Planning together to emerge stronger
We saw the year close in unusual and extremely challenging circumstances. The Central Business District (CBD) and MRT and bus networks, usually humming and bustling throughout the workweek, were empty and quiet. Chatter that typically filled meeting rooms in the city, instead moved to homes as discussions took place over online video conferences. These were but a few effects of COVID-19’s rapid descent, and some of the new ways of living and working that Singaporeans had to get used to, as the nation endeavoured to subdue the virus. COVID-19 is a Black Swan – an event that is rare, hard to predict and with wide-reaching implications. With Singapore’s transformation and growth built on our connectedness with the world, the impact of this global pandemic has been enormous. No sector has escaped the effects of COVID-19. Our supply chains and businesses have been hit hard. With growing protectionism and “de-globalisation”, Singapore faces rising challenges in maintaining its position as an international financial, aviation and trading hub, which is vital to driving a vibrant economy and good quality of life for citizens. The Government has quickly deployed measures to curtail the spread of the virus, and progressively reopened our city, prioritising economic recovery, job protection and building future resiliency, while remaining focused on safety. Singaporeans will still feel the impact for some time to come, and it will not be “business as usual”. But the spirit of pragmatism and resourcefulness that define Singaporeans should place us in good stead to deal with the consequences of the crisis.
The same applies to the business of URA. Significantly, Singapore’s ability to respond swiftly to COVID-19 has highlighted the importance of our planning process – premised on a forward-looking and flexible approach which enables our plans to remain robust in a wide spectrum of future scenarios and contingencies. This helps to keep our city resilient and liveable over the long term. URA’s work in the past year reflects our commitment to plan long term, as reflected in the proposals for Paya Lebar Air Base as a future housing town with employment opportunities and amenities, and the Greater Southern Waterfront as a new major gateway and location for urban living and recreation along Singapore’s southern coast.
Our planners are already studying the changes in activity patterns resulting from the COVID-19 crisis in order to understand their implications on how we plan our urban environment and design our city. For example, many companies and organisations have embraced flexible work arrangements such as telecommuting, and this is set to continue as a practice into the future. This points to the need for the CBD to have more mixed uses and a larger live-in population. The CBD Incentive Scheme, which was part of the Master Plan 2019 and aims to transform the CBD from a mono-use office-centric district into vibrant mixed-use neighbourhoods, is well-placed to accommodate such changing trends.
More people are relying on shops close to their homes for daily amenities. The adoption of e-commerce platforms has accelerated, and the demand for efficient delivery services has increased in tandem. All these have underlined the importance of our decentralisation strategy. The planned development of our distributed economic centres, such as Jurong Lake District, Paya Lebar Central and Woodlands Regional Centre, can be strengthened to enhance the convenience and accessibility of jobs, supporting infrastructure and community facilities within our neighbourhoods.
COVID-19 has also reinforced the need for safe interaction and recreation within the community. This need has brought health and wellness to the fore. Our planners have an opportunity to rethink the character and design of public spaces, to ensure that Singapore remains a safe living environment for all residents. We will also continue planning for more parks and open spaces near where people live and work, to provide residents accessible and safe places for respite and bonding. The Rail Corridor for example, has been progressively enhanced to accommodate people of all ages and abilities. Works have also begun around the iconic Bukit Timah Railway Station, where Singaporeans will be able to enjoy the historic and natural surroundings.
We also saw the value of using temporary and flexible spaces when we had to repurpose major meeting and convention venues, and disused apartments and schools into temporary care facilities or living quarters for migrant workers. This illustrated the importance of exercising flexibility in the use and design of spaces to cater to various needs in different situations. For instance, as part of the plans to improve Orchard Road as a dynamic lifestyle destination, the open-air car park at Grange Road will be transformed into a multi-functional event space that can add to the buzz of the precinct. In moving towards more sustainable mobility and encouraging Singaporeans to go car-lite, we have also presented refreshing alternative uses of roads and car park lots in partnership with stakeholders, as safe environments for community activities and bonding.
Besides planning long term and keeping our plans responsive, a crucial part of overcoming any challenge is to find strength in unity. We need to reach out widely to those who live, work and play in this city, to co-create our future. By involving citizens and businesses in the planning process, we aim for our plans to remain relevant to their needs even in the face of fast-changing trends and adversities. In this way, we hope that they can develop a strong sense of ownership and rootedness in a home they have helped shape. I am glad that over the past year, we saw increasing engagement in various areas of our work. This included more proposals from the industry and public for new areas we will be developing, growing partnerships with volunteers to share Singapore’s planning story, and deepening roles of stakeholders in enriching the vibrancy and heritage of our districts. Significantly, four pilot Business Improvement Districts were formed, where stakeholders will actively work together to bring more vibrancy to their precincts.
Through coming together as a nation – whether as government, business, civil society or members of public – we can respond faster, adapt better and keep Singapore thriving now and into the future. We must shore up our city’s resilience together, to build a great home and city.
In this regard, I would like to recognise the many URA staff who stepped forward to be part of the national efforts in dealing with the crisis. Above and beyond their usual duties, they planned and built care, quarantine and temporary housing facilities for migrant workers, and volunteered as Safe Distancing Ambassadors and Enforcement Officers to keep citizens and stakeholders safe in these extraordinary times.
I also thank our partners for journeying the past year together with URA, and look forward to more collaborations to come.
Peter Ho Hak Ean Chairman