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To what extent have the impacts of gentrification
been positive in Tiong Bahru, Singapore?
Taken by candidate
Personal Code: glt454
Date of Submission: 22nd May 2017
Word Count: 3961
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Abstract
Gentrification refers to has always been the increase of more affluent people arriving in middle-income areas causing there to be multiple changes like increased price of goods and rent. Despite it being a rather controversial topic, it has happened globally in many countries like Australia and the United Kingdom. Singapore, one of the most developed countries in Asia and around the world, is no stranger to it either. Tiong Bahru, a town in Singapore, was one of the first to be gentrified conserving both the architecture and heritage but also introducing new shops and services.
Therefore, this investigation sough to find out the extent of which impacts of gentrification were positive in Tiong Bahru, Singapore through multiple primary research methods like bipolar scales of shops and services and environment, land use classifications, price comparisons, interviews and questionnaires. This would have provided attitudinal data of residents and visitors and physical impacts. These were also compared with secondary research that had documented gentrification in other countries around the world.
Results from this investigation have largely suggested that gentrification in Tiong Bahru has been generally positive. Most of these are attributed to the new variety in shops and services but also due to the increased art around the town and the quality of food and goods. However, there has also been a clash between the newer residents and the older residents who do not see eye to eye whether gentrification is positive, with most of the older residents against the crowds due to various issues, in particular, noise, but the newer residents appreciative of what brings in the crowds, the new variety of food and goods, as well as, the art decor.
(279 words)
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CONTENTS
Abstract ...... 2
Introduction ...... 7
Research Question ...... 7
Background Information ...... 7
Significance ...... 11
Hypothesis ...... 12
Method ...... 13
Method of Data Collection ...... 13
Bipolar Scales ...... 13
Environment ...... 13
Services ...... 15
Land Use Classification ...... 16
Price of Food Comparison ...... 17
Interviews ...... 19
Questionnaire ...... 20
Tiong Bahru Residents and Visitors ...... 20
Services ...... 20
Pilot Study ...... 22
Analysis of Data Collection ...... 22
Prices in Tiong Bahru ...... 22
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Change in Shop and Services ...... 27
The Beautification of Shops and Services ...... 30
Residents’ View on Tiong Bahru ...... 33
The Environment in Tiong Bahru ...... 39
Evaluation ...... 44
Conclusion ...... 46
Bibliography ...... 51
Articles and Books Accessed ...... 51
Images Accessed ...... 56
Maps Accessed ...... 57
Movies Accessed ...... 57
Websites Accessed ...... 57
Others Accessed ...... 59
Appendix ...... 61
Table of Figures, Graphs and Tables
Figure 1.1 Map of Singapore, in relation to Southeast Asia ...... 8
Figure 1.2 Map of Singapore, with towns drawn in ...... 9
Figure 1.3 showing the conserved pre-war flat ...... 10
Figure 1.4 showing the art on murals ...... 10
Figure 1.5 Map of Tiong Bahru Town ...... 11
Figure 2.1 Bipolar Scale of Environment ...... 14
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Figure 2.2 Bipolar Scale of Shops and Services ...... 15
Figure 2.3 Land Use Road Transect ...... 16
Figure 2.4 Land Use Classification Codes ...... 16
Figure 2.5 A temple ...... 17
Figure 2.6 Loo’s Hainanese Curry Rice ...... 17
Figure 2.7 Price Comparison Table ...... 18
Figure 2.8 Store front in Tiong Bahru Market ...... 18
Figure 2.9 Plan for Interview ...... 19
Figure 2.10 Front Page of Questionnaire for Residents and Visitors ...... 20
Figure 2.11 Questionnaire of Services ...... 21
Figure 2.12 Asking questionnaire to owner of Yoga Inc...... 21
Figure 3.1 showing pie chart of respondents visiting Tiong Bahru ...... 22
Figure 3.2 showing pie chart of respondents who frequented Tiong Bahru ...... 23
Figure 3.3 showing price of food in 2016 compared to CASE prices ...... 24
Figure 3.4 showing hawker store front ...... 24
Figure 3.5 showing pie chart of respondents who frequented Tiong Bahru Market ...... 25
Figure 3.6 Pie Chart showing composition of shops in Tiong Bahru based on age ...... 27
Figure 3.7 shows composition of shops and services in 2005 ...... 28
Figure 3.8 shows composition of shops and services in 2016 ...... 29
Figure 3.9 Graph showing the scores of bipolar scale against time ...... 31
Figure 3.10 Plain Vanilla, a three-year-old café ...... 31
Figure 3.11 Qiu Ji Department Store, a twenty-four-year-old provision shop ...... 32
Figure 3.12 Composition of residents asked questionnaire ...... 34
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Figure 3.13 Issues of Tiong Bahru noticed by older residents ...... 35
Figure 3.14 A mural along a corridor in Tiong Bahru ...... 37
Figure 3.15 Heritage Boards in Tiong Bahru ...... 38
Figure 3.16 Environmental Survey against the Transects ...... 39
Figure 3.17 Yong Siak Road part 1 ...... 40
Figure 3.18 Yong Siak Road part 2 ...... 40
Figure 3.19 Vacant shop in Seng Poh Lane ...... 41
Figure 3.20 Transect of Seng Poh Lane ...... 42
Figure 3.21 Graph showing average decibels on each transect ...... 42
Table 4.1 Strengths and limitations of investigation ...... 44
Table 5.1 Impacts of Gentrification ...... 46
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Introduction
Research Question
To what extent have the impacts of gentrification been positive in Tiong
Bahru, Singapore?
Background Information
“Gentrification is the arrival of wealthier people into a district leading to many changes such as rent prices and culture” (Flag Wars, 2003). Gentrification is a controversial issue as to whether it brings benefits or losses. It should be no surprise that gentrification is prevalent in one of the most developed countries in the world, Singapore
(based on Figure 1.1).
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Figure 1.1 Map of Singapore, in relation to Southeast Asia
Adapted from Art of Anderson
Singapore, currently, has a population of 5.77 million people as of 2015 (Worldometers, 2017)
Singapore is bordered by Malaysia and Indonesia
Singapore had a GDP of $292.74 billion in 2015 (Trading Economics, 2017)
1cm: 60,000,000cm
Singapore (refer to Figure 1.1) has managed to successfully provide most of her population with a home, with only about 300 homeless (WP, 2016) annually. The success of this is largely owed to the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) using Singapore’s economy in conjunction with hearing the thoughts of the community and the government
(Chang et. al., 2004). This is unlike many other countries where the government does not provide help. Tiong Bahru was one of the first towns that the URA first began working with in relation to its aims where they built more buildings, from 384 units to 1,402,
8 ALL TEXTS BELONG TO OWNERS TAKEN FROM WWW.INTERNALASSESSMENTS.WORDPRESS.COM accommodating Singapore’s growing population. (National Library Board, n.d). Tiong
Bahru is also rather unique as the URA has conserved 20 of the pre-war flats - preserving its heritage and culture. However, the last decade has seen avant-garde restaurants and boutique shops occupying new vacant lots which is identified as contemporary gentrification within Southeast Asia as it “includes a variety of different sites” (Moore,
2013).
Figure 1.2 Map of Singapore, with towns drawn in
Adapted from Holland Village Singapore
The population in Tiong Bahru Tiong Bahru had a rose in the late 2010s from 8000 population of 12,800 people (City Populations, 2016) in 2016 (City Populations, 2016)
Tiong Bahru located in 1cm: 200,000cm the Bukit Merah district
Tiong Bahru, a town located in Bukit Merah (refer to figure 1.2) is not confined to being labelled contemporary but also agrees with Helms’ (2003) definition where he states that it can be identified through “architecturally distinct households, pleasant views
9 ALL TEXTS BELONG TO OWNERS TAKEN FROM WWW.INTERNALASSESSMENTS.WORDPRESS.COM and convenient to mass transit,” (Helms, 2003), with the 20 conserved pre-war flats (refer to figure 1.3), murals on walls (refer to figure 1.4) and the close proximity to the Tiong
Bahru Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station respectively. One can alight at the MRT station and either walk into Tiong Bahru town or cycle there with bicycles outside the train station.
Figure 1.3 showing the conserved pre-war flat Adapted from Lee (2014)
“Original wall and door frames which are over 80 years old” (Woo, 2016) Boxy architecture is distinct to Tiong Bahru
Dons the name aeroplane blocks due to its distinct shape
Figure 1.4 showing the art on murals Adapted from Lee (2014)
Murals portray culture and heritage of the past and present within Tiong Bahru
One of many walls being painted in Tiong Bahru to give pleasant views
“Murals of goats to commemorate the Year of the Goat, celebrated in 2016” (Cee D., 2016) 10 ALL TEXTS BELONG TO OWNERS TAKEN FROM WWW.INTERNALASSESSMENTS.WORDPRESS.COM
Figure 1.5 Map of Tiong Bahru Town
Adapted from Urban Redevelopment Authority One of the transects, Yong Siak Road, was split into Yong Siak Road and Yong Siak Street due to it having two different road entrances
Tiong Bahru train station and shopping centre located here
Tiong Bahru market located here
Highlighted in blue are the transects that were investigated
Scale 1cm:2500cm
Significance
The study of gentrification is rather significant having been reviewed to a great depth in the scope of urban geography, sociology and economics, especially in the world that we live in today where it is constantly changing. As a result, the gentrification that we know of today is different from that which was known 30 years ago. Gentrification does not solely happen in Singapore but rather globally, occurring in larger cities like London,
New York and Melbourne. It has also begun playing a role in many Asian nations and has sparked much debate on its positives and negatives. As such, an investigation of its effects in Singapore was conducted to answer this.
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Atkinson (2002) had stated and noted some of the positives associated with gentrification, including “decreasing crimes and stabilizing declining areas” (Atkinson,
2002) and Freeman and Cheyne (2008) had discovered more positives too such as “more support for community facilities and new businesses and survival of previous struggling businesses being successful” (Freeman and Cheyne, 2008). On the other hand, people like Nagle and Cook (2013) disagree stating that as “young upwardly populations move in, it has caused the displacement of poor people” (Nagle and Cook, 2013). It is of little wonder why gentrification causes sparks of outcries, especially when so many people globally live in areas that are being gentrified or are already gentrified which would either draw them to the area or force them to be evicted due to displacement.
Lance Freeman, a professor at Columbia University who currently teaches Urban
Planning has stated in an interview with Harper and Stein that gentrification cannot be classified as being on either end of the spectrum as to being good or being bad, however, he states “affirmatively that gentrification is a good thing for the public amenities” and those who can afford it but he understands that it could be bad too, with “middle class trumping the poor”. (Harper and Stein, 2008)
Hypothesis
Therefore, it was sought to explore the hypothesis whether the impacts of gentrification have largely been positive in Tiong Bahru, Singapore.
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Method
Method of Data Collection
To investigate the hypothesis, fieldwork was conducted in Tiong Bahru and reading of academic journals, primary and secondary data, were thoroughly done. Such primary research conducted included: Bipolar Scales of the Environment and Services, Land Use
Classifications, Price Comparisons, Interviews and Questionnaires for Tiong Bahru
Residents and Visitors and for Services.
Bipolar Scales
Environment
To find out how gentrification has affected the environment, a bipolar scale of environment (refer to Figure 2.1) was conducted thrice at different times but at the same location. This was done through random sampling where I had placed all the transects, such that they had an equal chance of being selected, in a random name generator and had randomly chosen seven transects (Nagle and Spencer, 2000). Upon receiving the seven, I had to split one into two due, after doing the pilot study due to the length of the transect. Positive factors represented evidence of gentrification, which were found through secondary research. Therefore, a more positive result from the bipolar scale represented that the particular transect had been gentrified.
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Figure 2.1 Bipolar Scale of Environment
A pilot study was conducted to ensure that the bipolar scale worked and any variables that didn’t have an effect were removed.
Hwang and Sampson (2014) stated that they had found more litter in areas more Papachristos et. al. gentrified in Chicago (2011) finds areas that have been more gentrified, to be more crowded. Gurbuz (2016) states that “as housing improves, the neighbourhood becomes more visually pleasing” when Filion (1991) noticed that when gentrification occurs. Also, he gentrification occurred, traffic states that there will be the would be significantly slower and “extinction of small businesses” resulted in more congestion. when gentrification occurs.
Helms (2003) states Kotkin (2012) stated there that there are more were more vacant shops houses when in less gentrified areas. gentrification occurs to accommodate more and house one to a family. A phone application, Decibel 10th, was used to measure the decibels and the level of noise in the particular transect. It A more positive result in was found that gentrified areas the bipolar scale of tended to be noisier as said by survey suggested that Filion (1991). there was more evidence for gentrification, and McCroskey and Richmond (1989) hence, indicating a more had been referenced in order to gentrified transect. come up with a good bipolar scale. Each transect had been recorded at three different times of the day.
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Services
Gentrification plays a role in increasing the aesthetic quality of an area as it tries to “attract reinvestment and newcomers” (Donish, 2013). Hence, with the eight-random selected transects, the aesthetic quality of the 76 shops and services was assessed through a bipolar scale. Similar to the environmental scale, evidence of gentrification was skewed toward the positive factor side.
Figure 2.2 Bipolar Scale of Shops and Services
Davidson and Lees (2005) stated that when gentrification occurs, “neighbouring areas may Less gentrified areas, become more attractive.” as suggested by Gibson (2003) said that Manfredini et. al. (n.d) gentrification leads to tended to have more there being more cramped shops. “interesting shops”.
Caulfield (1994) states that non-gentrified Burnley (1983) suggests that areas tend “not to be when an area starts to become too well kept.” gentrified, there would be more bins for awareness to discard litter A more positive score would indicate that the particular service and shop and service is more gentrified.
In order to reduce bias and subjectivity, a set of descriptors were written for each of the factors prior to the study and was amended during a pilot study to ensure that they had fit the type of services in Tiong Bahru.
McCroskey and Richmond (1989) had been referenced in order to come up with a good bipolar scale.
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Land Use Classification
A land use classification was done for each of the eight randomly chosen transects, which resulted in 260 different services being recorded down. This was done and then compared to the questionnaire asked to shops and services (see Figure 2.11) to see whether gentrification had a role in impacting the type of shops and services.
Figure 2.3 Land Use Road Transect
Figure 2.4 Land Use Classification Codes
Set of descriptors was written for each code to limit the bias prior to conducting the fieldwork and were amended accordingly during pilot study to suit Tiong Bahru services.
The descriptors were Code (based on constantly being looked at Figure 2.4) was when placing code to inserted here. ensure that there had been no bias.
Amended during the pilot study so that the types of shops and services would be more relevant to Tiong Bahru
Refer to Figure 2.5 for an example of a religious building
Refer to Figure 2.6 for an example of a low order restaurant 16 ALL TEXTS BELONG TO OWNERS TAKEN FROM WWW.INTERNALASSESSMENTS.WORDPRESS.COM
Figure 2.5 A temple Taken by candidate Figure 2.6 Loo’s Hainanese Curry Rice Taken by candidate
People were seen to be Classified as religious building Classified as low order restaurant praying and tourists seen and so I would have placed an and so I would have placed an L1 appreciating culture. This O3 on my land use road on my land use road transect matched my descriptor for transect (figure 2.3) (figure 2.3) religious building.
Price of food here was relatively cheap, with a bowl of curry rice being $2.50. This matched my descriptor for low order restaurant.
Price of Food Comparison
A price comparison data was done, in particular, of food had increased in Tiong Bahru, due to gentrification. Using secondary data, I found the mode prices of five different hawker food in 2015 through the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE). These prices were compared to 13 different stores selling the dishes in Tiong Bahru Market and had been placed on a table (refer to Figure 2.7).
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Figure 2.7 Price Comparison Table Mode prices here were based on CASE (2015) Report (refer to appendix)
13 different hawker shops sold one of these dishes and their prices were recorded down
The price was acquired from sign boards of the shops in Tiong Bahru market (refer to Figure 2.8)
After conducting my pilot study, I removed Roti Pratas as there had been none in Tiong Bahru Market
Figure 2.8 Store front in Tiong Bahru Market Taken by candidate
Names of the stores here recorded on Figure 2.7
Type of dish and price seen here to be recorded on these signboards
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Interviews
Several interviews were conducted, based on Valenzuela and Shrivastava (n.d), to find out more about Tiong Bahru and a plan as to how the interview set-up would look like was made (refer to Figure 2.9) prior to conducting them.
Figure 2.9 Plan for Interview Interviewees which included Mr Shannon Chen and Ms Choi Ji Yoon, a couple who have stayed in Tiong Bahru for three years, Ms. Divya S., a woman who has stayed in Tiong Bahru for her whole life (22 years) and Ms Shirlayne Lim, a real estate agent who sells and rents property in Tiong Bahru. All agreed that to be in this investigation and did not require aliases to protect their identity.
Laptop to refer to Valanzuela and Shrivastava (n.d) if in doubt Set of interview questions to ask interviewee making interviews, a general interview according to Valanzuela and Shrivastava (n.d) During a pilot study, questions were tested to see whether they made sense and whether it
was relevant and then fine-tuned to ensure that This person would have the questions fit well been the interviewer
Phone being used to record interview then audio was transcribed Interview was conducted at interviewee’s house due to convenience for them and was “a setting with the least distraction” as suggested by Valanzuela and Shrivastava (n.d)
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Questionnaire
Tiong Bahru Residents and Visitors
To find out the views of residents and visitors of Tiong Bahru of gentrification, a questionnaire was asked to 126 different people (refer to Figure 2.10).
Figure 2.10 Front Page of Questionnaire for Residents and Visitors
Chinese was included in the questionnaire because there were “74.3% of Chinese in 2016 in Singapore” (Sing Stat, 2016), thus, this was done in case people asked spoke Chinese only.
Asked on an iPad, due to convenience
A Google Form was used due to convenience and would not have wasted paper and also prevented hassle from taking it out.
Chinese translation was done by a Chinese national and then vetted by a Singaporean to ensure fluency
The questionnaire (for all of it, see Systematic sampling was applied where “each appendix) was first tried on three sample was selected in a regular manner” participants during a pilot study to ensure it (Nagle and Spencer, 2000). Therefore, I had th worked and questions were amended made it a point to ask every 5 person. If the th accordingly. 5 person was too busy then the next person seen was asked until someone answered.
Nagle and Spencer (2000) was referenced as to how to conduct a questionnaire and so “closed questions had been selected due to being quicker” and more efficient. They also took on the “forms of multiple choice questions”.
Services
To find out whether gentrification affected how long services stayed, a questionnaire (see
Figure 2.11) was asked to them which would have been compared to the land use classification (see Figure 2.3) to see the influence of gentrification.
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Figure 2.11 Questionnaire of Services
These questions were asked to all of the 76 shops and services The influence of gentrification would have been told by comparing the shops and services from 2005 and 2015.
This was asked on a pen and a paper as it was more convenient and answers were sometimes scribbled by the questioner.
Nagle and Spencer (2000) was referenced as to how to conduct a questionnaire and so “closed questions had been selected due to When staff did not know, the owner of being quicker” and more efficient. They also took on the “forms of shops/services was asked (see Figure multiple choice questions”. 2.12)
Figure 2.12 Asking questionnaire to owner of Yoga Inc. Photo taken by Joseph Ong (SJI International student)
Ms. Divya, employee of Yoga Inc., a service on Yong Siak Road
Uniform was worn so that people would be more compelling to answer
iPad used due to convenience
A form signed by the vice principal was also shown to the staff of service when questioned
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Pilot Study
The pilot study was done throughout the investigation in order to assess “the
validity of an enquiry and then gauging improvements to be made” (Nagle and Spencer,
2000).
Analysis of Data Collection
Prices in Tiong Bahru
Figure 3.1 showing pie chart of respondents visiting Tiong Bahru
Respondents visiting Tiong Bahru 40 of the 70 (57%) respondents said they had frequently visited these types of services.
56 70 30 40
30 of the 70 (43%) Of the other 56 (44%), the respondents said they respondents to the had frequently visited questionnaire who visited Out of the 126 respondents to the questionnaire for these types of services. or resided in Tiong Bahru visitors and residents, 70 (56%) had responded that had other reasons for they were there for restaurants, shops or the market going.
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Figure 3.2 showing pie chart of respondents who frequented Tiong Bahru
Respondents who frequently visit Tiong Bahru
11
19 Out of the 30, who frequented Tiong Bahru, 11 (37%) had not noticed a price difference
Out of the 30, who frequented Tiong Bahru, 19 (63%) had not noticed a price difference
The findings from the questionnaire for visitors (see Figures 3.1 and 3.2) suggest those who frequented Tiong Bahru, as well as, Mr. Chen and Ms. Choi (see appendix for interview) had not noticed any price difference. Despite this, 37% had still noticed an increase in price and a resident had filled in the questionnaire stating that the worst thing in Tiong Bahru was the “increase in price because of the crowds”. Therefore, it is largely seen that those who have stayed longer, have definitely noticed an increase in price, especially with Ms. Divya stating that food “was $4 per pack back in those days and now its $6 to $8 but this was like 5 years ago and since that it has stayed constant” (see appendix for interview). This is not an isolated case as Steele had noticed similarly an increase of price of food when gentrification occurred in Brooklyn (Steele, 2014).
Although, it was quite limiting without asking respondents of questionnaire when and where they noticed this increase in price so it would have been hard to tell the time period when they had noticed the price increase and any examples of it. 23 ALL TEXTS BELONG TO OWNERS TAKEN FROM WWW.INTERNALASSESSMENTS.WORDPRESS.COM
Figure 3.3 showing price of food in 2016 compared to CASE prices
Price of Food in Tiong Bahru Market
6 5 4 3 2 Chicken rice had 1 been pricier by Price of Food (SGD) Food of Price 0 13.3% in Tiong Fishball Noodles Mixed Vegetable Chicken Rice Chicken Nasi Bahru Market Rice Briyani Fishball noodles had Type of Hawker Food been pricier by 23% Chicken nasi briyani in Tiong Bahru had been cheaper Market 2014 price 2015 price 2016 price by 24% in Tiong Bahru Market
Mixed vegetable rice The 2014 and 2015 prices had been cheaper Prices were were based on the CASE by 13.3% in Tiong observed based on report (see appendix) Bahru Market their store fronts (as seen by Figure 3.4)
Figure 3.4 showing hawker store front
Taken by candidate
Name of the store was seen here
Price of the food was recorded here which was then recorded on price comparison table (see Figure 2.7)
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When comparing prices from the market (refer to Figure 3.4), it was found that there was a net decrease of 1% in the price of the food. The limitation in doing this is that this was only compared to shops in Tiong Bahru Market and there could have been other shops selling similar food that were not accounted for so the total net percentage or price could not be calculated.
Figure 3.5 showing pie chart of respondents who frequented Tiong Bahru Market
Respondents who had gone to the market
4
8
Amongst the 12, 4 (33%) had noticed a 12 respondents from Amongst the 12, 8 price difference the questionnaire (67%) had not had gone to Tiong noticed a price Bahru for the market difference
Although, a net decrease was seen, 33% of the respondents going to Tiong Bahru for the market (see Figure 3.5) had noticed an increase in price in the market. To which, when asked if there were any changes, 100% of them had responded by talking about the price. However, this was probed further and asked why they had still decided to come to the market with several responses included “the variety” and “the closeness to [my] home”. Doing this only further emphasises how limited the questionnaire was, as it didn’t
25 ALL TEXTS BELONG TO OWNERS TAKEN FROM WWW.INTERNALASSESSMENTS.WORDPRESS.COM state when they noticed this increase in price nor does it mention the amount it has increased by. However, one resident did state verbally that “some shops every now and then increase their price”.
Generally, the results seem to suggest that the shops, markets and restaurants have generally increased prices, however, this occurred more than five years ago. With
Ms. Divya saying that prices have plateaued in the last five years while Mr. Chen and Ms.
Choi did not report on any increased prices from three years ago. However, with the statement suggested by a resident, it suggests that prices do tend to increase but rather sporadically and at a slow pace.
Hence, although these prices may not have increased at a rapid pace, it is certainly seen that prices have definitely increased. Although this may not seem positive to Tiong Bahru, but with many still going to the shops, restaurant and market, it certainly shows that it has not hindered people from going. With no deterrence, this suggests that the increase in price has been rather positive, providing more businesses for the services within Tiong
Bahru. Similar findings were found in Harlem with food pricing having a “massive increase” (Yang and Chen, 2015), however, still had people visit the area despite the increase in prices (Yang and Chen, 2015).
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Change in Shop and Services
Figure 3.6 Pie Chart showing composition of shops in Tiong Bahru based on age
Total Composition of Shops in Tiong Bahru based on age
Amongst the 76 shops and services, 5 (7%) of them had been there for Amongst the 76 less than 1 year. shops and services, 5 20 (26%) of them 20 had been there for Amongst the 76 shops more than 10 years. and services, 26 (34%) of 26 them had been there for more than 1 to 5 years.
Composition was compiled 25 from questionnaire of services (refer to Figure 76 shops and services were 2.11) asked which were along the eight transects
Amongst the 76 shops and services, 25 (33%) of them had been there for 5 to 10 years.
With 5 of the shops just opened less than a year ago, this resembles findings in New York which found that a lot of new shops had just opened within a year (Lees and Bondi, 1995) due to gentrification, although not nearly as much as New York, it is still rather significant that there were shops and services less than a year old. The highest proportion of shops have been in Tiong Bahru for 1 to 5 years with 26, but those that had been there for 5 to 10 years followed closely behind with 25 (refer to Figure 3.6).
The owners of these shops and services were subsequently asked what kind of shops and services had previously occupied their lot. Although many provided many answers, a large proportion did not know. Majority of the people who didn’t know were
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not the owners, but when asked to speak to them, they weren’t around. This limited the data and would have been better if I asked the staff to tell me when they were free or whether I could have their contact.
Their answers (refer to Figure 3.7) deemed helpful as it allowed them to be plotted to give an idea of the type of shops and services that were once in Tiong Bahru and compared to what there were now (refer to Figure 3.8), which had been gathered during the land use classification (refer to Figure 2.3). Doing this had allowed to tell whether gentrification has an impact on the way that the land has changed within the last decade.
Figure 3.7 shows composition of shops and services in 2005
Shops and Services within Tiong Bahru in 2005
Warehouses and food/drink The type of services were were the most in 2005 with compared to the classification 30% and 25% respectively (see appendix)
5% 25%
30% Different colours were used for numerical values due to easier visibility There had been no 0% 20% residential in 2005 11% 7%2% Pie charts were chosen because it allowed Services had been the least proportions to be seen prevalent with 2%
Food/Drink Shops Services Luxury Supermarkets Residential Warehouses Offices
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Figure 3.8 shows composition of shops and services in 2016
Shops and Services within Tiong Bahru in 2016
To limit the subjectivity, the Warehouses were the least in classification (see appendix) Different colours were used 2016 with 4% had been written prior to the for numerical values due to fieldwork easier visibility 4% 11% 0% 30% 7% Pie charts were chosen because it allowed proportions to be seen 15% Food/drink and shops were the most in 2016 with 30% and 20% 20% respectively 14% After the code was placed into the land use classification (refer to Figure 2.3), they were then compared to the classification (see appendix)
Food/Drink Shops Services Luxury Supermarkets Residential Warehouses Offices
Although warehouses were the most prevalent service in Tiong Bahru in 2005, this
number sharply decreased from 30% to 4% in 2016. Meanwhile, there has been a slow
increase in food/drink services as it has risen from 20% to the highest number of services,
25%, in 2016. Similarly, in Hong Kong, food/drink services had been on the rise when
gentrification occurred (La Grange and Pretorious, 2011). “Old warehouses and factories”
(Hamnett, 2013) had been “pushed out into city-fringe areas” (Hamnett, 2013) shows that
it’s not rare that there had been a decline in warehouses.
Ms. Divya said that mostly luxury services (yoga facilities, florists and etc.) had
been more prevalent in Tiong Bahru and results from fieldwork also reflected when she
said that “Tiong Bahru was mostly restaurant and warehouses.” “Every so often a new
shop is being born”, Mr. Chen in the interview, showing a large proportion of new shops
29 ALL TEXTS BELONG TO OWNERS TAKEN FROM WWW.INTERNALASSESSMENTS.WORDPRESS.COM and services have appeared in the last five years. Tiong Bahru is not alone, New York
City has also had a sudden increase in the variety of shops and services (Zukin et. al.,
2009).
Overall, it is seen that gentrification plays a role in changing the land use with various shops and services and it has definitely been positive to the area with now a larger variety especially in terms of food/drink and shops. Although it caused problems like crowds that caused a lot of noise, for residents Mr. Chen and Ms. Choi, they said they could still live with it. It would have been much better if I had gotten primary data for 2005 in order to find out the composition of shops and services myself within Tiong Bahru rather than hearing it from people.
The Beautification of Shops and Services
From the age of shops (refer to Figure 3.6), they were then compared to the bipolar scale of shops and services (refer to Figure 2.2) which produced a graph (refer to Figure
3.9). This was done in order to tell whether age had an effect on whether it was more evident of gentrification. However, one limiting thing about doing the bipolar score I found was that I rated each of these shops at different times – sometimes during lunch hour which could have caused there to be more litter than at other times.
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None of the bipolar scores were negative indicating that all shops Figure 3.9 Graph showing the scores of bipolar scale against time and services were evident of gentrification.
Average highest score was from those shops and services less than 1 year old with 14 Beautification of Shops and Services against Time
16 Average lowest score was Average bipolar score of 14 from those shops and shops and services which services more than 10 years 12 was 7 with 14 with 1 10 8 6 4 2
0 Most of the less than one year old shops fared very < 1 year 1 to 5 years 5 to 10 years > 10 years
Services and Shops of Score Bipolar well because they were litter Duration of Shops and Services in area Most of the more than ten free and attractive years old fared very badly because they were cramped and littered.
With the results (refer to Figure 3.9), this suggested all of the services were evident
of gentrification occurring in Tiong Bahru, however, younger shops had more. One of
these shops was Plain Vanilla (refer to Figure 3.10), a three-year-old café scoring 12 on
the bipolar scale out of a maximum score of 18.
Figure 3.10 Plain Vanilla, a three-year-old café Taken by candidate Some of the tables still had empty coffee cups and plates with birds pecking at it, therefore making the clean very low with a score of -2
Bikes had made Plain Vanilla more attractive, however, visible graffiti was seen and rust was seen on it, lowering the attractiveness.
It also managed to fare very well because it was very open, scoring a perfect score of 3.
Plain Vanilla had a perfect score of 3 in terms of being litter free.
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Meanwhile, an older shop like Qiu Ji Department Store (refer to Figure 3.11), a twenty-four-year-old provision shop scored -13 out of 18.
Figure 3.11 Qiu Ji Department Store, a twenty-four-year-old provision shop Taken by candidate
The shop was very dirty, scoring a - 3, with dust and grime seen on the pots and pans being sold. There were also lizard faecal matter seen on some of their forks and spoons.
The shop was very cramp, scoring a -3 which did not allow people to walk through without knocking something down.
One empty coffee cup was seen on the floors, making it littered, scoring a 1.
Mr. Chen and Ms. Choi reported seeing similar results during the interview, stating that many of these new shops to be “much cleaner and roomier” and Ms. Divya saying that for the ambience in them, it is worth paying a higher price for coffee. It wasn’t just the interviewees who felt that way but also, the respondents of the questionnaire where they stated that the new restaurants had better atmosphere, ambience and cleanliness which had a higher average score than the older restaurants. When asked what was particularly liked about Tiong Bahru, four had responded with new art-deco style of the newer shops and restaurants around the area and another two had responded with the cleanliness in the newer shops and restaurants. One resident had also stated that they had enjoyed the
32 ALL TEXTS BELONG TO OWNERS TAKEN FROM WWW.INTERNALASSESSMENTS.WORDPRESS.COM newer blend of shops and services because they “offered a better ambience and better quality of goods”.
Tiong Bahru is not alone, similar findings were found in Bruny Island, Australia where newer shops were more evident of gentrification with being newer services being more beautiful and cleaner (Jackson, 2006). But this also occurred in Hong Kong, where newer shops and services had “greater physical appearance” (La Grange and Pretorious,
2011) and in Canada where storefronts were cleaned up when gentrification occurred, particularly those that had been newer than the older shops and services (Slater, 2004).
Overall, gentrification has had a positive role in beautifying the new shops and services in Tiong Bahru which is positive as it manages to draw people into going.
Although some of the older shops have not really been beautified, as Mr Chen states, most of those that have moved in definitely have a higher-level aesthetic and have ensured that they are more attractive. Similarly, when gentrification occurred in Beijing prior to the 2008 Olympics, new restaurants were significantly more attractive (Zheng and
Kahn, 2013).
Residents’ View on Tiong Bahru
When answering the questionnaire, it was found that 25 of the respondents had been residents of Tiong Bahru while 44% (11) of the respondents had lived in HDBs, which was the highest type of residential stayed in. On the other hand, 12% (3) of the respondents had lived in shophouses, which was the lowest type of residential stayed in.
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They had then been split upon based on the duration that they had stayed there for (refer to Figure 3.12).
Figure 3.12 Composition of residents asked questionnaire
Composition of resident respondents
40% (10) of the respondents had been newer residents, having stayed in Tiong Bahru for less than a decade 40%
60% 60% (15) of the respondents had been older residents, having stayed in Tiong Bahru for more than a decade
A total of 25 residents had been asked to fill in the questionnaire.
All, but one of the residents, have stated they bought their own house, whilst the renter of the house had said they rented the house for an approximate of $3000 to $5000 a month. This is one of the limitations of the questionnaire and would have been better to get more people who rented to answer. Most of the respondents (which comprised of all of the older residents) had not been willing to disclose how much they had purchased their house, however, those that did were newer residents and stated their house costed them a range of $2,000,000 to $5,000,000. This is another limitation where the older residents of Tiong Bahru had not wished to disclose how much they had purchased their homes for.
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It was also asked to the older residents what issues they had noticed of late which produced results (refer to Figure 3.13).
Figure 3.13 Issues of Tiong Bahru noticed by older residents
Issues noticed in Tiong Bahru by older residents Decreased safety was not observed, with only 3 older DECREASED SAFETY residents feeling that way
INCREASED VARIETY OF SHOPS
CONGESTED TRAFFIC
CROWDED Crowds and rubbish was noticed the most by the older residents. RUBBISH
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
This is not an isolated incident in Tiong Bahru, residents in Rotterdam also experience the same issues with gentrification whereby they realise “rubbish is thrown on the streets” (Snel et. al., 2011) despite having bins for them to throw their rubbish in (Snel et. al., 2011). Similarly, when gentrification had occurred in New York, one thing that was noticed in particular were the rubbish thrown around, as well as, the “crowds who would make noise and cause problems” (Hae, 2012).
Older residents had then been asked what they would change if they had the ability to about Tiong Bahru which responded in many saying crowds and someone had said that the culture was lost as a result of it. Schulman had also noticed that when gentrification, it caused a “destruction of culture” (Schluman, 2012). Ms. Divya said similar
35 ALL TEXTS BELONG TO OWNERS TAKEN FROM WWW.INTERNALASSESSMENTS.WORDPRESS.COM about the one thing that she hates about Tiong Bahru were the crowds but said she wouldn’t change it as it will be taking a huge part of her memories. However, Ms. Divya also contradicted what the older resident had said where she said with Tiong Bahru’s rich history, many have been coming for an excursion. Therefore, the questionnaire had been limited in that the resident was not able to explain his answer a little more as if had he done this, it would be easier to balance the arguments of the two. Especially since gentrification could also lead to the preservation of culture, as found in Shanghai, where houses are being architecturally preserved (Arkaraprasertkul and Williams, 2015).
Lastly, for the older residents, upon asking them what they had loved about Tiong
Bahru, they had stated that they majorly enjoyed the memories that held a special bond to them. One of the older residents, when faced with this question in the questionnaire, began anecdotally speaking in Mandarin, pointing to several of the buildings recalling which building was used for what purpose. He spoke of a time when Tiong Bahru were mostly warehouse and pre-war flats and said this was when he was a teenager and reflected how he was not sure whether he liked the new Tiong Bahru. When asking whether he wanted to partake in an interview about his thoughts on Tiong Bahru, he unfortunately declined. Residents in Guangzhou have also experienced the same thing where due to such memories, it causes them to protest against gentrification (He, 2016).
Meanwhile, for the newer residents of Tiong Bahru, they had been asked whether they had noticed any changes, to which, many responded with the same aforementioned issue of crowds. However, it was seen more of the newer residents had been okay with
36 ALL TEXTS BELONG TO OWNERS TAKEN FROM WWW.INTERNALASSESSMENTS.WORDPRESS.COM the crowds and did not highlight it to be a large problem with some responding in the questionnaire saying that “a very small issue is the crowds”. Mr. Chen expressed similarly that the crowds had only been noticed after they had their son, otherwise, it wouldn’t have been as noticeable to them.
The newer residents had also expressed a liking for the art (refer to Figure 3.14 for example) when asked what was good about Tiong Bahru. Mr. Chen stated that it was what subconsciously drew them to Tiong Bahru.
Figure 3.14 A mural along a corridor in Tiong Bahru
Taken by candidate
One of many artworks that have been plastered around Tiong Bahru
Artworks represent the history or culture of Tiong Bahru, this one is an artists’ representation of Tiong Bahru Market.
Art tends to be drawn on many different places – corridors, walls, car parks.
Ms. Shirlayne had also stated one of the biggest reasons there was such a huge influx in people moving into Tiong Bahru was because of the rich culture and the unique
37 ALL TEXTS BELONG TO OWNERS TAKEN FROM WWW.INTERNALASSESSMENTS.WORDPRESS.COM heritage that Tiong Bahru that was attracting new residents. Whilst conducting fieldworks, many different signboards about it was plastered around the town (refer to Figure 3.15).
Figure 3.15 Heritage Boards in Tiong Bahru
Taken by candidate
In different corners of Tiong Bahru, these signboards are posted providing information about the past
It isn’t just residents reading this but tourists too who enjoy finding out more.
Ms Divya also stated that the place is rich in history is what is promoting newer residents to reside here, additionally, tours that are provided about it.
Art, in gentrified areas, is no stranger to drawing people to live in them.
Ostozhenka, Russia had saw the growth of its population in gentrified towns due to the art and the rich culture behind it (Golubchikov and Badyina, 2005). The limitation about this fieldwork was that residents who have rented homes in Tiong Bahru should also have been interview as they could have a different viewpoint on it.
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Overall, gentrification has a mixed reaction to the residents staying in Tiong Bahru,
whilst it is great for the newer residents and is the source of what is drawing them in, it is
what the older residents despise. Therefore, with such a blend in opinions, it can be said
that gentrification is mostly positive to Tiong Bahru’s residents but is hard to make it a
complete positive given the difference of opinions within the town.
The Environment in Tiong Bahru
When conducting the bipolar scale survey of the environment, the average results
of each of the 8 transects had been plotted on a bar graph (refer to Figure 3.16).
Figure 3.16 Environmental Survey against the Transects A positive environmental survey score would indicate that The highest score a transect the particular transect was evident of gentrification while could have received signifying a negative score would have indicated that the transect that it is the most gentrified is Environmental Survey was not gentrified. +18 while the lowest score that could be received20 is -18.
15 Highest environmental score was found to be in 10 Yong Siak Road (refer to Figures 3.17 and 3.18) 5
0 Red line represents the Eng Seng Yong Eng Seng Eng Watt Guang Yong average of the score of Hoon Poh Lane Siak Hoon Poh Street Chuan Siak the eight transects in -5 Street Road Road Road Street Street Tiong Bahru.
-10 Most of the transects evaluated had not been Lowest environmental score was gentrified. found to be in Seng Poh Lane (refer to Figures 3.19 and 3.20).
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Figure 3.17 Yong Siak Road part 1 Taken by candidate Most of the shops along the Yong Siak Road transect had been high order goods and only had one low order good shop
A large mass of people gathered because of a tour group from Malaysia
Corridors filled with cigarette butts to add to the litter
Mattress had been dumped here causing a lot of litter
Figure 3.18 Yong Siak Road part 2 Taken by candidate Attractive shops with no visible graffiti on the walls or streets
All the shops along Yong Siak road had been occupied
Yong Siak Road was the transect that was evident of gentrification occurring and is found to be very crowded, mentioned by Ms. Divya who stated that she sometimes had to sit away from her room due to the noise. The whole transect had been occupied,
40 ALL TEXTS BELONG TO OWNERS TAKEN FROM WWW.INTERNALASSESSMENTS.WORDPRESS.COM mirroring gentrified Dalston Lane in London that was recently gentrified, having many occupied shops in the area (Xavier, 2006). However, unlike many other gentrified roads and areas, while the fieldwork was being carried out, Yong Siak Road did not have much traffic congestion and had rather smooth traffic.
In contrast, Seng Poh Lane (refer to Figures 3.19 and 3.20) had the lowest score in the bipolar scale, mostly due to the vacant shops and it being rather litter free. These were all signs that the area had not been gentrified where likewise in Oakland, prior to being gentrified suffered from high vacancies (Kotkin, 2012) and in Chicago where there had not been much litter in areas that had not been gentrified (Hwang and Sampson,
2014).
Figure 3.19 Vacant shop in Seng Poh Lane Taken by candidate
Many of the shops in Yong Siak road were like this – vacant and had no sign
The transect was also very empty but despite this, it was not ugly as it did not have peeling walls or graffiti
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Figure 3.20 Transect of Seng Poh Lane Taken by candidate
There was also very little rubbish seen on the floor and bins had been utilized
There were only two types of high order services in the transect, a spa and a florist, the rest were low order goods only.
The average decibel reading per transect was also placed on a graph (refer to
Figure 3.21).
Figure 3.21 Graph showing average decibels on each transect
Average Decibels on each transect
80 70 The average decibels on all 8 transects was 69 60 The average decibels were 50 the highest on Yong Siak 40 Road. 30 20 The average decibels were the lowest on Eng Hoon 10 Street. 0 Eng Seng Yong Eng Seng Eng Watt Guang Yong Hoon Poh Siak Hoon Poh Street Chuan Siak Average Decibels per Transect per Decibels Average Street Lane Road Road Road Street Street Transect Name
The average decibels (refer to Figure 3.21) and the environmental bipolar scale
(refer to Figure 3.16) correlate with each other, whereby, Seng Poh Lane had the third lowest decibel reading while Yong Siak Road had been the highest. This confirms that
42 ALL TEXTS BELONG TO OWNERS TAKEN FROM WWW.INTERNALASSESSMENTS.WORDPRESS.COM gentrification had occurred in Yong Siak Road but not in Seng Poh Lane since gentrification often lead to noise as one of the biggest problems in Toronto, Canada
(Filion, 1991). However, a limitation to this was that the recordings had not been taken at the same time for each of the transects as one another. Therefore, there could be some misrepresentations whereby the noise could have been taken during peak hour on one of the transects while on another could have been very early in the morning.
However, overall, it can be seen that the gentrification had not been evident in all the eight transects. With the limitation of the decibel reading, it is hard to tell whether noise in Tiong Bahru is a factor of gentrification. But, with the environmental scale suggesting that gentrification only occurred in some areas but not others, it is hard to tell assess whether this has been positive for Tiong Bahru. Especially since some of the evidence used for gentrification is rather bad like litter and occupied shops which was what some respondents said they disliked about Tiong Bahru. But some of the evidence being attractiveness, which is positive evidence and what drew many to the area.
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Evaluation
Table 4.1 Strengths and limitations of investigation
Limitation Improvement The sample size of the questionnaire had Questionnaire should have been not been large enough especially with distributed to a larger number of people only asking 126 people when Tiong in Tiong Bahru and more residents Bahru has a population of 12,800 not should have been asked as a sample of including visitors. 25 is not sufficient for residents. Not all the food and beverages shops in Going to each food and beverage shop in Tiong Bahru had been used to compare Tiong Bahru in the 8 transects then prices of food. There could have been comprehensively checking their menu, certain shops selling the same foods as as well as, asking staff if not made CASE that were not measured. explicit whether they sold the particular dish and finding out the cost. Questionnaire had not been very Including a field for additional comments comprehensive and allowed people’s and another field to explain when, where opinions which doesn’t allow detailed and how long ago has the price price comparison data to be conducted. increased. Many of the staff did not know how long Ask for a time to meet the owners of the their particular shop and service had restaurants and if that was not possible, been opened for. When asked for owners asked for their contact to call them up to to ask, they had not been around. This find out. made the proportions to be slightly less accurate on the pie charts The interview had only consisted of For residents, going door to door and people who have purchased a house and then asking if anyone would have been not rented a house, as well as, people willing to do an interview. For visitors, who were visiting Tiong Bahru. after completing survey, asking if they Therefore, more interviews from a variety would be willing to follow up with a quick of people could have been done and interview on the spot. For tourists, similar would have allowed for more diverse to visitors whereby asking them whilst on thoughts and opinions. tour. This would have also reduced the bias as multiple perspectives are taken into account. Bipolar scale of shops and services were Ensuring each different shop was taken taken at different times; therefore, it may at three different times that were not have been accurate as lunch times
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could have caused there to be more universal for all of the 76 shops and crowds in certain shops causing more services to be fair. litter and during work hours, there could have been fewer people, thus, decreasing the litter. Questionnaire for residents could have This would have allowed there to be an been more open especially since newer easier balance of the two arguments to residents seem to be okay with the noise assess whether gentrification had been whilst older ones tend not to like it. positive to Tiong Bahru or whether it had been negative in the eyes of residents. Bipolar scale of environment was taken Ensuring each different transect was at different times; therefore, it may not taken at three different times that were have been accurate as lunch times could universal for all of the eight transects to have caused there to be more crowds in be fair. the transects and during work hours, there could have been fewer people, thus, decreasing the crowds, making it more empty The bipolar scale of environment had Making a more representative scale been difficult to assess whether whereby positive factors would show not gentrification had been positive to Tiong only evidence of gentrification but Bahru as within the positive factors, there positive ones while negative factors were both positive evidence and negative would show no evidence of evidence of gentrification. gentrification.
If not for time constraints, most of these improvements would have been acted upon.
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Conclusion
It is very complex how gentrification is able to affect Tiong Bahru, where different changes are able to affect whether it is positive for Tiong Bahru or not. Thus, it is no surprise how gentrification is able to cause such a big debate today. These (as shown on
Table 5.1) are the results found through the investigation.
Table 5.1 Impacts of Gentrification
Impact of gentrification Results from investigation 63% of respondents who had frequently visited Tiong Bahru have not noticed a price difference whilst 37% of the respondents did. Meanwhile, in the market, it was found that there has been a net decrease of 1% in costs of dishes as compared to the mode price in 2014 and 2015. However, amongst There has been a price increase in respondents, 33% noticed a price Tiong Bahru of food and goods. increase. According to the interview, this increase had only occurred five years ago and has maintained the same price. Based on this, it can be concluded that while there may have been a price increase, it hasn’t affected residents or visitors. The increase of food price, as a result, is positive. Within a decade, the type of shops and Changes in shops and services services have had a change.
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Warehouses have significantly had a decrease in number whereas food/drink services have had a steady increase. Services, on the other hand, had a massive increase of 12%. From the interview, it is seen that most luxury services have had an increase. It is also seen that new services have been constantly popping up. This has resulted in crowds that many are unhappy about but residents seem to be able to live with it and respondents seem to be happy with the new types of services. The change in shops and services, as a result is positive. Younger shops that have recently sprouted, in particular those that are less than a year old have higher evidence of gentrification where they are not only attractive but fairly well kept. Many residents and visitors have also been drawn to Tiong Bahru due to its beauty and enjoy the newer shops and services. Beautification of shops and services. One respondent had even stated that he preferred it due to the better ambience and quality of goods. According to interviews, this was backed by saying that the new shops and services also had become roomier and cleaner. Thus, the beautification of shops and services due to gentrification has been positive.
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Residents have had a mixed view on gentrification, where while most of the older residents, whom have stayed in Tiong Bahru for over a decade hate the new shops and services, the newer residents are drawn to it. Many of the newer residents have also become more affluent, according to interviews, and are more matured and older buyers. Older residents also view that the new changes have changed the heritage of Tiong Bahru, but in reality, this is not true Residents’ view on Tiong Bahru because in the interview, it is seen that many buildings are still being preserved and local school groups come for excursions for the heritage. However, one thing in particular that was highlighted were the crowds which newer residents have ignored but older residents despise. Gentrification has also managed to bring art containing old heritage and culture of Tiong Bahru. Thus, most of the residents’ view the gentrification of Tiong Bahru as mostly positive.
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From the fieldwork, it is gathered that unlike shops and services in Tiong Bahru, the eight transects have not received much evidence of gentrification occurring apart from one of them. In this particular road, it is seen that a various blend in opinion is formed about it as although newer and more aesthetic shops are open, this brings in crowds that sometimes are so loud that the interviewee stated that she can’t stay in her room. Even though gentrification has The Environment in Tiong Bahru occurred, one of the factors that have not been evident unlike most gentrified locations is traffic congestion. The fieldwork for noise levels were also difficult to compare but a positive correlation between transects evident of gentrification and noise levels was observed. Therefore, the environment in Tiong Bahru due to gentrification has been a mix of both positive and negative but has also been slightly inconclusive.
Therefore, when comparing the results of the impacts of gentrification to the results from the investigation, it can be concluded that gentrification in Tiong Bahru has largely been positive. Despite this, there is still a conflict between the newer residents and the older residents who both disagree as to whether this is so. However, the physical factors
49 ALL TEXTS BELONG TO OWNERS TAKEN FROM WWW.INTERNALASSESSMENTS.WORDPRESS.COM have been nothing but positive, with both residents and visitors alike enjoying the beautification of the new shops and services, as well as, the new variety. It is also seen that the price of goods has plateaued in recent years.
In order to be more objective, however, a more refined research question should be employed wherein it should take environmental factors into account and allow the sample size of both questionnaires and interviews to be bigger to be more representative of the population visiting and residing in Tiong Bahru.
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Papachristos, A. et. al. (2016) More Coffee, Less Crime? The Relationship between Gentrification and Neighborhood Crime Rates in Chicago, 1991 to 2005” The
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Xavier, J. (2007). Retail competition and the planning system: Exploration of the planning system and its role in promoting and enhancing retail diversity in town centres- a case study on Dalston (Doctoral dissertation, University of London, University College
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Images Accessed
Lee, J. (2014). Figure 1.3 and 1.4, The story of pre-hipster Tiong Bahru will make your Sunday brunch taste more hip. The Mothership. Available at: http://mothership.sg/2014/05/the-story-of-pre-hipster-tiong-bahru/ [Accessed 18th May
2017]
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Joseph Ong (2016), candidate of SJI International, Figure 2.12, both parties agreed to be photographed and inserted into the Extended Essay
All other images, unless otherwise stated, were taken by the candidate, as well as, figures, graphs and charts were taken or made between 2016 and 2017.
Maps Accessed
Art of Anderson, Figure 1.1 showing Map of Singapore, in relation to Southeast
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Holland Village Singapore, Figure 1.2 showing Map of Singapore with towns drawn in, Available at: http://www.holland-village-singapore.com/map-of-holland-village/
[Accessed 4th May, 2017]
Movies Accessed
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Websites Accessed
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[Accessed 20th October, 2016].
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Cee D. (2016). Goat Xi Fa Cai @ Tiong Bahru The Dead Cockroach, a
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Gets Worse For Many Forbes. [online] Forbes. Available at http://www.forbes.com/sites/joelkotkin/2012/09/25/the-hollow-boom-of-brooklyn-behind- veneer-of-gentrification-life-gets-worse-for-many/#445c40d82110 [Accessed 26th
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Sing Stat (2016) Population Trends 2016. [online] Available at: http://www.singstat.gov.sg/docs/default-source/default-document- library/publications/publications_and_papers/population_and_population_structure/popu lation2016.pdf [Accessed May 18 2017]
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2017]
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Others Accessed
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Valenzuela and Shrivastava (n.d), Interview as a Method for Interview as a Method for Qualitative Research Qualitative Research, Presentation, Available at: http://www.public.asu.edu/~kroel/www500/Interview%20Fri.pdf [Accessed 15th May
2017]
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Appendix
Descriptors for factors being measured for bipolar scale of Shops and Services
Attractive and Ugly An attractive area would be more beautiful visibly, for instance, you might be able to see that the windows are clean and lights that function – i.e. aesthetically pleasing. An ugly area, on the other hand, would be a complete contrast, whereby the walls on would be peeling and the place would be filled with muck and grime.
Interesting and Boring An interesting area would be one that functions with people being captivated to enter. There must also be good signage about what they are selling or what service they offer. For instance, I must be able to know from the store front that XYZ is a hardware store. A boring area would have a limited number of people entering and that they would typically have signs that are unclear as to what they are selling or service they are offering. These shops also don’t seem that big on marketing, at least based on what it seems.
Open and Cramped An open area would tend to give a roomy feel to the customer and one should feel that they are able to walk around in the shop or service without obstruction and obstacles. A cramped area would make one feel “suffocated” and claustrophobic due to obstacles in the way that without looking on the floor might trip over things.
Clean and Dirty A clean area would be as the name states with an area that has little to no dirt. Evidences of such can be like in a hypothetical café that people clean tables after a customer has left or there being no left behind plates if customers leave two minutes ago.
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A dirty area is one that again, as the name states an area that has a lot of dust and dirt. Evidences of such can be in a service selling goods, with shelves being filled with dust or goods themselves stained or are in a condition that one would be less willing to purchase because of it.
Litter-free and Litter A litter free area is an area that doesn’t have rubbish lying around inside or outside the service or restaurant. Such rubbish can either come from the patrons or the shops/services themselves. A littered area is an area that has a lot of waste inside and/or outside the area, evidence could show the lack of trash bins (a higher tendency for there to be more rubbish left by the patrons themselves).
Well-kept and Poorly kept A well-kept area is an area that is organised such that things look neat and are not disordered. Evidence of this can be when asking the assistants of a service are knowledgeable of where their products are. There are also little to no goods left and kept on the floor. A poorly kept area is an area that is greatly disordered such that things are very untidy and messy. Evidence of such can be in services whereby the goods are left on the floor and such goods could be either be purchased by patrons or could be used by the owners of such services.
Descriptors for Bipolar Scale of Environment
Litter and Litter free • A littered area is an area that has a lot of waste outside the transect and evidence of this rubbish include cigarettes, plastic bags and newspapers. • A litter free area is an area that doesn’t have rubbish lying around the particular transect and is also rather clean, whereby no rubbish can be seen at all.
Researchers to back it up: Hwang and Sampson [2014]
Crowded and Empty
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• A crowded area tends to have a lot of people whether they are tourists or locals whereby there may be clusters of different groups and about thirty or more people on the transect (again, excluding owners of shops and services). • An empty area is an area that doesn’t have a lot of people visiting it, whereby, there may be about one to five people in sight (excluding owners of services and shops).
Researchers to back it up: Papachristos, Smith, Scherer and Fugiero [2016]
Attractive and Ugly • An attractive area would be more beautiful visibly, for instance, you might be able to see that the street is well lit at night and has little to no graffiti. • An ugly area, on the other hand, would be a complete contrast, whereby the walls on would be peeling and the place would be filled with graffiti on the walls.
Researchers to back it up: Deniz G. [2016]
Low Number of Low Order Good Services and High Number of Low Order Goods • An area that has a low number of low order good services suggest that more gentrification has occurred, there should be probably only two or less local shops that sell goods for relatively cheap. • An area that has a high number of low order good services suggest that less gentrification has occurred, there should probably be about eight or more shops that shops that sell goods for relatively cheap.
Researchers to back it up: Deniz G. [2016]
Traffic Congestion and Smooth Traffic • Traffic Congestion could either mean that there are a lot of vehicles on the road that could lead to jams and people waiting a long time in their vehicles or if the road is not allowed to have vehicles, there could be a multitude of vehicles (with the exception of residents) in parking lots with many others waiting. • Smooth Traffic could either mean that there are a few or no vehicles on the road that could lead to a smooth flow of passengers in their vehicles moving or if the road is not allowed to have vehicles, there could be little vehicles (with the exception of residents) in parking lots.
Researchers to back it up: Filion [1991]
Low Density Households and High Density Households
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• Low density residential refer to either houses, semi-detached houses or bungalows and often have the potential to house a family (about 3 to 10 people) or even just a couple. • High density residential refer to either being apartments or condominiums and even Housing Development Blocks (HDBs) and are often residential which has the potential to house a lot of people.
Researchers to back it up: Helms [2003]
Occupied Shops and Vacant Shops • Occupied shops refer to there being many lots (the whole transect) being occupied by a shop or a service with frequent customers and patrons visiting it. • Vacant shops refer to there being many (5 or more) lots down the transect that are left empty and could have potential to rent signs or are sold but don’t have the services or shops moving in yet.
Researchers to back it up: Kotkin [2012]
Decibel Reader • Noise would indicate a high amount of gentrification as it appears to be a large problem, hence, a higher reading on the decibel would indicate more gentrification. • A reading would be taken over one minute and the peak would be the value written. • Close the application after opening it so that you would get a different peak each time.
Researchers to back it up: Filion [1991]
Descriptors for the Codes of Land Use Classification
High Order Services H1– Restaurants These restaurants would sell food that would charge ≥ $5 for an appetiser, ≥ $12 for a main course and ≥ $5 for a dessert. They could also offer just offer appetisers, main courses, desserts and sides. H2 – Clothing These clothing stores here should sell internationally (known) brands or even if they are
64 ALL TEXTS BELONG TO OWNERS TAKEN FROM WWW.INTERNALASSESSMENTS.WORDPRESS.COM local brands, these should typically sell for ≥ $40. The clothes are also made of good material, often international (e.g Bangladesh). H3 – Cafés These cafés should be similar to restaurants, however, these cafés would also sell a variety of coffees and teas. For instance, Americano and Lattes for the former and Earl Grey and Darjeeling for the latter. The prices for these might also be rather expensive, costing ≥ $4 for a cup. H4 – Stationery/Books These are more like bookshops and stationery shops which could sell any type of books (ranging from novellas to textbooks) and stationery could be any type as well (from rubbers to paste). However, the most expensive book in the shop could be ≥ $80 and stationery such as rulers could cost ≥ $1.50. H5 – Supermarket These are shops that sell consumables, as well as, household products. The types of consumables could either be local or international brands, likewise the household products. They are generally air conditioned and have stationed staff where one can purchase the goods from. H6 – Furniture These are the shops that sell furniture for very high prices that could go up to their thousands. They are also of primer condition, for instance, using teak wood from Brazil. These high order goods would also leave patrons wondering for a few days whether to get them or not. H7 – Vanity These are shops like massage shops, beauty shops or spas. These are shops where people would go to in order to improve their wellbeing or their aesthetic. H8 – Pets These are shops dedicated to pets; whether it be a shop selling pets or one that helps to assist groom pets or both. They could also be selling pet food and accessories such as leashes or fish bowls. H9 – Real Estate
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These are shops that could either be into buying property or selling property. They could also be assisting in helping to rent out areas and could have a model house on display on the front of their shops
Low Order Services L1 – Restaurants These restaurants often do not have courses and offer a la carte dishes and are relatively cheaper than an average high order restaurant, like for instance, they may sell toast and tea for $1.50. L2 – Clothing These clothing stores could sell locally made or internationally made clothes. They are often not as good quality and often go for much cheaper than a high order clothing store, selling clothes for ≥ $5 but will not go up to $20. L3 – Cafés These cafés often have relatively cheap food but also have local dishes, as well as local names for coffee, for instance Teh Tarik and they often cost no more than $2. L4 – Stationery/Books These stationery and bookstores tend to be very cheap comparative to that of the high order stationery, for example, a pen could cost $0.50 here and you would see books being sold for rather cheap – about $11 and will never reach higher than $20 for a book. L5 – Grocer These grocers would tend to leave their fruits out in the open, they wouldn’t really keep it in refrigerators and flies can be seen around the fruits. However, in some cases, they might have refrigerators to store their vegetables. The prices of these grocers are often much cheaper – for example, $2 for 1 mango. L6 – Provision Shop These provision shops often sell a varied number of everyday items ranging from dishwashing powder to instant coffee sachets. They would also have snacks that have been locally produced like Mamee Noodles. These would also often be rather cheap, selling for less than $10. L7 – Tailors and Cobblers
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These tailors and cobblers are services who partake in tasks such as, but not limited to, seam, stitch, sew, shine shoes and help to stick soles back into shoes. These tasks would cost an average Joe about $15, however, this depends largely on the type of task being offered.
Residential R1 – High density residential refer to either being apartments or condominiums and even Housing Development Blocks (HDBs) and are often residential which has the potential to house a lot of people. R2 – Low density residential refer to either houses, semi-detached houses or bungalows and often have the potential to house a family (about 3 to 10 people) or even just a couple.
Others O1 – Market These markets can be either dry or wet markets and can sell a range of products and goods such as, poultry meat to fish for aquariums. In this market, it is often (but not always) very dirty and can be very noisy with vendors trying to promote customers to buy their goods. O2 – ATM/Banks These ATM/Banks are used by people for monetary needs, for instance, if one would like to withdraw cash or if one would like to deposit money. The banks also serve to distribute credit and debit cards. O3 – Religious Buildings These religious buildings are used as a place of worship or a place where one can practice their religion. Such include mosques, churches and temples and people would either visit them to serve the purpose of praying or tourists visiting to appreciate such culture. O4 – Offices/Clinics These offices refer to companies offering a service, likewise the clinic, which offers people help in diagnosing illnesses. Offices don’t often have to have many people and could be services like a chiropractor or a psychologist.
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O5 – Education These education can vary and does not necessarily have to be schools and can include tutorial centres – so long as there is teaching involved, it will be counted. Hence, a Montessori Preschool would also count as one. O6 – Car Parks These car parks serve as an area for parking lots, they do not necessarily have to be cars but all types of vehicles can park here and can park for various reasons. O7 – Hotels These hotels are places where people can stay in a vacant room for a price, whether tourists or locals. These areas tend to often be placed in a “prime” location – for example, central of the town, in order to attract people to stay.
Unused U1 – Vacant These are lots whereby there is no particular service and could serve as an empty lot whereby “RENT” signs are visible or areas where there could only be boxes but little to no people inside.
Mode Prices of Food Items from CASE for Price Comparison Table
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Questionnaire for Residents and Visitors of Tiong Bahru
Figure A.1
English and Chinese are used
Figure A.2
Clicking this would have lead the stranger to Figure A.3 Clicking this would have lead the stranger to Figure A.4
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Figure A.3 Resident Questions Figure A.3.1 Resident Questions
This would then lead to the questions on Figure A.3.2
This would then lead to the questions on Figure A.3.1
Figure A.3.2 Resident Questions Figure A.3.3 Resident Questions
This would then lead to the questions on Figure B
This would then lead to the questions on Figure A.3.3
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Figure A.4 Visitor Questions
This would then lead to the questions on Figure A.5
This would then lead to the questions on Figure A.6
This would then lead to the questions on Figure A.7
This would then lead to the questions on Figure A.8
This would then lead to the questions on Figure A.9
This would then lead to the
questions on Figure A.10
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Figure A.5 Visitor of Shops Questions Figure A.5.1 Visitor of Shops Questions
This would then lead to the questions on Figure A.5.1
This would then lead to the questions on Figure A.5.2
Figure A.5.2 Visitor of Shops Questions
If yes, this would then lead to the questions on Figure A.5.3 and if no, Figure B
Figure A.5.3 Visitor of Shops Questions
This would then lead to the questions on Figure B
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Figure A.6 Visitor of Restaurants Questions
This would then lead to the questions on Figure A.6.1
Figure A.6.1 Visitor of Restaurants Questions
Figure A.6.2 Visitor of Restaurants Questions
If yes, this would then lead to the questions on Figure A.6.3 and if no, Figure B
This would then lead to the questions on Figure A.6.2
Figure A.6.3 Visitor of Shops Questions
This would then lead to the questions on Figure B
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Figure A.7 Visitor of Market Questions
This would then lead to the questions on Figure A.7.1
Figure A.8 Visitor of Religious Buildings Questions
Figure A.7.1 Visitor of Market Questions
If yes, this would then lead to the questions on Figure A.7.2 and if no, Figure B
Figure A.7.2 Visitor of Market Questions This would then lead to the questions on Figure B
This would then lead to Figure B
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Figure A.9 Visitor of Friend Questions
This would then lead to the questions on Figure A.9.1
Figure A.9.1 Visitor of Friend Questions
This would then lead to the questions on Figure B
Figure A.10 Visitor through Tour Group
If yes, this would then lead to the questions on Figure A.10.1, if no, this would then lead to the questions on Figure A.10.2
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Figure A.10.1 Visitor through Tour Group
This would then lead to the questions on Figure B
Figure A.10.2 Visitor through Tour Group
This would then lead to the questions on Figure B
Figure B
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Classification of Shops and Services in 2005 and 2016
Food/Drink Includes high order and low order food/drink services like: - Bars - Restaurants - Cafés
Shops Includes high order shops and low order stores like: - Clothes - Furniture - Stationery - Florists
Services Includes high order and low order services: Vanity Goods - Spas - Manicures - Pets - Barber
Others - Tailors - Cobblers
Luxury Includes luxury services such as: - Hotels - Art Galleries - Wine Shops - Lottery Shops - Yoga
Supermarkets - Provision Shop - Grocers - Hypermart - 7-Eleven
Residential - Flats - Houses - Condominiums
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Warehouses - Wholesalers - Warehouses - Suppliers
Offices - Clinics - Offices - Counsellors - Typical White Collar offices - Educational Schools - Schools - Tuition Centres
Religious Buildings - Mosque - Church - Temple
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Interview Transcripts
ANSWERS FROM MS. DIVYA
Resident of Tiong Bahru for 22 years (all her life)
1. While conducting my survey around Tiong Bahru, I noticed that residents,
particularly those who have stayed more than ten years, have noticed a lot of
differences between then and now. Do you also notice differences and if you do,
could you elaborate on what these differences are?
There are definitely a lot of differences now compared to the past. In the past, it was very quiet, and now with the cafes, hipster shops and many yoga studios around, it’s very bustling with activities. Also, there have been more diversity in races in recent years, you see a lot more ang mohs around this area because of the many Air B&Bs around and company accommodation situated in this area.
2. I noticed that these residents have also particularly noticed several issues that
have appeared of late, which are increased rubbish, increased crowds and there
being an increase variety of shops and services. Have you noticed these
changes too and can you share with me how you feel about it? Have these
impacted you in any way?
Yes, it is definitely noisier with more rubbish around because of the increase amount of people visiting the restaurants and cafes around here. I do miss the peace and quiet in
79 ALL TEXTS BELONG TO OWNERS TAKEN FROM WWW.INTERNALASSESSMENTS.WORDPRESS.COM the past, I live on the second floor and it’s so noisy some of my neighbours installed sound proof windows. I do get irritated, at times, because I do want to come home to some peace and quiet but this is not very possible sometimes. I would have to move out to the hall to study in the past, away from my room where the windows are directly facing the cafes along Yong Siak Road.
3. More than half of the people I have interviewed were largely visiting Tiong Bahru.
Have you noticed an increase yourself in the number of people visiting Tiong
Bahru? Has this had any effect on your daily routine?
Yes, it gets crowded and noisy but it doesn’t really affect my daily routine because now that I’m in university and working part time, I spend lesser time at home compared to the past.
4. One thing that I would have thought had a major effect with the influx of an
increase in price of goods and services. However, while conducting my survey, I
found that most participants did not see this as an issue. Being a resident for all
your life, I was wondering whether this holds true. Would you go elsewhere to
buy goods and use services instead of Tiong Bahru because of the price?
I would definitely go elsewhere because I can’t keep eating such expensive food every day. It will be nice but it’ll burn a hole in my pocket. I like going to the hawker centre or
80 ALL TEXTS BELONG TO OWNERS TAKEN FROM WWW.INTERNALASSESSMENTS.WORDPRESS.COM coffee shops but once in a while, I would definitely treat myself.
5. I’ve noticed, tourists, visitors and residents alike have all stated that they really
enjoy the heritage that Tiong Bahru. What is your perception on this? Do you
notice that the heritage in Tiong Bahru has been preserved well?
Definitely, with the conserved houses and air raid shelter, this place is rich in history.
There even have a Tiong Bahru Tour organised by the community centre now. I do see kids coming for their National Education (NE) Excursions here too.
6. Overall, what are your thoughts on people visiting Tiong Bahru, whether they are
tourists or whether they are people from other parts of Singapore?
I think they all have a curious mind because there’s been so much hype about this neighbourhood; they all come keen to explore and find interesting things within the nooks and crannies of this neighbourhood.
7. If you had to state one thing you hate and love about Tiong Bahru now, what
would these be? Also, what would you change about Tiong Bahru, if you had the
power to?
If there’s something that I hate, it is really hard to say but I would have to say the crowd and I really love the enriching history. I do dislike crowds in general but that being said, I
81 ALL TEXTS BELONG TO OWNERS TAKEN FROM WWW.INTERNALASSESSMENTS.WORDPRESS.COM wouldn’t want to change the way Tiong Bahru is because I’ll be taking away a huge part of history and memories.
8. Most residents in Tiong Bahru have stated that they have found that it is very
convenient, bearing everything they need. From clothes shops to hairdressers to
cafés, and in fact, while investigating, that there have been a sharp decrease in
warehouses and a high increase in services, such as spas and masseuse
parlours. Do you find this to be so? Has this improved a lot more compared to
about ten years later? What type of new services have you noticed?
Yes, there have been a lot more services these days, such as manicure and pedicure services, yoga facilities, arts and craft shops, clothing shops and florists. It’s so funny how
I ended up working in one of these services, a yoga facility. If you had told me 10 years ago, I’d end up working in a yoga facility in Tiong Bahru, I would have laughed because there were mostly restaurants and warehouses, back in those days. The restaurants weren’t even atas. They are also much more expensive like a coffee costing $5 but it’s worth it for the ambience. I guess that shops are becoming like that too and is cause they are selling better goods and they are often good quality being from all parts of the world.
9. Is there a shop or service that you’ve gone to since you were younger that is still
in Tiong Bahru? If so, what is it? Have you noticed any changes between then
and now in that particular services? These services could also be the market. (If
this includes a price increase and you can remember, could you state examples,
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e.g. $2 increase in Noodles. It is alright to include more than one example and
would be better.)
Yes, most definitely, it would have to be this curry rice store. The Hainanese curry rice shop, the price has increased though the food still tastes as good, I think it was $4 per pack back in those days and now its $6 to $8. But this was like 5 years ago because since then, the price has stayed about the same. However, I think the service too has kind of improved quite a bit but not so much to be honest, like there is still litter on tables but they are faster at cleaning it. Also, the lady who was there back when I was still attending school is still there, and we sometime chat about the way life used to be and she’s still chatty as ever. I also noticed more crowds coming in, mostly local but sometimes some ang mohs would also come but I don’t think they buy anything.
10. Staying here all your life, if you could, do you plan on moving to somewhere else
other than Tiong Bahru? Why or why would you not?
I love Tiong Bahru because it’s so central and convenient, I would definitely be sad to move but a change would be nice after so long and if I move out of my parents’ house in the future, I would have to find somewhere with lower rent.
11. Do you have any final comments? Do you notice anything that is largely different
within Tiong Bahru or something that is vital that I have not yet mentioned? Is
there anything that you’d like to recollect about Tiong Bahru?
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I think you have mentioned most of them J It’s always been a friendly neighbourhood, lots of new faces and places in recent years, but the history and memories forged still stays nonetheless.
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QUESTIONS FOR MS SHIRLAYNE
Property Agent who sells and rents property within Tiong Bahru
1. Have you noticed an increase in the number of the people coming to live in Tiong
Bahru in the recent years? If so, why do you think there have been an increase?
If there has been a decrease, why do you think this is so?
I have noticed quite a lot more people moving into Tiong Bahru, these tend to be richer people and are found mostly staying in Tiong Bahru due to its heritage. Some of them have stayed there when they were younger, others are just drawn to its culture. I haven’t really assisted many people in selling their place, it’s very rare to see these kinds of people.
2. What kind of demographic do these people have who are purchasing or renting
these houses? Do these people tend to be single or are they couples? Or are
most of these people families? If they are, what is the average number of people
in these families? Do they tend to be older or younger? What kind of nationality
are these people?
Like I mentioned earlier, the types of people who purchase these houses tend to be richer and more affluent. They are more mature as well about the market as some of them buy their second homes here. The people who buy these houses tend to be smaller families
85 ALL TEXTS BELONG TO OWNERS TAKEN FROM WWW.INTERNALASSESSMENTS.WORDPRESS.COM or couples. As for renting wise, I would say most are expatriate couples looking for rented properties around the area.
3. Do more people tend to purchase or rent houses? Do you notice that the price of
the houses and rents have increased as well? Have these prices also increased
more than those in Singapore or decreased? What type of housing do you see as
being the most popular amongst the population who come to reside here? What’s
the average number of rooms that they rent or purchase?
More people actually buy houses in Tiong Bahru if they can find an offer for it. I’m not so sure about the specifics of the increase in price but there definitely has been an increase over the last ten years. The most popular are the condominiums.
4. What are the reasons that people are drawn to Tiong Bahru? Have these
reasons changed over the course of the last ten years?
Culture is what draws them here and the unique heritage. I honestly don’t really make small talk with these customers about their intentions but I think back in 2014, there was this older couple who were in their mid-fifties wanting to stay in Tiong Bahru because the husband had lived there before. Their son had just left to university so they wanted to settle down somewhere smaller.
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5. Why are the reasons some people move out in Tiong Bahru? Have these
reasons changed over the last ten years?
The older people staying there are definitely not moving out, but the new occupiers, be it, new owners or tenants, are getting more affluent.
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Mr. Shannon Chen and Ms. Choi Ji Yoon
Resident of Tiong Bahru for about 3 years
1. Having stayed here for 3 years, a relatively short period, I was curious as to find
out what caused you to move you to Tiong Bahru. Do you mind explaining a bit
more on that? Where were you staying prior to here? Is Tiong Bahru, the home
that you perceived it to be?
Ms. Choi Ji Yoon (CJY): To be honest, we had just gotten married, both being designers, we loved Tiong Bahru’s art deco and avant garde architecture, and when I asked
Shannon, he agreed so we looked for a house here.
Mr. Shannon Chen (SC): We used to stay with my parents for a bit but then Ji Yoon wanted to go back to Korea, so we went there for a while and I stayed with her parents there.
CJY: Yeah, I think I would say I perceive Tiong Bahru to be my home now.
2. Two factors that seems to be a constant in terms of attracting residents who have
stayed in Tiong Bahru for less than a decade is that one, it is very convenient
and two, the art. Do you find this to adhere to you too as to why you moved? If
these are not the factors that caused you to move, what are they? Have you
noticed it to alter than your initial months staying here?
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SC: Definitely! With being designers, we love and observe the art and love it. I think we subconsciously fell in love with it and chose to move here. Also, we have to be on the commute all the time, I find how Tiong Bahru is so nearby a train station to be increasingly convenient.
CJY: Like what Shannon said, I agree completely about the train station, being a foreigner, it is actually much easier to travel and understand how the trains work. Just the other day, I managed to leave to Holland Village to meet a client very easily on the train even without a car.
3. Although you have stayed for less than a decade, do you notice any issues about
Tiong Bahru or anything that has improved throughout the years of staying here?
Has this changed your views on Tiong Bahru to liken towards it or to regret
moving?
CJY: No, except since Julian* was born, it’s much easier to notice the noise the crowds bring but I wouldn’t have noticed it that much. I love it here.
SC: Yes, Ji Yoon is right but I sometimes also notice traces of litter but it’s Singapore, it’s actually not that bad.
*Julian is Mr Chen and Ms Choi’s 8 month old child, at point of interview
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4. I noticed that residents who did my survey have particularly noticed several
issues that have appeared of late, which are increased rubbish, increased
crowds and there being an increase variety of shops and services. However,
these have been residents whom have been staying for more than a decade, but,
I wanted to ask, in your opinion, whether this still remains true or has there not
been such an issue?
SC: I think our earlier answers address that but there definitely has been an increased variety in the shops around here. I think a florist just moved in, I’m not so sure but I honestly don’t see much of an issue except maybe that we might need to move especially when we have Julian and Chelsea*, space can be a little tight.
CJY: It will be sad to move though.
*Chelsea is Mr Chen and Ms Choi’s golden retriever
5. It was found that most visitors that answered my survey do not feel that there has
been an increase in price. However, since you have stayed here, I feel you’ll
know this better, hence I was wondering if you feel that Tiong Bahru is relatively
expensive for the services and goods it offers? Would you go elsewhere to buy
goods and use services instead of Tiong Bahru because of the price?
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SC: I would say we largely buy most of our things from Tiong Bahru and find
them for quite a good price and I don’t really think there’s anything I would really
buy outside of Tiong Bahru. Although, I must say the more expensive things, like
TVs and electronic appliances would definitely be bought elsewhere. I think I
frequently go to the convenience stores or the mama shops to buy the odd
sponge or batteries. I personally have not really noticed any increase in price.
CJY: I agree with Shannon and think that I don’t really find any increase in price.
On the days I work at home or spend weekends at home, I enjoy going to the
market for their food as it is not only yummy, but it is also rather cheap. On days
that I go to the more expensive cafés and even then, I find the prices still the
same. As for goods, Shannon does most of the shopping.
SC: Yeah, even when I shop, I find that prices have been consistent and even
when I compare sometimes outside of Tiong Bahru, they tend to be about the
same although for some things, they are a little pricier but it is only about a dollar
or so more.
6. Crowds seem to also be the most pressing issue at hand by the residents who
have stayed less and more than a decade, hence, being a pertinent issue. Do
you find it an issue too? What have you noticed that these crowds cause – these
don’t necessarily have to be negative? Are you alright with them?
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CJY: I honestly don’t really see much of an issue with the crowds, like it wasn’t till
Julian that we noticed but I can see where they are coming from, especially on the
weekends when it’s hard to do work from time to time with all the tour groups.
SC: I actually think it’s okay for crowds so long they know how to behave themselves.
Plus, it makes money for businesses around and that’s good. So, I don’t really
complain plus, since we don’t live facing most of the shops, we don’t get that much
noise.
CJY: I think Shannon and I just don’t like it when crowds either stay too late like three
in the morning and get rowdy or when they come way too early in the morning like
seven on a Sunday. But we’ve grown to adapt to it. Julian hasn’t.
7. Most residents in Tiong Bahru have stated that they have found that it is very
convenient, bearing everything they need. From clothes shops to hairdressers to
cafés. Do you find this to be so?
SC: Definitely, like we mentioned earlier, goods are so easy to buy and also, I tell everyone who asks about Tiong Bahru that there is anything and everything here. Barber?
It’s here. 7-11? It’s here. Plus, if I don’t mind travelling, I can go to Tiong Bahru Plaza or
Great World City.
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CJY: Shannon is right about that, although, like we said, we still need to buy more expensive things outside of Tiong Bahru, but we can live with that as I’m sure many others feel the same way.
8. Since three years ago, have you noticed new shops and services being opened
up? Have they created an impact on your residence? Have these changed your
opinions on Tiong Bahru and altered your view on it? How so? Looking back,
three years ago, would you still have decided to move to Tiong Bahru? Why or
why not?
SC: In the last 3 years, there have been every so often a new shop being born,
like just this time last year, I remember seeing a yoga shop just being created.
And then, I also remember at the time we bought this house, a couple other
cafés and high end clothing shops being built. As with most things in Singapore,
crowds definitely came with it which has showed me how much I love this town I
call home, if I’m being honest.
CJY: Like what Shannon said, when a new café comes in, out goes another café
but usually those that move are restaurants that were selling rather cheap, yet
delicious local food that have moved. Most of the new shops have also been
found to be much cleaner and much roomier. The crowds have definitely
impacted us especially being so noisy, they often wake Julian* up. But we
explained this before and didn’t really care much until we had him.
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SC: I think that has not really impacted us that much though and looking back, I would still have moved to Tiong Bahru five years ago.
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