Urbanism & Growing needs in Asian Context: Covering Punggol in Singapore

Abstract:

Urbanism is the combining science of human necessities and growth in a program of Urban fabric. Principles of Urbanism spans the study of Urban Planning and Design in contrast to drivers such as Culture, growth, Sociology, and economical stability. This article attempts to understand the role of Urbanism and its translation in the development of Asian Cities and Singapore.

Introduction:

Neil Gaimon1, a famous author defines “Human beings are storytelling creatures and stories are vital.” This reflection piece gave an opportunity to brainstorm the urbanism principles which transformed Punggol – one of most “ulu” (abandoned foreign land) into “Digital District”. Also, the report attempted to connect the story of Urbanism, its various scale implementation in the Asian Context, Singapore version, and its implementation in Punggol with connection to its future vision as a Digital District.

Urbanism is the hypothesis of parameters that led Human connects to their neighborhood or living space. It circles the concepts of basic human necessities, culture, sociology, and economic paradigm. It is often dictated by the geographical location, nation’s ideology, and blend of available resources management. There is no one solution that fits all, instead, it challenges highly researched disciplines of urban planning and design by complex variables from environmental psychology, changing human demands and shifting urban sociology to mobile and network societies.  

Figure 01: Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (Five tier model in a pyramid) 1

Abraham Maslow’s theory2 in psychology shows basic human needs in a five-tier hierarchy. Their comprehension pattern suggests humans attract solutions that satisfy basic needs and their focus develops with growing fulfillment of these needs subsequently. Urbanism obliges Humans with a sense of community which beliefs in owning their living spaces individually (such as housing) as well as collectively on a larger land parcel (Town or District).

A different school of thought has reservations on this pattern of Hierarchy and suggests valid critique that humans do not meet the same order to integrate into a satisfied community participant. Anthony Robbin3,4 indicated six top human needs by reworking and separating emotional areas from physical. According to him, humans will do anything to get these six needs met even if they are not good or healthy and may even prove to carry negative social or financial impacts. These include:

      i.         Certainty – A sense of security, safety, and comfort in the world

ii.         Variety – A sense of change, interest, and adventure

    iii.         Significance – A sense of uniqueness, individuality, and being special

    iv.         Love & Connection – A sense of acceptance, belonging, and support

     v.         Growth – A desire to learn, grow, and evolve

    vi.         Contribution – The desire to give to those around us

Therefore, the Above needs are to be addressed in a balanced approach leading to achieve Sustainable Urban Development.          

Figure 02: Top Human Needs (Anthony Robbin)4

This requires a comprehensive program based on Principles of Urbanism. It is conceivable by patterns suggesting historic development of the discipline of Urban design and planning grew with an evolving society and culture of each nation. It reinforced the ideology that Culture transition is only possible by Policy definition and implemented by Design such as Prof illustrated hiding lifts in SDE04 and positioning Staircases on entrance results in a culture promoting the use of staircase over unnecessary heavy reliance on technological tools.      

Principles of Urbanism:

There are a variety of Principles of Urbanism defined by various scholars. However, all of these have embedded programs designed to meet the satisfaction of identified human needs by supporting infrastructure or spatial elements (Hardware)5 which are made available for use and utility by predefined policy (Software)5 governed institutionally (Orgware) 5.

Urbanism in Asian Context & Growing needs

Asian Context encompasses a variety of nations ranging from performance-based economies (Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan) to emerging economies (China, Vietnam) and those following global urbanization footsteps (India, Indonesia).

Aisa’s top established cities list Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Singapore7. These cities have common characteristics of high FAR, Population density w.r.t Areas and are well-known world centers for Business, Finance, and manufacturing. These cities have population swell practice comprising of people commuting from nearby locations for work.

These Business and Financial hubs attract a significant influx of population as well as undergoes extensive re-construction. Such phenomenon compels well planned and accommodating Urbanism which not only houses new residents and business but make the integration welcoming, comfortable, and easier to adopt.  These functional service characteristics are dependent on dependable mobility, efficiency, and performance of infrastructure (hardware) with enabling practices and supporting norms (software) designed with well-thought future-proof prospects featured within Urban Design. Sustainability of these cities is dependent on the implementation and utilization within design intent or capacity, this requires stringent control and monitoring (Orgware) in place to avoid unplanned growth with the aging of neighborhoods and communities.

 Urbanism in Singapore

World Scientific Series on Singapore’s 50 years of Nation Building covers Social issues, Security, Environmental sustainability, Culture, Community, and world relations which posed practical ground level constraints Singapore faced at the time of its inception as City-State. Economic development and transformation witnessed were critically dependent on these factors. Urban Planning Policy and solutions in Singapore7 is the testament of practical measures taken by policymakers and enforced in a manner which pushed the entire subject population equally to adopt a culture of the urban city-state.

In short, Singapore Urbanism is a portfolio of future-proof ideas that offers complex but practical layers of the program which at the time of their commencement and initiation were challenging to adhere to. Such as Transportation and mobility where Vehicle’s population control, as well as ease of selection of commute (Either Bus or Metro or Car / Cab), are some of the future-proof concepts that have facilitated in integrating diversified population and communities together in the fabric of the urban design. The performance of the designed system is high because of considerate well thought of planning, open feedback system to learn lessons from experiments, and move forward with better results. The system also leverages its introduction of new stricter policies against the prevailing culture by eliminating its weakness and loopholes prior to the commencement of next-phase implementation. 

Urbanism in Punggol (North-East Region of Singapore)

Punggol is a relatively new town situated in North-East Region with connecting borders to Pasir Ris (East), Seletar(West), and Sengkang (South). It is situated on the Tanjong Punggol peninsula. Punggol was a fruit growing district comprising of farmlands. It's said to have taken the name from a river Sungei Ponggol or word with meaning “hurling sticks at the branches of fruit trees to bring them down to the ground” in Malay.

Brief Historic Development of Punggol

Masterplan Blueprint for Punggol 21 unveiled in 1996 envisioned it as “A Waterfront Town of 21st Century”. 9 Further development vision evolved in steps and was instigated through 2007 “Remaking our Heartland (ROH)” program9 which include Punggol as one of three Pilot areas selected. This new strategy reinforced and helped realize waterfront town by the plan of introducing a man-made waterway through the town which connects two reservoirs i.e Sungei Serangoon and Sungei Punggol.9

This Waterway idea made Punggol suitable location for the integration of Blue (Water) and Green (Plantations), resulting in the balanced mix which enhances the living environment for residents as well as serves as an enabler to Bio-diversity in surrounding through the provision of attractive edge conditions offering food and presumed territory ownership to species alike. Therefore, Punggol was selected as Singapore’s first Eco-town in 2010 being a “living laboratory” for HDB9 to incorporate lessons learned from previous feedback on developments and better integrate urban solutions (i.e enabling community engagement) with sustainable development. The first eco-friendly housing project example is Treelodge located within Punggol which expresses one of many experiments taken by HDB9. Further development of housing projects along Punggol Waterway resulted in a swift influx of mixed population attracted to reside in the North-East border of Singapore.

Following the established infrastructure policy of Singapore and continuously innovating Framework methodology, Punggol reflects the impressive systematic implementation of “Reframing Urban space” 10 involving Hardware, Software, and Orgware. These were conceptualized by the research project “Urban Space Planning for Sustainable High-Density Environments,” 10 which was conducted at the Centre for Sustainable Asian Cities (CSAC), School of Design and Environment (SDE), National University of Singapore.

Developments echoes collaboration among URA (Urban Redevelopment Authority, Singapore), HDB (Housing and Development Board, Singapore), and NParks (National Parks Board, Singapore) all aiming “Digital District” vision under Ministry of National Development (MND), Singapore. This started in 2014 when Punggol Northshore was announced as the first nature-centric district to test-bed smart technologies in public housing. It included an intelligent parking demand monitoring system, sensor-equipped lighting in common areas, and smart waste management. Heading to become Digital District, town’s rich heritage as a rustic fishing village is being paid tribute in housing projects in newest Punggol Point District including Punggol Point Crown and Punggol Point Cove launched in 20199.

Punggol Master Plan & Town Plan

Plan to develop known as Punggol-21 was announced in 1996 but Punggol first emerged on 2003 Master Plan with showing Land use and Allowed FAR. It was based on a new concept to offer future-proof development infrastructure and attract skilled professionals through private homes (Landed Property), executive condos, and high-grade HDBs. The plan comprised of small precincts with distinct designs. However, Construction is tied to economic stability and Punggol development delayed in realizing milestone time due to the Asian economic crisis in 1997 followed by the Financial crisis in 2003 and 2007 & 08.  Efforts were put in by Government in 2007  by announcing Punggol 21 Plus to pace up redevelopment and integration with Singapore resulting in 2010 when HDB’s attracting early settlers within Singapore based on a cheaper property with equally functional infrastructure.  

Punggol Neighborhood – Offering of Amenities

The Punggol-21 plan was able to implement and offer only 16,000 HDB apartments out of planned 80,000 by 2008. To meet the expectations and vision for the Area, Punggol 21 Plus was introduced and the hardware recreational spots started becoming reality starting from Punggol Water Park in 2011, followed by Punggol Point and Nature Walk at Punggol Promenade. These attracted private residential development as well as the innovative idea of Town Center and Community center to be integrated with Mixed-Use Developments to activate public spaces and economic activities enablers together in the Hub of the district.

Mobility and ease of transportation is the first attraction for the masses to relocate from one neighborhood to another. Punggol offers very easy to reach Metro stop comprising of 01 MRT station located in District Hub and connected to Main Bus Terminal.

Punggol offers 14 Stops for LRT Line which connects every major Estate development, Notable place, and HDB’s well integrated to commute from one point to another and faster than buses.

Buses and Pedestrian facilities are equally efficient. During Jan 2020, I lived at Sam Kee LRT Stop but preferred walking to Punggol Central and it took equal time to reach MRT Purple Line if I choose to walk or use LRT to reach MRT.  

The Program of activities and amenities such as Food Places, Hawker Centers, Doctors & Dentists are also highly spread over the precincts. Each precinct housed a variety of food options in their own Hawker centers established in Void decks. This not only enhanced competitive business among Hawker Center shops but also enables Old pensioners and Students like me to be able to afford meals at 3Sgd which I have experienced as 4.5-5 Sgd in another distant town while 7-8 Sgd in Bukit Timah where I now stay in College Green Hostel. Availability of diversified food stalls located in HDBs from each region including Chinese, Malay, Indian is also rich as compared to my visits in Yishun, Ang Mo Kio, Bishan, Little India, and China Town at more affordable rates and options.

The availability of Dairy products, Bakery products, and consumer items at lower costs is also a unique experience that Punggol offers presently. My experience suggests Punggol has small businesses providing all solutions on competitive rates than Cold Storage, Fair Prices, and Mustafa Center (where I am a regular customer). The cost of living is attractive and cheaper living in Punggol which makes up taking 50 minutes commute to reach City Downtown.

Recreational Amenities &

Punggol offers the following list of recreational amenities and program of activities which engage community and public all over Singapore especially on weekends. The influx of participants in evening times are also higher during the weekdays. The list includes:

a.     Hiking at Punggol Waterway Park with its four different zones. I.e. the Nature Cove, Recreation Zone, Heritage Zone, and Green Gallery,

b.     Punggol Beach (the eastern part of Singapore)

c.     Gallop Stables to ride horses

d.     Prawning at Hai Bin Prawning

e.     Cycling on the beautiful Coney Island

f.      Kidz Amaze (Singapore’s largest indoor water playgrounds)

g.     Punggol SAFRA (Fun Lifestyle activities)

Program of activities

a)   Schools

The primary educational institutions around include Edgeview Primary School, Greendale Primary School, Compassvale Primary School, Rivervale Primary School, and Horizon Primary School. Secondary Schools in the neighborhood include Punggol Secondary School, Greendale Secondary School, Compassvale Secondary School, Mee Toh School, and Edgeview Secondary School14. Since the Area is recently developed, there are few established and famous schools presently. However, promising growth potential is setting up the interest of other institutes is set to grow subsequently.                                                                                                                                                                    

b)   Healthcare Institutions

Medical institutions include General Practitioner Clinics, SengKang Polyclinic, Ren Ci Hospital, Bright Vision Hospital, and Changi General Hospital in the area to provide specialist healthcare services for the residents. 14

c)   Town Center, Community Centers, Town Hall Plaza & Malls

Presently Town Hall is under construction and expected to be opened in 2021 as the new Punggol Town Hub. It is expected to house a bigger hawker center, public library, renovated Punggol Vista Community Center which is said to be seven times the size of the previous Community Center. Plans also include Childcare Center and multiple health services to be housed within Town Hall. 11

References:

1.      Neil Gaimon, “Teaches the Art of Story Telling” Masterclass 2020, accessed Feb 27, 2020, https://www.masterclass.com/classes/neil-gaiman-teaches-the-art-of-storytelling

2.      Saul Mcloed, “Maslow; Hierarchy of Needs” Simple Psychology, accessed Feb 27, 2020, https://simplypsychology.org/maslow.html

3.      Anthoy Robin, “Six top human needs” Do you need to feel significant, accessed April 3, 2020, https://www.tonyrobbins.com/mind-meaning/do-you-need-to-feel-significant/

4.      Ronit Baras, “Six Human needs” Family Matters Practical Parenting Blog, accessed April 26, 2020, https://www.ronitbaras.com/emotional-intelligence/personal-development/six-human-needs-certainty/

5.      Im Sik Cho, Chye Kiang Heng, Zdravko Tivic, “Reframing Urban Space” Pg 36

6.      Im Sik Cho, Chye Kiang Heng, Zdravko Tivic, “Reframing Urban Space” Pg 197

7.      Chye Kiang Heng, “50 Years of Urban Planning in Singapore” 

8.      â€œ5 Things you never knew about Punggol’s hstory” Property Guru, accessed Feb 27, 2020, https://www.propertyguru.com.sg/property-guides/punggol-singapore-13068,

9.      â€œPunggol Towns your home”, accessed Feb 27, 2020 https://www.hdb.gov.sg/cs/infoweb/about-us/history/hdb-towns-your-home/punggol

10.      Im Sik Cho, Chye Kiang Heng, Zdravko Tivic, “Reframing Urban Space”

11.  â€œThe Definitive Singapore Neighborhood Guide: Is Punggol the Best Place to live?”, accessed on Feb 27, 2020, https://blog.seedly.sg/punggol-best-singapore-neighbourhood/

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