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What’s Next for Conservation?

 5 April 2019
 4.00 pm – 5.30 pm. Registration from 3.30pm, seated by 4.00pm 
 Chamber at The Art House, 1 Old Parliament Lane, Singapore 179429
 2 BOA-SIA CPD pts, 2 SIP CPD pts, 1 SILA CPD pts  

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Resources

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Lecture Video and Photos

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Synopsis

Since 1970 we have gazetted over 7000 buildings and our historic districts have put Singapore on the map. This year also marks 30 years since URA became conservation authority. Singapore has adopted an integrated planning approach to conservation, which has emphasised the importance of weaving conservation into the living urban fabric of the modern city. The pragmatic approach to work with markets and the emphasis on adaptive re-use has also made conservation an economically viable project. Throughout the years conservation has also moved from a government-led effort to a community-driven approach with an important emphasis on the social and historic memory of places and buildings.

Given this trajectory what more can we do for conservation? We’ve focused on conserving the bulk of our historic districts and areas and iconic buildings across the island, and we’ve moved into conserving our post-independence heritage, but there are still challenges and opportunities to be dealt with both for current historic districts and new modernist icons marking Singapore’s development. The panel will bring together a range of voices from planners, academics and civil society to discuss this important question.
 

Lecture Report

(On post-independence buildings in Singapore): “We need to come up with a conservation master plan that presents the significant post-independence modern buildings that are important to keep as landmarks. We have to work with the private sector collectively…(offer) practical incentives to make each and every building economically viable for multi-strata stakeholders or for a deep-pocketed developer to buy the entire block but not redevelop

 

"(Perhaps) we could have a major exhibition for these buildings that we feel merit conservation, and follow up with forums, seminars or debates so that it is all open and transparent. So everybody is involved and then, I think we can begin the journey.”
- Koh-Lim Wen Gin

 

Conserving post-independence buildings, raising restoration standards and collaborating more closely with communities. These are some ways conservation in Singapore could develop in the coming years, according to local heritage professionals, architects, academics and civil society.

 

Speaking at the launch of the CLC’s latest Urban Systems Studies publication on conserving Singapore’s built heritage in April, the panel discussed challenges for its future and also reflected how conservation has evolved since the nation began doing so in the 1980s. The success of this policy over the last 30 years was due to eight key factors, said Koh-Lim Wen Gin, the former chief planner of the city-state’s Urban Redevelopment Authority’s (URA).

 

Besides the availability of alternative land in Marina Bay and other areas for development, previous planners before Koh-Lim had delayed encroachment to the historic districts amidst Singapore’s then massive urban renewal. This gave her team the opportunity to quickly formulate, implement and complete a conservation master plan for Singapore between 1989 and 1992. Their efforts were supported by interest from the public and a firm commitment from the government, which funded infrastructure works and pilot projects to rehabilitate what were then rundown shophouses. Finally, the creation of pragmatic and affordable incentives also attracted private sector contributions to conservation and they were aided by dedicated professionals.

 

“So to me, the Singapore conservation journey was really a labour of love,” added Koh-Lim.

 

The coming together of different stakeholders remains important for the future, said URA’s chief planner today, Hwang Yu-Ning. She added that such engagement not only makes conservation possible, but also helps maintain the vibrancy of heritage places.

 

“It’s about getting the community to love and make use of the buildings that we have,” said Hwang. “In recent years, we’ve placed a lot more emphasis on the programming and getting the community involved in discussing conservation topics and works.”

 

URA has also partnered international agencies and experts to raise the standards of conservation. For instance, the agency worked with the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) to develop technical guidelines, and also has panels of heritage and conservation experts to advice on sensitive restoration and ensuring buildings are adapted and reused appropriately.

 

The government’s efforts in engaging and collaborating with the community will become even more important as more Singaporeans show an interest in heritage, said panellists outside of the government.

 

In an era of transparency, Dr Johannes Widodo from the National University of Singapore said it was key for the government to share information so as to be accountable and involve the community in a “strategic alliance”. He proposed creating applications for mapping historic landscapes in order to bring different stakeholders together and to help them play a more proactive role.

 

“If communities can identify significant sites, or sites that are vulnerable to climate change or the stress of economic development… we can superimpose planning, see things in totality… and immediately identify possible tensions and conflicts,” he said. “Conservation is about managing change, not about freezing things.”

 

Similarly, the practice of conservation has changed over time in Singapore said architect Mok Wei Wei. Noting that the URA has successfully nearly 7,000 shophouses, he said many of them have been conserved with cookie-cutter solutions. He also wondered if conservation can look beyond the shophouse such as “modern buildings” that are now vintage.

 

“Have we conserved too may shophouses? Is it time to stop? How about moving on to other buildings of other periods because time never stand(s) still,” he said.

 

Beyond conserving buildings, it is also important to include what is inside them too, said Dr Chua Ai Lin. The vice president of the Singapore Heritage Society cited the examples of religious institutions such as the Seng Wong Beo Temple in Tanjong Pagar and the kampong communities of Pulau Ubin. They ensure the places they are in continue to have links to the past and that conserved buildings are not just shells.

 

“That continuity leads to resilience for community,” said Dr Chua. “It’s not just about the bonds that we have between different communities and groups, but (also) the bonds across generations and our sense of yourself in time, that you are part of something that’s been going on for decades or over a hundred years.”

 

This report first appeared in the May 2019 Better Cities newsletter.

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