in Community Relations Around The Block. Read about hidden shopping gems in Yishun, Manager and also arts performances at the various town plazas! Tan Xiao Rong Indulge in the feel-good stories of not only our HDB PUBLISHING AGENT volunteers and residents, but also your favourite celebrity-next- door in Our Life Stories. Local actress Adele Wong talks about what makes Toa Payoh home for her in this issue. Mediacorp Pte Ltd Lastly, kick back and unwind with our new lifestyle segment, Livin’ It Up. Pick up various photography tips and tricks to Life Storeys is a community become a pro photographer! publication by the Housing & Development Board. We would love to hear from you on what you think of our Filled with lifestyle features, new design, or any other feedback. Do drop us a note at this newsletter brings to you [email protected]. stories and happenings from your neighbourhood so that you We hope you enjoy reading this issue of Life Storeys. can know your community a little better and play a more active role in community-building. Join us in creating a gracious and harmonious living environment for all! You can also access the electronic version of Life Storeys at lifestoreys.hdb.gov.sg TaLk of ThE town or scan the QR code. 01 ALL HANDS ON DECK around ThE block Copyright ©2018 04 OUR space, OUR say Housing & Development Board (HDB) 06 ART All rights reserved. No part of A HE land ALIVE this material may be reproduced 08 heartland HAULS or transmitted in any form or by any means. OUR LIFE STORies This publication is printed on FSC™-certified paper. The paper choice and printing methods are 10 NEW YEAR, GOOD-AS-NEW HOME green and environmentally-friendly, 12 celebratING THE SPIRIT OF CARE leaving behind less carbon footprint. 14 art IMItates LIFE LIvIn’ it Up Printed by Times Printers 16 PICTURE THIS talk of the town ALL HANDS ON DECK YOUNG ONES IN CANBERRA HAVE A NEW PLACE TO PLAY AND BOND: Singapore’s first-ever COMMUNITY-BUILT PLAYGROUND. Residents working together to build the playground Ready To Play For many families, Sunday mornings are @ Canberra, Sembawang’s latest kid- usually spent having breakfast at kopitiams friendly feature. or brunch at cafés. But for residents Residents had gathered for the official of Sembawang Close, the morning of opening of the space, the first to be 7 January 2018 presented an opportunity completed under HDB’s Build-A-Playground to be a part of something few of them initiative. As Singapore’s inaugural had ever done before: build a playground. community playground, Adventure “Who would have thought that children Playground @ Canberra was designed in and families would be able to do that?” close collaboration with residents and said Madam Fatimah Sarrah, 38, as community partners, who had a say in its she joined her neighbours in putting the concept, look and features. finishing touches to Adventure Playground Rae Ern Lee, 10, recalls telling her 01 APR 2018 talk of the town A playground built by the residents parents that she wanted a “long slide” at the new playground. “We shared this with the planners at the design workshop,” her mother, Ms Elaine Lee, told Life Storeys, referring to design workshops which had been held to collect residents’ ideas. Some 300 residents attended these workshops, which took place last July. To Rae Ern’s delight, her idea was accepted, and the slide was designed to have two exciting turns. As the Endeavour Primary School pupil put it, “It’s already my favourite part of the playground.” The site’s centrepiece, a tall tree-like Artwork painted by Sembawang Working as a team to assemble Secondary School students the playground's structure climbing structure covered by a green canopy, is an adaptation of the community’s idea for a treehouse and kelong-themed concept for Coming together to the playground, which was inspired by the create floral craft old fishing villages of Sembawang’s past. Ropes with overhanging hammocks were also installed after residents requested for adventurous play equipment. Build And Beautify Having been so instrumental to the design of the playground, many residents were eager to be a part of its construction as well, Mr Zifni Mohamed, 44, let in. Together with his wife and their two children, Mr Mohamed helped assemble the structure’s climbing planks. “It’s a lot easier than I thought it would be,” said Nifaal Mohamed, 12, who also studies at Endeavour Primary School. “And it is just as fun as actually playing on it!” 02 ISSUE 18 A COMMUNITY’S CREATION The Adventure Playground @ Canberra has been a collective effort from the get-go. A participant talked about her experience: I Was inVolVed in The HDB BUild-A-Thon, WheRE MY TeaM PROPosed CReaTinG A COMMUniTY TREEHOUse based ON an idea SUGGesTED BY ResidenTS in SEMbaWanG and TOGETheR, A task for both the young and old WE’VE CReaTed WhaT I call A kaMPUNG TREEHOUse ThaT BRinGS TOGETheR Mr Zifni’s family wasn’t the only one that helped install the finishing pieces — some YOUNG ResidenTS THROUGH 50 households joined in the fun, screwing in PlaY. IT’S EXciTinG TO bolts to piece together and strengthen the haVE THE coMMUNITY and structures. Other families made flowers out STakeholdeRS helP US desiGN of plastic bags and painted recycled tyres — these simple upcycling projects contributed The PlaYGROUnd. This is to Adventure Playground @ Canberra's KNOWN as consULTATIVE unique décor. ARCHITecTURE, Which Also chipping in were students and is an EXciTinG neW teachers from Sembawang Secondary School; Minister for National Development DIRecTion FOR The Mr Lawrence Wong; Grassroots Adviser to ARCHITecTURE Sembawang GRC (Canberra), Dr Lim Wee COMMUniTY. Kiak, PBM; and HDB CEO Dr Cheong Koon Hean. Commenting on this latest initiative, Ms Hung Yu Shan, Mr Wong said, “The most important aspect 26, an architecture graduate of a playground is not just the design but student who was part of the team that conceptualised Adventure Playground @ Canberra. the process: how residents come together to design it and take ownership of it. When you take ownership of something, you take pride in it, you will use it and come to appreciate the facility even more.” After a thorough inspection by a safety team, Adventure Playground @ Canberra was officially opened, to the delight of young residents, who ran to begin playing on the structure. “Seeing them so happy makes all of the hard work worth it,” said Ms Elaine Lee. Working on decorations “It’s a proud moment for the Sembawang for the finishing touch community.” Build-A-Playground will soon be extended LOOK OUT to four other HDB towns. They are: FOR ‘EM Toa Payoh Pasir Ris Woodlands Choa Chu Kang 03 APR 2018 around the block OUR SPACE, OUR SAY RESIDENTS CONTRIBUTED IDEAS FOR VIBRANT COMMUNITY SPACES WITHIN THE ESTATES THEY LIVE IN AT THE THIRD ROLL- OUT OF HDB’s Remaking OUR HEARTLAND (ROH) PROGRAMME. s long-time Toa Question And Answer Payoh resident To gather the feedback, Mr Tan Madam Rajeswari and his fellow volunteers set up A does her regular booths at various spots in the LOOK AT THAT GreeN grocery shopping, she sees three estates. At Toa Payoh, the area THere — woulDN’T numerous possibilities for booth was sited near the Toa what her neighbourhood could Payoh Lorong 4 Market. From here, THAT BE A GreaT spoT become in the future. “Look students spoke to more than 100 For resIDENTS at that green area there — residents over the course of the OF THese wouldn’t that be a great spot morning. They engaged residents BlocKS TO for residents of these blocks by asking them to identify a to have a community garden?” location in their neighbourhood HAVE A quipped the sprightly 60-year- that could be transformed into COMMUNITY old retiree, pointing to an open a social node, and share the GarDEN? space near Block 66, Toa Payoh types of activities they would Lorong 4. like to conduct there. Suggested Madam Rajeswari, Such feedback was examples of activities include 60, Retiree precisely what volunteers gardening, studying, picnicking from HDB’s Friends of Our and social gatherings. Heartlands programme sought on the weekend of Volunteers collecting 11 February, as they visited feedback from residents towns participating in the third batch of HDB’s Remaking Our Heartland programme (ROH). These towns were Toa Payoh, Woodlands and Pasir Ris. “We want to know what kind of community and social features residents would like to see in their neighbourhood,” explained Mr Melvin Tan, a third-year NUS architecture student. “And what better way of doing that than by talking to them?” 04 ISSUE 18 VIbrant, then and no W Unveiled by Prime Minister Mr Lee Hsien Loong at 2007’s National Day Rally, Remaking Our Heartland aims to renew and further develop existing HDB towns and estates, to ensure sustainability and vibrancy of our heartlands.