by Ida Bachtiar
Managing Director
Naga Films Pte Ltd

So there we were, the members of the Conservation Advisory Panel, seated around a large boardroom having sandwiches for lunch, and listening to the different options that had been explored and seriously considered to save the National Library.

It was a thoughtful presentation and a potent example of the balance between sentiment and pragmatism that the Urban Redevelopment Authority often has to tread.

The Civic District has to make way for a city campus, the Singapore Management University. Traffic is likely to get much heavier and as Singapore's population increases over time, the road network has to be upgraded to accommodate at least 5.5 million people. Keeping the National Library, unfortunately, is in conflict with those needs.

We've all heard the news that the old beloved landmark has to go. And I, for one, was keen on pleading for it to be conserved.

But then the facts came rolling in. How many different intelligent options had been explored but reached insurmountable problems. How all the alternatives had led to the same conclusion - to save the National Library, one would either end up with massive traffic jams or blight the Civic District with, for example, a gaping entry portal into an underground road.

It was clear the urban planners at URA did try to save the National Library. In fact, they seemed to have tried really hard.

Singapore River today, with shophouses juxtaposed against the skyscrapers in the business district. See "The changing faces of Singapore" on how plans for Singapore River are realised.