The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) is inviting residents to come together to shape the Recreation Master Plan and contribute to the creation of a more inclusive and diverse range of recreational opportunities in our neighbourhoods and around the island. Mr Desmond Lee, Minister for National Development and Minister-in-charge of Social Services Integration launched the first of a series of roving exhibitions today at Westgate, where the public can give ideas and feedback on proposals for the Recreation Master Plan, as part of the Draft Master Plan 2025 theme on ‘Shaping a Happy and Healthy City’.

Refer to Annex A [PDF, 56kb] for more details on the Draft Master Plan 2025.

Enhancing quality of life through recreation planning

Recreation planning has always been an integral aspect of Singapore’s land use planning, aimed at enhancing our physical, mental and social well-being as well as to bring people and communities together. The Concept Plan 1991 laid out the blueprint for a network of green and blue spaces across the island. This was later expanded into the Leisure Plan 2008, the first plan that guided the implementation of a variety of recreational options islandwide, including the Round Island Route, Southern Ridges and enhancements to Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserves. 

Engaging communities in recreation plan development

As part of continual efforts to plan for recreational spaces, URA engaged Singaporeans and stakeholders during the Long-Term Plan Review from 2021 to 2022 to better understand their evolving needs and aspirations. Singaporeans expressed their desire to have a range of diverse and accessible recreational options near their homes, to experience more leisure opportunities that can leverage on Singapore’s unique ‘island-ness’ as well as more inclusive recreational opportunities for people of all ages and abilities.

To gain further insights into the public’s perspective and preferences on the provision and accessibility of recreational facilities in urban planning, URA commissioned a Recreation Experience Preference Survey in 2022. The survey revealed that Singaporeans ranked eating out, shopping and physical activities as their top recreational activities. They also shared their preference for recreational facilities that are affordable or located near their homes and transport nodes. 

Integrating facilities for a comprehensive Recreation Master Plan

As part of the Draft Master Plan 2025, URA and collaborating agencies are committed to exploring opportunities to co-locate recreational facilities to optimise land usage and to better cater to the needs of Singaporeans. Today, this approach has already been implemented through our integrated social and community hubs such as Bukit Canberra and Heartbeat @ Bedok, where various lifestyle and recreational amenities are integrated in one development. These include food and retail options, sports facilities, community clubs, polyclinic, senior care centre, libraries and green spaces. 

Translating aspirations into our Recreation Master Plan

The Recreation Master Plan roving exhibitions present proposals that were conceptualised after considering Singaporeans’ recreational aspirations and other land use needs to sustain a quality living environment for current and future generations. The proposals are guided by three strategies geared towards optimising existing assets and spaces to support a multitude of recreational options around the island and in our neighbourhoods, as well as making them more inclusive for residents and visitors. 

The three strategies and key areas which URA is seeking feedback on are as follows: 

i) Enhancing recreational potential of our green and blue spaces 
We will further enhance our green and blue spaces and connectivity between these spaces through cycling and pedestrian paths, as well as our park connectors. Our coastlines can also potentially be designed for different types of recreational activities. 

Along our coast, nature lovers can already immerse themselves in our rich mangrove ecosystems by kayaking at Sungei Api Api and Sungei Khatib Bongsu. NParks plans to enhance and connect 13 parks¹ in southern Singapore via a series of curated recreation trails along the Southern Ridges and west coast. These trails will provide a range of experiences from active play to tranquil nature-based interactions, allowing greater access to recreational features set amidst nature. When completed, visitors can also look forward to exploring the coastal, riverine and forest habitats in the region. 

There is potential to further tap on our natural and built heritage assets as well as existing and future developments for more recreational opportunities in areas such as Pulau Ubin, Changi Point, the Rail Corridor and the Sembawang Shipyard area. 

ii) Activating underutilised spaces for recreation 
To promote active lifestyles and community bonding among residents, agencies will step up efforts to creatively incorporate sports, arts, wellness and heritage activities into everyday spaces. 

Agencies will also explore strategies to activate more underutilised spaces for recreation. Examples include spaces under viaducts, such as at Queensway along the Rail Corridor where the public can soon enjoy a new community space, and rooftop areas in housing estates where some are already used for community gardens today. There is also an upcoming pilot project at Dover Crescent to incorporate a jogging track and multi-purpose courts at the rooftop of a multi-storey HDB car park.  

iii) Making recreation more inclusive for all  
Recreational spaces will also be made more accessible and welcoming for all ages and abilities. An example is the Punggol Regional Library, the first public library in Singapore with an extensive suite of services co-created with and designed for persons with disabilities. A dedicated passageway enables wheelchair users and the visually impaired to borrow books with ease. 

HDB is introducing senior-friendly enhancements in our older precincts. Residents can look forward to new active ageing amenities, dementia-friendly features, mobility improvements, and more rest points along linkways for active living and social interaction. More 3-Generation (3G) playgrounds that are designed with children’s play facilities and adult/ senior fitness stations, will be built to encourage inter-generational bonding. 

To encourage Singaporeans to shape our recreational spaces together, agencies will continue to support ground-up initiatives to enliven public spaces through programmes such as the Lively Places Fund. Residents can tap on the fund to bring their ideas to life.  An example is the activation of a community space at Potong Pasir along the Kallang River where residents and students came together to paint the benches in the open plaza, providing a vibrant space for community bonding.

At each roving exhibition, we will be seeking feedback for upcoming projects in that region and where relevant, invite residents to sign up for more focused engagements to help us refine these ideas. For the first roving exhibition in the West Region, Singaporeans can provide ideas for upcoming projects such as the New Science Centre, Pandan Reservoir, Jurong Hill/Former Jurong Bird Park and Old Jurong Line Nature Trail. 

Refer to Annex B [PDF, 146kb] for more details on the three strategies and key areas under the Recreation Master Plan which URA would like to seek feedback and ideas on. 

Shaping a Happy and Healthy City together 

Mr Lim Eng Hwee, Chief Executive Officer of URA, said, “Recreation is not just about leisure and fun, but is a key ingredient to support residents’ well-being, strengthen social bonds as well as improve the quality of life in our city-state. We are therefore committed to creating the Recreation Master Plan with Singaporeans while balancing our wide spectrum of land use needs, to build stronger communities and make Singapore a more liveable, sustainable and endearing home for all. We look forward to receiving exciting ideas from Singaporeans to Shape a Happy, Healthy City together.” 

The public can visit the eight roving exhibitions between 14th April and 27th July at the locations listed below or visit go.gov.sg/Recreation to provide their feedback and ideas. URA and partner agencies will review the feedback and take them into consideration to refine the proposals for the Recreation Master Plan which will be presented as part of the Draft Master Plan in 2025. Thereafter, agencies will further develop them in tandem with the detailed plans for each area over the next 10 to 15 years.

¹ Refer to https://fotp.nparks.gov.sg/our-fotp-projects/destination-parks/ for more information on the 13 parks.