It may be hard to imagine it, but there was a time when few believed that Singapore could become what it is today: a liveable home for its people, a host to numerous multi-national corporations, and a headquarters for leading international financial institutions. After all, it had and still has severe land limitations and a lack of natural resources. Yet, office towers now stand gleaming in the equatorial sunshine, neat public housing blocks are found across the island, and lush greenery adorn every street.

All this came about through good planning. Today, Singaporeans enjoy a quality of life on par with any developed country. This was something barely conceivable just two generations years ago. In telling the story of Singapore’s development, we arrive at the story of the Urban Redevelopment Authority.

The Rough and Tumble Early Days
Formation of the Planning Department

Still recovering from the impact of the Japanese Occupation, there were immediate problems to address. The acute housing shortage and overcrowding in downtown Singapore was reaching crisis point. Safe and clean housing had to be found urgently for a growing population. Pausing to think was almost a luxury.

After many surveys and forecasts of major planning variables such as land use, population and traffic, the first Master Plan was approved by the colonial Government in 1958. It proposed a green belt around the city area to limit its expansion, with future urban growth designated in areas outside the city. For the first time in Singapore, there was an island-wide land use plan. Land was designated for schools, new towns, open spaces and infrastructural facilities. Sites of architectural and historic interest were also identified.

After Singapore was granted self-governance in 1959, the Planning Department was formed to administer the Planning Ordinance of 1960. It was attached to the Prime Minister’s Office for greater oversight, and the position of Chief Planner was created.

The Department coordinated development, growth and environmental improvement for Singapore. It was charged with reviewing the Master Plan every five years and processing development applications from the public and private sectors. These functions are still carried on by URA today.

Building a New City
Formation of the Urban Renewal Department

The Urban Renewal Unit was set up in 1964 to undertake the comprehensive urban renewal and redevelopment of the Central Area. It was tasked to remake this area into a vibrant and modern commercial centre. This meant finding new homes for residents and new locations for industries. The Unit was headed by Alan Choe, a young planner-architect who had returned from his studies in Australia just five years earlier. The Unit had humble beginnings, consisting only of Alan and two other architects. Here were the roots of the present URA.

The task of redeveloping the Central Area was uphill and daunting. Sites were fragmented, making it difficult to assemble them into meaningful modern developments. Shophouses were overcrowded and obsolescent, and streets were narrow. The lack of control and planning since the early days of Singapore had resulted in shophouse settlements degenerating into veritable slums.

The first challenge was to resettle the residents. It was a daunting one, but the officers of the Unit, which was renamed Urban Renewal Department in 1966, took it head-on. They went on site visits to get a feel of the ground sentiments and conditions.

"Before clearing the slum, I would work the ground anonymously. My friends living in the area would tell me that every time I went to an area more than once, property prices for that area would fall. They were concerned for my personal safety," Mr Choe recalls.

But this hands-on approach eventually paid off. Working in tandem with the planners for public housing, slum dwellers in the Central Area were eventually provided with first-generation Housing & Development Board (HDB) flats. Each came with modern conveniences such as running water and electricity. Above that, residents had more space of their own. Home was no longer a temporary shophouse cubicle shared with another household. By addressing these housing needs, the URD began the redevelopment of downtown Singapore.

In 1966, the passing of the Land Acquisition Act eased the way forward for the URD, enabling it to acquire, clear and assemble fragmented lots for development. It also allowed land reserves to be built up. The Act facilitated the resettlement of displaced residents, and by 1967, the URD had successfully sold 13 sites under the "Sale of Sites" programme.

One of the first completed developments then was the People’s Park Complex. Lauded as Southeast Asia’s first modern, international-class multi-use building, the Complex offered shopping, offices and residential apartments. Through the 70s and the 80s, the URD’s land sales function helped transform the Central Area from a collection of shophouses to the downtown of a new nation making its mark in the world.

Surging Ahead
Formation of the Urban Redevelopment Authority

By the late 1960s, block upon block of public housing was built. As a fledgling nation, Singapore had met its basic needs for housing, a clean environment and modern amenities. It was ready to put its colonial past behind, and to craft a vision for its urban landscape.

The island’s first Concept Plan was completed in 1971, with the combined effort of staff from the URD, the Planning Department, HDB, and the former Public Works Department. The United Nations Development Programme also contributed by providing advice. The team explored various development strategies before selecting the ‘Ring’ Plan, because it could be adapted to changing circumstances, and was practicable in terms of ease of implementation.

It took into consideration the resulting demands on the transport system, and proposed a concentration of development along transportation corridors along the southern shore of the island. It also suggested a ring around the Central Catchment Area, with major industrial areas at the periphery of the transportation corridors. The Plan included major recreational areas as well, from the Central Catchment Area to the Coast.

The significance of the 1971 Concept Plan in shaping Singapore is evident today in the physical landscape. Almost 90 percent of the population live in planned public housing estates and new towns are linked by a highly efficient transportation system. Meanwhile, downtown Singapore continues to grow as an international financial centre, with global financial institutions and trading houses.

In 1974, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) was formed, allowing it greater autonomy and flexibility in effectively implementing urban renewal programmes started by the URD. Following its formation in the 1980s, URA expanded its roles from the sale of sites to include the development and management of commercial developments.

By then, its experience in planning and urban design for the Central Area was already well recognised, so it seemed like a logical move then to coordinate city planning by merging with the Planning Department, which was responsible for strategic planning and development control of the rest of the island.

So, in September 1989, URA, the Planning Department, as well as the Research and Statistical Unit of the Ministry of National Development were amalgamated as one entity. The name “Urban Redevelopment Authority” was kept for its international reputation.

Weaving Yesterday with Tomorrow
Conserving our Heritage

Against this backdrop of increasing prosperity and more consolidated city planning, Singapore was fast becoming the modern, developed city-state it had set out to be. However, its rapid development also posed fresh challenges – new skyscrapers were taking the place of old shophouses, many of which were valuable reminders of our history and heritage.

URA saw the need to retain many historical buildings to protect a Singaporean heritage and a sense of identity. However, it had to contend with the continuous conflict from market pressures to demolish old buildings. Some owners who wanted to maximise land value by replacing their shophouses with skyscrapers protested against the conservation. URA had to convince them that the value of conservation exceeded the commercial value of a piece of land.

In 1986, the Master Plan for the conservation of the Historic Districts was unveiled and exhibited to improve public knowledge of the issues involved and the tough decisions that had to be made when deliberating over whether to conserve a building.

In May 1987, the pilot project of the Master Plan for conservation involved 32 vacant shophouses around Tanjong Pagar Road. The area had welcomed Chinese immigrants more than a century ago, and this project demonstrated the Government’s commitment to conservation. Physical improvements were made – pedestrian walkways, new sidewalks and facilities such as car parks and bus shelters.

More recently, URA played a key role in the conservation of China Square and Far East Square, as well as six hectares of prime commercial land in the financial district. Sensitive planning of the area meant that URA managed to preserve the value of the land while retaining its historical buildings, ensuring that the project itself would become a model for the successful blending of historic and architecturally rich buildings with new design ideas.

The successful introduction of new commercial activities in conservation buildings, and growing interest from Singaporeans and tourists, have helped to convince detractors that there is indeed commercial value in the conservation of old buildings. These buildings have become widely recognised as the physical repositories of our short but precious history. More than two decades after the pioneering conservation work was carried out, URA’s foresight was validated when its Conservation Programme for Singapore won the Urban Land Institute’s Global Award for Excellence in 2006.

More Choice for a Better Quality of Life
Singapore as a Tropical City of Excellence

By the 1990s, the nation was in its early adulthood and confident of its place in the world. In fact, it was widely acknowledged as a first-world country. The priorities of Singaporeans were changing as they yearned for a better quality of life and more choices in housing, recreation and employment.

The 1971 Concept Plan had laid the foundation for a better life with new towns, transport infrastructure and access to recreation. The Concept Plan of 1991 took planning in Singapore to uncharted territory. It had a vision for Singapore as a Tropical City of Excellence. The 1991 Concept Plan’s guiding principles called for further decentralisation to alleviate congestion and avoid over-development in the Central Area. It also created greater variety and choice in housing forms and recreation facilities to meet Singaporeans’ rising aspirations and expectations.

Building upon the corridors of public housing, decentralisation took a giant step forward with the proposal of four regional centres to serve the different parts of the island – Tampines in the east, Jurong in the west, Woodlands in the north, and Seletar in the north-east. Six sub-regional centres would be developed closer to the city centre. They would serve as nodes for commercial activities and residential concentration between the Central Area and the regional centres. The 1991 Concept Plan also identified seven low-lying southern islands to be amalgamated into one large island – Jurong Island.

Since the launch of 1991 Concept Plan, URA has coordinated efforts to develop a regional centre at Tampines and a sub-regional centre in Novena. More choices were offered in terms of housing and residential developments in Tanjong Rhu. Waterfront housing was also developed in Sentosa. On top of that, business parks were created; new expressways and Mass Rapid Transit Lines were built; more choices were offered with the introduction of better recreational facilities; and the list goes on.

It was also during this period that URA undertook a comprehensive review of the Master Plan. URA planners were sent out on foot to gather onsite data from every nook and cranny of Singapore. Their findings, guided by the land use strategies in the 1991 Concept Plan, formed the basis for the Development Guide Plans (DGP). There was one DGP for each of the 55 planning areas in Singapore. These DGPs helped to translate the Concept Plan at the local level, and set the basis for sustainable growth.

Stepping into the Spotlight

With its latest Concept Plan in 2001, URA presented its vision for Singapore in the 21st century as a thriving world-class city in the new millennium. It was a vision for Singapore that offered much more than before: more types of housing, whether high-rise or in the city; more choices in recreation with park connectors, more green spaces; as well as more flexibility with land use zoning for businesses.

There was also renewed emphasis on planning for the community. Recognising the importance of keeping our open spaces and familiar places, URA introduced the Parks & Waterbodies Plan and the Identity Plan in 2002. The Parks & Waterbodies Plan, drawn up jointly with the National Parks Board, presented key ideas on how to enhance our living environment by making the most of our natural assets, and heightening the sense of greenery. The Identity Plan, meanwhile, sought to highlight unique qualities of 15 "identity nodes" significant to Singaporeans, and suggest ways to retain and enhance these qualities.

As part of the Master Plan 2008, URA drew up the Leisure Plan, building on ideas from the Parks & Waterbodies Plan and Identity Plan, to showcase the diverse range of leisure opportunities available in Singapore. The Leisure Plan includes proposals for enhancing the park connector network with a 150-km “round-the-island” route. It also created leisure destinations at Kranji, Lim Chu Kang and Jurong Lake District. On top of that, it introduced more buzz and nightlife into the City Centre.

More to Come

Singapore has only just stepped into the spotlight on the world stage, and as the story unfolds, URA will continue to play a central role in Singapore’s development – a role that has evolved over the years. From the early days as a land sales agent in charge of urban renewal of the Central Area to today’s multi-faceted roles as national land use planner, land sales agent, place-maker, conservation authority and urban planning consultant, URA has come a long way as it nudges Singapore forward. It also acts as the guardian of architectural memory and design by conserving the nation’s heritage to foster a sense of belong and familiarity among its residents. URA has had a good 35 years, and its story will continue.