draft concept plan 2001 - Urban Redevelopment Authority

DRAFT CONCEPT PLAN 2001
May / Jun 2001
CONTENTS
Meeting up with the panel
2
Draft Concept Plan 2001
4
A change for the better
From 3 to 5 May 2001, URA played host
to our very own International Panel of
Architects and Urban Planners (IPAUP).
Skyline sums up what went on during
this brief but fruitful meeting.
10
Meeting up
Better Connectivity
Better Shopping
11
with the panel
Skyline is a bi-monthly publication
by URA.␣ The teams behind Skyline
are as follows:
Advisory Committee
• Lee Kwong Weng (Chairman)
• Choy Chan Pong
• Foo Chee See
• Ler Seng Ann
• Michael Koh
• Ang Hwee Suan
Editors
• Angelina Seow
• Ong May Anne
Photography
• Lim Chye Leong
• Ng Chor Seng
Design and Production
OCTOGRAM DESIGN
Front Cover:
The Draft Concept Plan 2001
affects how we live, work and play.
The URA Centre
45 Maxwell Road
Singapore 069118
Tel: 221-6666
Fax: 224-8752
URA Online:
http://www.ura.gov.sg/
© Urban Redevelopment Authority, 2001
Note: Plans and models shown are
working tools of the Authority and
therefore, tentative and subject to change.
I
n the inaugural meeting, the
IPAUP shared their experiences
in international best practices
and trends in planning and urban
design and development strategies
of cities around the world. Chaired
by URA’s Chairman, Mr Bobby Chin,
the Panel comprises six other
distinguished members who are
well-respected for their knowledge
and experience in the fields of
urban planning and architecture
from the US, Australia, Japan and
Europe. They are:
• Mr Daniel Biederman, the
President and co-founder of 34th
Street Partnership and Bryant Park
Restoration Corporation, two
successful downtown New York
management organisations. Mr
Biederman, a magna cum laude
graduate of Princeton University,
has advised many public and
private parties on the art of
downtown management in many
cities, including London.
• Prof Juan Busquets, an awardwinning lecturer in Town Planning
at the Polytechnic University of
Barcelona. He is also a guest
professor at several universities
in different parts of the world,
including Harvard. He has a wealth
of experience, most notably for
planning the Barcelona Olympics.
by Christina Goh
• Prof Philip Cox, the Director and
founding partner of The Cox Group
Pte Ltd, one of Australia’s largest
architectural practices. Some of
his more acclaimed works include
the Sydney Football Stadium,
the Sydney International Aquatic
Centre and the Singapore Expo at
Tampines.
• Prof Sir Peter Hall, Professor
of Planning at the Bartlett School
of Architecture and Planning at
University College London. He is
also a prolific author and editor of
many books and articles on urban
planning, regional planning and
related topics. His published works
include The World Cities and Cities in
Civilisation.
• Prof Fumihiko Maki, the
Principal of Maki & Associates, a
well-known Japanese architectural
firm, and the 1993 Pritzker
Architecture Prize Laureate which
is the architectural equivalent of
the Nobel Prize. Some of his
best-known works include the
National Museum of Modern Art
in Kyoto and the Floating Pavilion
in Groningen, Netherlands.
• The seventh IPAUP member,
M Christian de Portzamparc,
also heads his own practice and is
the 1994 Pritzker Architecture Prize
Laureate. He is renowned for
projects like the City of Music
and the National Conservatory of
Music and Dance in Paris. M de
Portzamparc, however, could not
make it for this first IPAUP meeting.
Jam-packed with briefings
Throughout the three days, the
Panel attended briefings on
Singapore’s historical development
and planning, a tour of the URA
Gallery, the Exhibition on the Draft
Concept Plan 2001,and the
Landmark and Gateway Master
Plan model. It was clear that they
were impressed with Singapore’s
development and were enthusiastic
in sharing their ideas and own
experiences with URA.
Gamut of Ideas
Draft Concept Plan 2001
Their unanimous view was for us to
continue enhancing our island as a
garden city and to strengthen the
distinctiveness of our key routes.
Another suggestion was for URA to
take a more gradual approach to
intensification and to give more
emphasis on creating differentiated
neighbourhoods and designing
notable streets.
The members of the Panel in the midst of a lively discussion.
Other ideas include enhancing the
sense of tropical islandness. This can
be done by providing more treeplanting and gardens, and creating
an island-wide green structure that
can link both big and small open
spaces into a green necklace.
They stressed the importance of
taking into account the changing
global trends in living and working
patterns, sustainability and energysaving strategies. Another
suggestion was to use different
architectural styles to create a sense
of tropicalness and variation in
identity for our neighbourhoods.
On the Central Area
The Panel hopes to see a stronger
link between Orchard Road and
Singapore River. They feel the need
to maintain the character of Orchard
Road as a boulevard and gave
suggestions to increase the visibility
of the developments on both sides
of Orchard Road. They were
impressed with the quality and
vibrancy of our existing activity
corridors and offered additional
ideas to increase their visibility and
accessibility. On the Singapore River,
they suggested introducing more
green relief in public spaces. Other
key ideas include the careful design
of boulevards and streetscapes and
the sensitive injection of activities to
retain the existing character of
certain areas.
The whole gamut of issues discussed
certainly made this inaugural
meeting of the IPAUP a fruitful one.
It was an enriching experience for
URA to have a fresh pair of eyes take
a look at Singapore and receive
some insightful observations and
ideas. We look forward to their
return and hopefully by then, some
of their ideas would have been
turned into reality.
URA’s Chief Planner, Mrs Koh-Lim Wen Gin (centre), briefs the Panel on the Central Area
at the URA Gallery.
Skyline • May/Jun 2001 • 3
Imagine you are asked to envision the kind of living
environment you want in future. You may want more
parks to relax in. Others may want a home by the
beach, while some prefer the buzz of city living. There is
also the need to consider how we can attract businesses
and industries to Singapore to keep our economy
growing. Putting our visions and dreams together to
paint the kind of living and working environments we
want is the essence of planning.
Draft
Con
by Regina Lim and Serene Tng
This is where the Concept Plan
comes in. It is a broad, long-term
plan that has guided Singapore’s
physical growth since 1971 and
reviewed once every 10 years to keep
pace with changing needs. The last
review was done in 1991, where the
focus was on sustaining economic
growth and providing a good quality
of life. Most of the plans proposed
have been implemented.
Minister Mah launched the
exhibition on 28 April 2001.
The Concept Plan is currently under
review again. As early as 1998, URA
started a strategic review to identify
land requirements. This is the first
time the public has been extensively
consulted for the preparation of the
Concept Plan. URA formed two
focus groups last year to study land
use dilemmas. Such consultation is
indeed invaluable to both the public
and the planners.
As architect and planner Tan Shee
Tiong, a member of one focus
group, said, “The process of public
participation is unparalleled. The
URA has taken a back seat to let the
public discuss. It did not impose or
insist on things, but listened and
made all the logistics possible for us
to interview and discuss with
various authorities, so this Concept
Plan comes with a very good crosssection view.”
Another focus group member,
Professor Chua Beng Huat said, “I
feel that my participation has been
truly worthwhile. And all the time,
including the couple of nights of
staying at URA until 2-3 am editing
the final report of our group, had
been well-spent.”
Draft Concept Plan 2001.
Skyline • May/Jun 2001 • 4
On 28 April 2001, Minister for
National Development, Mah Bow
Tan launched the Draft Concept
Plan 2001. The vision is to develop
cept Plan
We aim to provide a more liveable city
with a wide choice of housing locations
and types.
2001
Singapore into a thriving world-class
city in the 21st century. We want to
become a city that is dynamic,
distinctive and delightful, as well as to
enhance our quality of life.
West Region so that more people
can choose to live near their work
places in Jurong and Tuas. This will
also increase the amenities in the
area and enhance the residential
image of the West Region.
Key proposals
The key proposals of the Draft
Concept Plan are:
a. New housing in familiar places
b. High-rise city living — a room
with a view
c. More choices for recreation
d. Greater flexibility for businesses
e. A global business centre
f. An extensive rail network
g. Focus on identity
New homes in familiar
places
New couples who yearn to live close
to their parents have cause for joy as
one of the new ideas is to create
more new homes in established
areas like Bukit Merah, Bedok, Ang
Mo Kio and Toa Payoh. This will
help to foster community bonds and
rejuvenate existing towns. It is a
significant change from the current
strategy of opening up new towns
to accommodate new families.
Homes in familiar places will also
mean that you can conveniently tap
on ready amenities such as markets,
MRT and community facilities. There
will also be more housing in the
High-rise city living — a
room with a view
Those who enjoy city living will be
heartened to know that we are
planning for more homes in the city.
Presently, we have 30,000 housing
units in the city. The proportion of
population living in the city will be
increased from the current 3% to
7%. As we all know, Orchard Road
and the Central Business District are
where most of the action is, and
with everything within easy reach —
be it offices, shops, cinemas, hip
clubs or cultural facilities such as art
galleries, museums and theatres —
city living will be most exciting.
A new type of high-density housing,
apartments similar to those
overlooking New York’s Central Park,
will be available in future. Mr Tham
Tuck Cheong, co-chairman of one of
the focus groups said, “One thing
which really interested me is that
they have adopted high-density
living, especially the Manhattanstyle housing in the downtown.
An example of new homes in
familiar places in Toa Payoh.
There will be a better housing
environment in the West.
In future, more will
have a chance to live
in the heart of the city.
The proposed density mix is quite
similar to the existing one. Even with
a 5.5 million population, you can
still enjoy a variety of living
environments. Although the
percentage of low-density housing
will be slightly lower, there will be
an overall increase of more than
50,000 low-density homes beyond
the current stock.
More choices for
recreation
More activities will be
available in parks.
It’s a new lifestyle — you live in
really high-rise buildings overlooking
the ocean while at the same time
having the city view.”
High-density housing will mean
more convenience and closer-knit
communities. Shops, schools, parks
and bus stops will all be within
walking distance. Housing densities
will be increased gradually over time.
Possible Central Park-style
housing fronting a park in the
New Downtown.
The park connector network will be
extended to link activities.
Skyline • May/Jun 2001 • 6
Variety of low, medium
and high-density
housing
The Concept Plan will continue to
provide a variety of housing, from
low to medium and high-density
housing. Low-density housing
includes both low-rise housing that
is 5 storeys or less and landed
housing. Medium-density housing
has a gross plot ratio of 1.4 to 2.1,
with heights varying up to 24
storeys. High-density housing has
a plot ratio above 2.1.
Thankfully, a bigger population does
not imply less green spaces for all, as
the Draft Concept Plan plans to
almost double the amount of green
space (equivalent to 34 Bishan
Parks) in future. Parks will have
distinct characters with distinct
activities and looks. One of the parks
could be a Maze Park, much like the
one from ‘Alice in Wonderland’,
while another could be an
Adventure Park complete with an
adventurous obstacle course.
Besides more parks, the Draft
Concept Plan aims to make green
spaces more accessible. The park
connector network will be extended
to link parks with town centres,
sports complexes and homes.
Residents could jog from the town
park to other gardens and nature
areas, or pop over to the town
centre, before heading for the local
swimming complex.
Opening up the Central
Catchment
Nature lovers can look forward to
the opening up of the Central Water
Catchment. There will be lowimpact recreational uses, including
hiking and cycling. You can take a
tree-top walk to discover the myriad
species of flora and fauna. Lookout
Housing Density
Low
Medium
High
Existing mix
9%
13%
78%
Draft Concept Plan 2001
8%
13%
79%
The existing and future density mix is shown in the table.
points will also be set up at suitable
locations for visitors to stop, enjoy
the scenic view, or have a picnic.
There are also plans to create scenic
drives so you can have family
outings around the Central
Catchment.
Unlike the 1991 Concept Plan that
envisaged new towns at Pulau Ubin
and Lim Chu Kang, the Draft
Concept Plan 2001 plans to keep
these and other existing nature
areas in their rustic state for as long
as possible. Other areas such as
Sungei Khatib Bongsu at Simpang
and Sungei China mangrove at
Woodlands will be integrated within
parks so that more will be able to
enjoy them.
Sports and arts
The aim to provide a variety of
sports is still valid. Hence, land will
be set aside for more recreational
activities, such as public golf
courses and marinas, if there is
demand. Our reservoirs, including
Bedok, Pandan, MacRitchie and
Lower Seletar, will be opened for
organised water activities such as
canoeing, rowing and sailing.
If you are more of an arts buff than
a sportsman, you will certainly look
forward to new arts spaces coming
up. Plays and comedy acts could
take place in parks, while
neighbourhood community centres
and other spaces in housing estates
could be used for drama, art or
singing classes and workshops. The
Rochor entertainment district will
see more arts activities with arts
institutions, such as the Nanyang
Academy of Fine Arts.
The jetty at Pulau Ubin.
Chiefly, our high value-added
industries and financial and services
sectors will be given special
attention. High value-added
industries such as electronics,
chemicals and biomedical sciences
remain our focus. The chemicals
industry constituted 20% of total
manufacturing output in 2000.
Hence, even though these industries
occupy a lot of land, the plan is still
to make space for them.
The Central Business District is
poised to become a global financial
hub, with the majority of the
financial and services sectors
concentrated within. A denser and
more comprehensive rail network
will be built to support this.
Try a tree-top walk in the Central Catchment.
Sailing in some of our reservoirs.
Greater flexibility for
businesses
In the new economy, lines are
blurring between industries. We
need shifts in mindsets and new
flexibility for businesses. One of the
new key ideas of the Draft Concept
Plan 2001 is to have a new zoning
system in future. Under the new
zoning system, industrial and
business activities will be grouped
A global business centre
The Draft Concept Plan also makes
provisions for an economically
thriving city to support the larger
population and the higher quality
of life.
High value-added industries, such as electronics,
chemicals and biomedical sciences.
Skyline • May/Jun 2001 • 7
according to their impact on the
surrounding environment. This new
“impact-based” zoning approach
will allow businesses to house
different uses under one roof and
change activities easily without
rezoning.
A new zoning system.
An example of jobs next to homes in Serangoon.
Industries, telecommunications and
utility uses will be rezoned as the
new business zones, B1 for nonpollutive uses and B2 for pollutive
uses. A new ‘White’ zone will be
introduced, allowing all uses except
pollutive use. This will mean that a
building in the ‘White’ zone can
have housing, offices, shops, clean
industries, R&D facilities,
recreational facilities as well as
community spaces. This will create
the potential for mixed-use buildings
and work-live-learn-play environments.
Another proposal that will be
translated into detailed plans in the
Development Guide Plan (DGP)
Review is the intensification of
industries and businesses close to
MRT stations, for which general
guidelines will be worked out. This
will allow more people to enjoy the
convenience of working near an
MRT station, and allow businesses to
optimise the use of their industrial
land. The changes to the zoning
system will be studied further and
implemented as part of the DGP
Review. It will be refreshing to see
how the new zones will be applied in
different areas.
Mr Philip Ng, co-chairman of one of
the focus group, was pleased to note
that URA recognises that “the nature
of industrial operations today and
tomorrow are so different from that
of the last decade. The introduction
of the concept of Business Zones in
place of Light and Non-pollutive
Industrial Zones is timely.”
More jobs close to homes
The Concept Plan will continue to
provide jobs close to homes. Our
plans will provide more industrial
jobs in the North, North-East and
East. In addition, there will be more
housing in the West and the city so
that more can live close to their
workplace. We will also continue to
build on the three regional centres.
They are Woodlands, Tampines and
Jurong East. Seletar Regional Centre,
which was proposed in the 1991
Concept Plan, will not be needed as
more commercial space will be
concentrated in the Central Area.
An extensive rail network
Ever wanted to travel from Marine
Parade to Bishan but hesitated to
take the MRT? Everyone dreads an
unnecessary detour. The new orbital
and radial rail lines proposed in the
Draft Concept Plan will put that
right. For example, a new orbital line
could connect Marine Parade to
Bishan, and then Buona Vista.
Another rail line could connect
Woodlands to Tampines directly.
Drivers are not forgotten either, as
expressways will be upgraded to
provide a smoother ride.
New orbital and radial lines.
Skyline • May/Jun 2001 • 8
Focus on identity
In the course of the consultation,
many Singaporeans have voiced the
importance of identity. For the first
time in our planning process,
identity will be an integral aspect.
Instead of starting on a clean slate,
planners will be looking at how
distinctive icons and landmarks
could be integrated in a specific
area. The Draft Concept Plan 2001
recognises the levels of identity as
suggested by the focus group on
Identity vs Intensive Use of Land:
individual, local/regional and
national.
Our built heritage
Buildings and places are critical
elements of identity. To date, we
have over 5,600 conserved
buildings, but that is not all. In
future, more buildings will be
conserved to preserve the collective
memory of places.
Identity in new towns
For newer areas, significant
landmarks and natural features will
be integrated in the development of
new towns. A new direction will be
to build smaller towns, which are
more personal and give residents a
greater sense of ownership. For
added character, town centres will
be planned at locations with
exciting natural and built features.
Take Simpang for instance: the town
centre could be built on an existing
unique coastal ‘peninsula’.
Identity in familiar places
An identity map will be incorporated
into each DGP. This map will show
landmarks such as icons, activity
nodes, focal points, essential routes
and gathering places, as well as
heritage roads.
Some familiar places.
Heritage Conservation
Trust
One of the most exciting ideas
suggested by the focus group is to
set up a Heritage Conservation
Trust. The focus group envisages
the Trust to play the role of
promoting the appreciation of
Conservation and to advise on
issues relating to the conservation
of built and natural heritage. URA is
now studying the idea of the
Heritage Conservation Trust. Once it
is formed, you can look forward to
working hand-in-hand with the
Trust and URA to forge a common
understanding of what is important
to average Singaporeans, and strive
to make our city even more
distinctive.
Our conserved buildings.
Realising our vision
“As they say, ‘Rome was not built in
a day.’ Similarly, it will take us many
years to develop Singapore into a
thriving world-class city. It will
require the collective efforts of
many Singaporeans to contribute
ideas and to make those ideas
work.” – Minister for National
Development, Mah Bow Tan.
The Concept Plan is not just about
building an efficient city. It is also
about building a home for
Singaporeans. As we continue to
plan for our future, let’s see what
each of us can do today to make a
difference to the quality of living in
future.
Retaining and integrating natural features
in new towns, such as Sungei Khatib
Bongsu in Simpang.
Skyline • May/Jun 2001 • 9
by Wendy Low and Angelina Seow
URA recently revised guidelines to allow all core
media activities to be housed within Industrial,
Warehouse and Business Park zones.
A Change
for the
U
RA has revised its
guidelines to
accommodate the
changing structure of the media
industry and to meet the demand
for space by local and foreign
broadcasters. With the new
guidelines, media companies are
allowed to take up at least 60% of
the area in Industrial, Warehouse
and Business Park zones. Core
media activities include for creating
and producing media content such
as movie trailers, advertisement and
news articles; as well as programming
and distributing media content, for
example, via satellite transmission.
Besides core activities, there is room
for up to a maximum of 40% of the
Industrial, Warehouse and Business
Park zones to be set aside for
independent companies providing
supporting services. These would
include, for instance, independent
script-writing houses, media
Skyline • May/Jun 2001 • 10
Better
marketing firms and internet portals
providing media services and
programmes. These independent
companies and their activities are
classified as secondary uses, and
they are subject to payment of
development charge or differential
premium.
Benefiting the industry
What this means for media
companies is that they will now have
a greater choice of premises and will
be able to house broadcasting, print
publishing and multi-media,
interactive e-commerce services all
under one roof. So, there will be
greater synergy in activities
benefiting the media industry. The
guidelines had also taken into
account the general industry feedback that major broadcasting and
printing operations are best suited to
be housed in industrial and
warehouse type premises with high
headroom for overhead cameras,
lighting fixtures and other
equipment used by the media
industry.
Keep pace with new trends
This revision came about as there
was a need to keep pace with the
changing media trends in the
knowledge-based economy. With
the convergence of technology,
media and telecommunications, the
media industry has changed the way
it works. Hence, MediaCorp of
Singapore and Singapore Press
Holdings were recently granted
both newspaper and broadcasting
licences. In addition, Singapore is
being promoted as a broadcasting
hub for the region. The revision of
the guidelines was undertaken
jointly by URA, EDB and JTC.
by Angelina Seow
Better
Connectivity
Better Shopping
URA recently introduced new guidelines in its bid for more underground
links to all MRT stations in the future. Skyline brings you the full story.
A
t the official opening of
Capital Tower on 16 May
2001, Mr Mah Bow Tan,
Minister for National Development,
announced a new set of guidelines
for underground links to all Rapid
Transit System (RTS) stations, both
existing and future. The guidelines
are meant to encourage the
development of more underground
shopping malls linking to RTS
stations. RTS stations include Mass
Rapid Transit (MRT) and Light Rail
Transit (LRT) stations.
Going one step beyond
Currently, there is an extensive
pedestrian network at the Raffles
Place and Orchard MRT Stations,
which are connected directly to
surrounding buildings and shops.
Sites with similar underground links
have been sold at Raffles Link and
more recently, the New Downtown.
Air-conditioned underground links
lined with shops and food and
beverage outlets serve a dual
purpose and benefit pedestrians and
shoppers alike.
We could certainly do with more of
such links, which is what the new
guidelines strive to bring about.
Right now, existing guidelines
encourage developers in Orchard
Road to build underground links
and 2nd-storey links with retail and
eating outlets. The new guidelines
are similar, except that they extend
beyond Orchard Road and apply to
underground links to existing or
future RTS stations.
Guidelines at a glance
The new guidelines for underground pedestrian connections to all
RTS stations are described below:
• To connect directly between the RTS stations and a common
public area;
• To be open to the public during the RTS stations’ operating hours
and be disabled-friendly;
• The clear width of the walkway is to be between 6-7m with a minimum
ceiling height of 4m;
• The connection is to incorporate activity-generating uses, such as retail
and eating outlets, along one or both sides;
• The total depth allowable for activity-generating uses within the link
is 14m;
• The additional commercial space can be above the allowable gross plot
ratio for the development and will be subject to Differential Premium or
Development Charge. However, as it is an incentive to encourage the
provision of underground links to RTS stations, it does not form part of
the future development potential of the site on redevelopment.
A sketch showing the cross-section of
an underground pedestrian link.
Building owners will be able to
incorporate activity-generating uses,
such as retail and eating outlets, into
all underground shopping links to
RTS stations. The incentive is that
the additional gross floor area (GFA)
for activity-generating uses within
the underground pedestrian link can
be computed over and above the
Master Plan allowable GFA for the
existing development. The
additional GFA will be subject to
Development Charge or Differential
Premium where applicable.
However, it is not transferable and
does not form part of the
development potential of the site
upon redevelopment.
Collectively, the benefits of building
a complete underground pedestrian
network will put our public
transport system to better use and
enhance the experience for
pedestrians and shoppers.
Skyline • May/Jun 2001 • 11
View to park
View to courtyard
Presently, only about 35,000 people live above the 20th storey. With higher
densities, more people will get to live on higher floors and enjoy great views.
ROOM WITH A VIEW
View to city in the distance