| Jogging around the island, watching motor cars zooming past you in Changi, working in the new Marina Bay financial district... These are just the icing on the cake of the plethora of lifestyle options that Singaporeans can look forward to when the highly-anticipated Urban Development Authority (URA )’s draft Master Plan materialises over the next 10 to 15 years.
What is this Master Plan all about?
Once every decades, the URA rolls out a “Concept Plan” (the last one was in 1998), which covers the general urban outlook of developments involving a wider spectrum of land needs, spanning the next 40 to 50 years. Under this broad umbrella, comes a more filtered-down plan – the “Master Plan”. Updated once every 5 years, this forward-thinking blue-print holds the key to Singapore’s urban land usability, detailing the specifics of the urban landscape transformation. It accounts for the key aspects of Singapore’s needs – economic, social, environmental and infrastructural, in order to sustain economic growth and enhance the lives of future generations of Singaporeans. Indeed, this is closest we will ever get to a glimpse of Singapore in 2024. To view the complete version of the 2008 Draft Master Plan online, visit www.ura.gov.sg/MP2008/home.htm
Embedded: The “Sustainability” Chip
Given Singapore’s limited natural resources and coupled with growing human needs, it comes as little surprise that sustainability is one of the pillars of planning to maximise the use of our land space. As Singapore’s population continues to balloon (it is projected to hit 6.5 million in 2010), the demand for homes, offices and amenities will inevitably mushroom, increasing constraints on our surroundings and resources. However, Singapore also has to deal with the real and imminent threat of global warming. The signs of global warming that loomed for this little red dot include temperatures soaring to a record high last year, and shift in the torrential rainy season during the “traditionally” dry months from May to July. See, you have been warned that Singapore is not spared from the effects of upsetting Mother Nature. This is where the Master Plan adopts the prudent-meets-pragmatic approach to meet increasing land demands while curbing the environmental side-effects.
The Green aspects of the Master Plan
One of the cornerstones of the 2008 Master Plan is to develop new growth areas, outside the traditional, centrally-located city regions. Sprouting across our island are various sub-urban locations hand-picked as “regional centres”, “sub-regional centres” and “fringe centres”. Joining Woodlands and Tampines regional centres is the Jurong Lake District (also known as Jurong Gateway), which is the gem of this year’s Master plan. By 2015, this western part of Singapore will be the biggest outside-city urban commercial hub, abuzz with office, retail, residential, hotel and the entertainment spaces. Why is there the need to disperse the “highly-populated” hub?
This move comes in a bid to ease mounting traffic congestion (after increasing the number of ERP gantries) in and out of the Central Business District. Statistics from the National Environment Agency state that Singapore has a vehicular population of about 780,000 motor vehicles, including about 141,500 motorcycles in 2008. This excludes the 30,000 Malaysian-registered vehicles that ply our roads everyday. Of the 38,620 kilotons of carbon dioxide produced in Singapore in 2004, 17% (or 6,758 kt) came from vehicle exhaust emission, The amount of absolute carbon dioxide emissions continued to climb to 39,905 kt in 2008. By dispersing the commercial hubs and placing them in closer proximity to the heartlands, it will slash city-bound traffic volume as well as the much-dreaded peak hour congestion. Emissions from vehicles will also be reduced. Other up coming areas include the Novena fringe centre (the new hub for private medical treatment), the Paya Lebar Central commercial hub, and One-North (Research and Development hub).
It is by no coincidence that these areas, newly bestowed with their unique hub status, are well-served by an extensive network of transport systems – MRT and bus networks. They are all painstakingly thought out and incorporated in the Master Plan. Most of these areas are equipped with the integral “Interchange” MRT stations on the railway map, which are strategically connected to the various train lines snaking throughout the island. Thus, this such developed transport networks provide convenience to passengers and facilitate greater movement of people (to and from the city). This will, in turn, encourage people to use public transport – bues, MRT, LRT which is a much more environmentally-friendly way of getting around Singapore. With key concentrations of commercial activities a stone’s throw away from public transportation hubs, people will hopefully turn to them instead of spewing petrol on the roads.
The URA is also trying to squeeze in pockets of greenery within the high-density urban environment in the city. This comes in the form of park connectors, parks and the Green Mark certified “green” buildings. Being green has also been elevated to “higher grounds” – literally, with as in roof-top and roof gardens. With plants in high places, this has proven to lessen the effect of “urban heat island effect” – an urban phenomenon in which the heat from the sun is absorbed by large areas of concrete building surfaces and heat is trapped among the buildings. Letting your hair down: The Leisure Plan
“Boring” and “Singapore” would not possibly come in the same sentence with the cornucopia of recreational activities as promised in the URA’s new Leisure Plan. By engaging in outdoor activities that do not consume much resources, people can also withdraw (temporarily) from the reaches of technology and the energy that powers.
Under this Leisure Plan, Singaporeans can go farm-hopping at the Lim Chu Kang/Kranji area or visit Chek Jawa easily accessibly or jog from coast-to-coast in the first-ever round-island route, linked by park connectors, pathways, coastal promenades and trails.
This reflects as a result, there is a conscious effort to conserve and enhance the lush greenery and nature places of Singapore, in the form of parks and costal areas, and use them as spaces for recreational possibilities. Under the Leisure Plan, the amount of park space looks set to be increased from 3,330 ha today to 4,200 ha (that’s equivalent to about 15 Bishan Parks). Linking these parks seamlessly are park connectors, which are path linkages and roads, dotting across various towns. By 2024, the existing length of the park connector network will be tripled from 100km to 360km progressively.
Nature areas do not just stop at parks – reservoirs, wetlands and farms will also be preserved in their natural charm. Nestled in the north-western “countryside”) corner of Singapore, the Kranji/Lim Chu Kang nature belt exudes idyllic tranquility, with farms, reservoirs and the famed Sungei Buloh Nature Reserve. Plans are slated to turn this area enhanced into an “agri-tainment” hub, complete with farm stays, spas and farming activities, cater to the public and well-served by connectors. By making this area accessible, this brings “green” lifestyle options closer to Singaporeans. The range of organic agricultural farms – vegetables, mushrooms, fish – also heightens awareness in environmentally-friendly causes, such as supporting pesticide-free produce. A trip there can include shopping for organic groceries or fresh farm produce or getting their hands dirty with hands-on farming activities. In additional, 21 ha of new “park land” around that region will be set aside as ecological “green buffers”.
Greening the future
Changing the City’s Skyline
Judging from the outlook of the 2008 Master Plan, the future of Singapore looks promising. The line-up of urban transformations – from leisure to residential to business is spell-boundingly exciting. However, beneath the glitter and glam of the plan, lies the intrinsic idea of “environmentally sustainability”, to see Singapore through the next half-a-century of development.
The Master plan throws in an abundance of initiatives to conserve and “save” these natural reserves and much of the flora and fauna. However, it does not stop there. It gives birth to a rich buffet of recreational options has also been created – from kayaking in Jurong Lake to jogging for 150km around Singapore to strolling along the Southern Ridges. The urban planning of the major towns in these regions has to be backed by the public transport network. Hopefully, with this well thought-out idea in place, the amount of carbon dioxide emissions from the vehicles will be slashed.
The URA also points out that the direction of the Master Plan will gel nicely with the rising trend of “green buildings” – which incorporates “environmentally-friendly” building features. In Singapore, there is the Green Mark Scheme, awarded by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA), which promotes sustainability in the built environment and raise environmental awareness in the construction of buildings. The buildings are evaluated based on its energy and water efficiencies, site development, Good Indoor Environmental Quality and innovation. Up-and-coming new “green buildings” to look out for include Khoo Teck Huat Hospital in Yishun and the new HQ of the People’s Association.
It is heartening to see the well-being of our environment is being considered as part of the Master Plan. After all, without its well-being ensured, there would not be possibility of development of any other sort. What you can do NOW!
Get a glimpse of Singapore in 2025 at the exhibition
Visit the permanent complete Master Plan exhibition at the URA City Centre at Maxwell Road. Look out for the only 3-D model of the entire island of Singapore and exhibits of certain highlighted regions, filled with life-like building models and eye-popping details.
Showing: Mondays to Saturdays – 9am to 5pm
URA Roving Exhibition 2009
The URA will bring the Master Plan exhibition closer to the heartlands, with separate exhibitions for different areas in the Central, North, East and West. Each is customised to the future plans and current things to do in the respective regions. Learn and explore more.
Starts: 16-19 May 2009 at Marina Square, before it gets filtered down to the heartlands like HDB Hub, Causeway Point (13-16 August) and Parkway Parade (17- 30 August). E |
