Speech by Minister Chee Hong Tat at the Institute of Planners' Planning Award Presentation and Gala Dinner

Sep 24, 2025

Introduction

A very good evening. I am happy to join you this evening for the Singapore Institute of Planners’ 9^th Planning Award Presentation and Gala Dinner. Like Mr Djoko, I would like to welcome our guests from overseas, for joining us this evening. I hope you enjoy your stay in Singapore, and I hope that when you are here, you also get to interact with the planners from Singapore. Much of the work that our planners do, is not confined to just within Singapore. A lot of it is taking place in the region - that’s why it is the Singapore Institute of Planners and not the Institute of Singapore planners.

Looking Back

Now, ladies and gentlemen, urban planning has been central to Singapore’s transformation from Third World to First. As a small city-state without a hinterland, our planners had to   bold and but also to be pragmatic, to balance our competing needs, for a whole range of different land uses - housing, economic activities, jobs, transport. We also need to have reservoirs, greenery, and military camps because we need the Singapore Armed Forces to be able to defend ourselves. Trying to pack all these different uses into a small little island is not an easy task. And on top of that, we need to think of how to make this place - this little red dot - liveable and sustainable.

Our small size has never limited our imagination – in fact, it has made imagination a necessity.  We were able to expand our usable space through land intensification, integrated developments and sometimes by looking at how to expand our land area through land reclamation. Increasingly, we are also moving more facilities underground so that we are able to free up space above ground for other more critical needs – things that cannot go underground, like homes, workplaces and amenities.

Beyond shaping our physical environment, our planners have also shaped the way we live, work and play. As the former UK Prime Minister, Sir Winston Churchill, once said: “We shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us”. It’s a two-way process. Through your work, our planners have improved the lives of generations of Singaporeans. You have helped strengthened communities and helped to foster a shared national identity.

I know in our midst this evening, we have many distinguished planners, but if I may just highlight one particular person, it is Dr Liu Thai Ker. I am sure there are many of you here who have had the chance to work with Dr Liu previously in HDB, URA. I was told he was quite a strict boss, but they also learnt a lot from him. I just want to say Dr Liu, thank you so much for what you have done for Singapore. Many of us benefitted from the good work that you have done, and the foundations you have put in place.

I was in China recently and I met my counterpart, Minister Ni Hong. I was in Tianjin because that is my new portfolio. I used to be in-charge of the Singapore- Shandong Business Council, and now coming to MND, I have taken over from Mr Desmond Lee to co-chair the collaboration with Tianjing. In Tianjin, I also met the Mayor of Tianjin, Zhang Kong, and the Party Secretary of Tianjin, Chen Min’er. What was common when I spoke to all these Chinese leaders was that Singapore is very well-planned. They admired our urban development and all of them mentioned Dr Liu Thai Ker.

Looking Ahead

In June this year, we launched the Draft Master Plan (DMP) 2025, which sets out Singapore’s land use plans and strategies for the next 10 to 15 years.

Under this Draft Master Plan 2025, we are studying how we can meet future housing needs by redeveloping sites to create more new towns, while retaining their distinctive identities. SIP has been a key partner in the development of these plans.  Let me highlight a few examples.

At Paya Lebar Air Base, SIP, together with the Singapore Institute of Architects (SIA), contributed valuable insights to the concept proposal on the new town’s design, including the innovative idea of modular, self-sufficient and high-density precincts.

At another location, this time more towards the North of Singapore - Sembawang Shipyard - plans to transform the site into a mixed-use waterfront precinct are well underway. Over 20 weeks, the team from SIP carried out a planning study that considered the site’s heritage, housing potential, work opportunities, and also recreational possibilities. The study reimagined the future of Sembawang Shipyard and brought the planning fraternity together for a common cause.

As part of our broader decentralisation strategy, we are also strengthening three economic gateways in the North, in the East and in the West, bringing jobs and amenities closer to homes for residents who are staying in these regions.

In the North, we have the Johor Bahru–Singapore Rapid Transit System Link or RTS Link and also the Johor–Singapore Special Economic Zone, which we hope will enhance the connectivity to the Woodlands Regional Centre, and the attractiveness of Woodlands Regional Centre.

In the East, we have a 10-year project that has started, which is Terminal 5 at Changi Airport. And this will anchor the Changi Region, reinforcing Singapore’s position as a global aviation hub.

In the West, we hope to grow the Jurong Lake District into Singapore’s largest mixed-use business district outside the city centre. Together with the Jurong Innovation District, they will support and complement Tuas Port, which we are currently in the process of building. It’s what they call, finger by finger, for the piers. Once completed, Tuas Port will be the largest, or maybe by then it will not be the largest, but at least for now, with the plan of 65 million TEUs, it will be the largest automated container terminal to be completed by the 2040s.

Advancing the Planning Profession

To realise these ambitious plans, we will need to ensure a strong pipeline of planners. I would like to commend SIP for its contributions to this area, over many years.

SIP upholds high standards for the planning profession through accreditation, continuous learning, and ethical conduct.

The successful completion of the inaugural Singapore Institute of Certified Planners programme in Jul 2024 marks an important milestone. Today, we have 51 Certified Planners among us. This certification recognises top qualified professionals based on academic training and also practical experience. Planners must complete a two-year programme and pass the examinations to be certified. So I would like to congratulate all our Certified planners, and I hope that there will be many more who will be able to join your ranks in the years ahead!

SIP also ensures that our planners are globally competitive, while staying rooted to meet Singapore’s needs.

Through MOUs with counterparts in Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Korea and Indonesia, SIP has built a strong global network for collaboration and knowledge exchange.

Tonight, SIP will continue to strengthen this network through a new partnership and MOU with the Shanghai Urban Planning Trade Association, and the renewal of its existing MOU with its Hong Kong counterparts.

I would like to extend my congratulations to SIP on these valuable partnerships, which will open up more avenues for our planners to learn, to collaborate and to share best practices with their counterparts from these overseas jurisdictions.

Call to Planners

Let me conclude my speech. Our planners are an important part of our built environment sector. Without your vision and dedication, Singapore would not be the well-planned, liveable, inclusive and endearing home that it is today. I hope you can continue to plan boldly, to create with empathy, and to build with pride, so that we can shape a better future, not just for this generation of Singaporeans, but also for our children and our grandchildren, including those who are not yet born.

Thank you very much everyone.