Urban Redevelopment Authority
A statutory board under
MND, the
Urban Redevelopment Authority’s (URA) key role is to help Singapore meet its land use needs so as to shape the country into a distinctive global city with a vibrant economy and a quality living environment.
Planning for our Future
URA launched the draft Master Plan 2008 – “Where my future is: Great Opportunities, Good Life”,in May 2008 for public feedback. More than 220,000 people visited the exhibition at the URA Centre and through the Master Plan website.
The key highlights of the Master Plan 2008 were the plans for Marina Bay, the Ophir-Rochor Corridor, and Tanjong Pagar within the city centre, as well as three new growth areas outside the city—Jurong Lake District, Kallang Riverside, and Paya Lebar Central.
Planned as the largest regional centre outside the city centre, Jurong Lake District offers an exciting opportunity for the development of a unique lakeside destination for business and leisure. The Kallang Riverside will be developed as a mixed-use lifestyle destination with hotels, residences, and entertainment, right at the fringe of the city. Meanwhile, Paya Lebar Central is planned as a vibrant commercial hub with a distinct cultural character, capitalising on the Paya Lebar MRT interchange.
Another key highlight of the Master Plan 2008 was the new Island-wide Leisure Plan. The Leisure Plan showcases a diverse range of existing and upcoming recreation opportunities, including new parks and park connectors; enhancements to water bodies; sports and cultural facilities; night-time buzz; and new leisure destinations. One of these destinations is the Southern Ridges, a new 9km tree-top walk that seamlessly connects Mount Faber to Kent Ridge. Since its opening in May 2008, the Southern Ridges have attracted an average of 12,000 visitors every weekend.
Breaking New Ground in International Collaboration on Eco-Friendly Cities
Together with the Chinese planning agencies, URA led a Singapore planning team and completed the Master Plan for the Tianjin Eco-city, a joint China-Singapore government project. The plan was well received and was approved by the Chinese authorities in September 2008. The groundbreaking ceremony for the project was held in the same month with Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong and Premier Wen Jiabao gracing the occasion.
Exciting Marina Bay
Infrastructural implementation and developments from government land sale sites around Marina Bay are progressing well. Marina Bay will enhance Singapore as a business and financial hub in an exciting waterfront and garden setting. Meanwhile, Marina Bay continues to be the focus of national celebrations such as the National Day Parade and the Marina Bay Singapore Countdown. At the same time, locals and visitors were also treated to a full calendar of international events. The marquee event of 2008 was the Formula One™ Singapore Grand Prix in September, the first night road race in F1 racing history. The event attracted an estimated global audience of 400 million.
Marina Bay was also the venue for the Singapore Biennale @ Marina Bay, an exhibition of contemporary art, from September to November 2008. Works by artists from around the world were exhibited at multiple locations all around Marina Bay, including the Central Promontory Site, Collyer Quay, Esplanade Bridge, City Hall and the South Beach Development.
Enhancing 24/7 Buzz Downtown
URA and STB jointly unveiled proposals to improve the infrastructure and night lighting along the Singapore River in February 2008. Phase One of the lighting enhancements was completed in September 2008. Meanwhile, the implementation of the mall enhancements on Orchard Road progressed on schedule. The initiative included pedestrian mall repaving, state-of-the-art lighting and the addition of street furniture.
Plans for the open space above the Dhoby Ghaut MRT Station were also revealed—for its transformation and to allow its interim use for community events and performances. This was a follow-up to URA’s Public Spaces and Urban Waterfront Master Plan. Construction works commenced in September 2008.
Broadening Horizons in Architecture and Urban Design
As part of URA’s continuing efforts to promote good design in our built environment and raise public awareness of good architecture and urban design (A&UD) in Singapore, URA organised a number of outreach programmes such as exhibitions, talks, seminars and design competitions for both the general public and industry professionals.
Three outstanding designers and seven iconic designs industry-wide were awarded Singapore’s top design accolade, the President’s Design Award, by President S R Nathan on 1 December 2008. For the architecture and urban design discipline, two outstanding architects and three iconic designs were recognised. URA organised a Winners’ Forum for the architects to share their design philosophy and the creative process behind their winning projects with both the fraternity and the general public.
URA continued its efforts to engage the younger generation. URA’s City Gallery is a popular destination for students to learn about the planning of Singapore and the built environment. A pilot Young Urbanist Programme workshop was also held in March for 30 students from two participating schools.
Bringing Singapore to an International Audience
URA plays a major role in promoting Singapore as an attractive global city for investment, business and talents, through its participation in various international real estate tradeshows, conferences and dialogues with investors.
In 2008, as part of this city marketing effort, URA, together with other public agencies and private sector companies, organised and exhibited a Singapore Pavilion at international real estate tradeshows including MIPIM Cannes, Cityscape Dubai, Cityscape Asia, Singapore and MIPIM Asia, Hong Kong. At these tradeshows, URA shared Singapore’s latest plans for Marina Bay, Jurong Lake District, Kallang Riverside and the Ophir-Rochor Corridor.
URA also participated in various conferences in 2008, including the Real Estate Investment World, Global Real Estate Institute, and Urban Land Institute conferences. URA gave talks at many of these events, sharing its planning experience, future development plans, updates on the real estate market, and real estate investment opportunities.
The feedback received at these events was positive. Investors were impressed with Singapore’s attractiveness as a vibrant global city and appreciated URA’s efforts to continually engage investors and keep them updated on the developments and investment opportunities in Singapore.
Government Land Sales Programme to Catalyse New Growth Areas
The Government Land Sales (GLS) Programme has been instrumental in enabling URA’s visions and plans to be realised. In 2008, a total of 29 new sites were made available for sale.
These included a white site at Jurong East, which kick-started the development of a new and exciting commercial hub at Jurong Gateway. With its close proximity to the International Business Park and research and educational institutions, Jurong Gateway offers a highly attractive location outside the Central Business District for company headquarters, business services, and companies in the science and technology sectors.
Another site, the Ophir Road-Rochor Road site was the first site to be released for the development of the Ophir-Rochor Corridor, which will link Marina Centre to Bras Basah and Bugis. This development will transform the area into an exciting commercial node, offering office, retail and hotel uses.
Apart from these new growth areas, other sites were also released to rejuvenate established areas and support new tourism products. These include the commercial site at North Bridge Road and Stamford Road. The site contains a cluster of three conserved buildings, namely the Capitol Theatre, Capitol Building and Stamford House.
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