GEK2503 Remote Sensing for Earth Observation
Mid Term Project
Topic:
Urban Development of Singapore
Group No:
Urban 07
Group Members:
Name
Matriculation Number
Chillycraps :P
We declare that this report is completely written by us with fair
contributions from all the members.
The statements and/or paragraphs that are not written by us (if any) are in
quotes and the sources of the quoted text are clearly stated. The sources
of figures and illustrations that are not our work (if any) have also been
clearly stated.
A list of references is included in this report.
Signature
Name
Date
Introduction
Since the post-war period in the 1950s till present day, Singapore has seen numerous
changes in its urban landscape. The transformation in the city area is of significance
and testimony to the nation's growth and development. As such, this report aims to
study the various changes in Singapore's urban land use from the 1950s to present
day. Also, we will take a leap into the future as we look into the Draft Master Plan
2008 and discuss how it will affect our city lifestyle in the near future.
Methodology
In this project, our group has used the book "Over Singapore 50 years ago: an aerial
view in the 1950s" by Brenda Yeoh and Theresa Wong for source of aerial
photographs of Singapore in the 1950s. Satellite images of modern day Singapore are
obtained from Google Earth software, while the relevant maps of the Draft Master
Plan 2008 are retrieved from the Urban Redevelopment Authority's website. We have
also physically visited the area of interest for ground truth.
With these raw materials, we use the software TNTmips to georeference the satellite
images using the coordinates obtained from Google Earth. The aerial photographs and
plan maps are then registered to the georeferenced satellite images by selecting
prominent ground features as ground control points. To calculate land area, we draw
polygons on the satellite images and calculate the area according to the given scale.
Rivers past and present
Rivers have always been important to any civilisation. Since the colonial days,
Singapore River has been an important hub for trade and commerce. From the aerial
photograph (Fig.l), we can see that the Southern bank was dotted with bumboats in
the 50s. Along the Southern bank of the river the houses at Boat Quay were
warehouses for goods that had been unloaded from the bumboats. However,
Singapore River could not cope with the increasing volume of trade. The port
activities were shifted and now what used to be warehouses at Boat Quay have
become tourist attractions with bars and restaurants. Towards the East, some of the
warehouses had been demolished and in their place now stands the UOB Plaza for
banking activities. With the port activities shifted, there are no more bumboats on
Singapore River now, except for the few river taxis for tourist (Fig.2). This has helped
improve the problem of pollution and tidiness in Singapore River. On the Northern
bank, what used to be Government Offices is now the Asian Civilisation Museum
which displays artefacts from the region. At the river mouth on the South was
Fullerton Building, which housed the post office and other government departments.
The building has been conserved and is now Fullerton Hotel, a high class hotel that is
centrally located and has nice waterfront view into the Marina Bay and Singapore
River.
Further East, there is the Kallang Basin which has also seen many changes over the
years. The area to the North of Kallang Road had been low-lying area with squatter
settlements (Fig. 3). An estimated area of 28 hectare of land has been reclaimed
(Fig.4), which now is used for industrial buildings and residential area in Boon Keng.
To the South of Beach Road, land reclamation at the seafront all the way to Singapore
River has also created 150 hectare of new land, which is now home to commercial
and retail buildings such as Suntec City and Marina Square, a number of hotels, and
entertainment facilities such as Esplanade and the Singapore Flyer. Further to the East
and South of Geylang River, the coastline South of Tanjong Rhu has also seen
extensive reclamation of 360 hectare. The long row of shipyards at Tanjong Rhu has
given way to high class residential area. Areas of green have also been set aside in the
development of the residential area.
In Fig. 3, the prominent circular plot in the East was the Kallang Airport. With
increasing air traffic load, the airport was relocated to Paya Lebar. The original
airfield at Kallang is now where the National Stadium and Indoor Stadium are, while
the terminal building is now occupied by People's Association. In the Western half of
Fig. 3, City Gas Works, which is the prominent round object at the junction of Kallang
Road and Lavender Street, had been demolished with the gas works' relocation to
Senoko in 1997 (Yeoh, 2007). The row of shophouses across the road to the West of
the Gas Works had given way to the Immigration and Checkpoint Authority Building,
while the shophouses on both sides of Rochor Canal had become Housing &
Development Board (HDB) public housings in Golden Mile and Jalan Besar area. The
relocation of the shipyards, airport and the reclamation at the Kallang Basin has
improved the water cleanliness of the area. The Kallang Riverside Park on either side
of Kallang River and the Esplanade Park on the reclaimed land South of Beach Road
are also ideal recreational spots.
Away from the rivers
Having seen the landscape changes around the 2 river basins, we should now look at
the changes happening in other parts of the city area.
Further South of Singapore River is Raffles Place. In Fig.2, tall hi-rise commercial
and bank buildings have dotted the area instead of the shophouses in Fig.l. The
seaside off Fullerton House has been reclaimed, where One FuUerton and Merlion
Park now stand. The reclamation extends to the South, where the quays and piers at
Telok Ayer Basin were once situated. As seen in Fig.2, it is now part of the Marina
South reclamation, which is about 300 hectares. Telok Ayer Market, which is a
prominent octagonal building in Fig.l, has been conserved and is now known as Lau
Pa Sat, a food centre frequented by both locals and tourists. The area to the West of
the market was mostly crowded shophouses. With the growing commercial activities
and at the same time problem of overcrowding leading to poor living conditions, these
residential areas were relocated and in their place are now commercial buildings. The
shophouses are marked with orange roofs in Fig.2, and are conserved, although now
converted for commercial purposes as office spaces instead of residential in the past.
While some of the open spaces to the South of Telok Ayer Market had been removed,
new open space grass patch has been set aside above what is now Raffles Place
Interchange. This provides some buffer and greenery for the people working in the
offices in the area.
To the South of Telok Ayer is Tanjong Pagar. The area has been marked with freight
activities as the Singapore Railway Station and Empire Dock were located here
(Fig. 5). The railway station has remained and its building conserved, while Empire
Dock is now part of Keppel Terminal which extends to the reclaimed land (Fig. 6).
The Tanjong Pagar Dock to the East has also seen extensive reclamation into what is
now Tanjong Pagar Terminal, as seen in the stacks of containers in Fig. 6. The
uncleared land and oil drums to the North of the railway station have now become
high-rise residential area in Spottiswoode Park, while the rail lines and warehouses to
the West has been cleared to become big warehouses today at Keppel Distripark.
From squatters to flats
Moving upstream along Singapore River is Bukit Ho Swee, a classical example of
housing development in Singapore. In Fig. 7 we can see that Bukit Ho Swee was made
up of squatter settlements, marked by the non-uniform, high density and untidiness of
the houses. With lack of planning and infrastructure, squatter settlements faced poor
living conditions such as lack of hygiene and living space. These settlements were
also prone to fire as they were made of flammable materials such as atap and wooden
boards. This was proven in the Bukit Ho Swee fire on 25 May 1961, which left 16000
people homeless (Chhabria, 2007). In response, HDB immediately built flats in the
same area to rehouse the residents (Reisman, 2007). The incident also prompted
others staying in squatter settlements to relocate to more sanitized and permanent
HDB housings. From Fig. 8 we can see that the original area has now become high
rise housings which are neater, sanitized and have the basic infrastructures.
Greenery in the city
The change in urban greenery is also of interest to us as it has impact on people's
mental and psychological well being, besides environmental factors. Besides the areas
discussed above, our group has looked at the area around Dhoby Ghaut. Comparing
Fig. 9 with Fig. 10, we can see that much of the trees and vegetation at Fort Canning
has been well conserved. However, the open space grass field in front of Young
Men's Christian Association (YMCA) is now campus of Singapore Management
University, while the row of houses behind Amber Mansions, which was an apartment
building (Liu, 2001), has now become Istana Park and the open grass patch beside
Dhoby Ghaut MRT Station. From this example we can see that urban greenery is lost
and created throughout the city's development, which is evidence that urban planners
have not neglected the role of urban greeneries in beautifying the city and providing
urban respite.
Into the future
Having seen the transformation from the past to present, we will now take a look at
what is in store for us with reference to the Draft Master Plan 2008. The Draft Master
Plan 2008 by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) incorporates review of
Master Plan 2003 and is drafted for public comments to guide Singapore's urban
development for the next 10 to 15 years.
Marina Bay
One area that has many new exciting plans is Marina Bay. Comparing Fig.l 1 and 12,
we can see many new developments on the reclaimed land. Facing the Singapore
River mouth is the Marina Bay Sands, an integrated resort that will boost tourism and
add vibrance to the city state. Business sites will be built on the bare land to the South,
most notably the Marina Bay Financial Centre (URA, 2008). In the midst of the
business district there will also be high-rise residential area. Across from the bay
closer to Raffles Place, the old Collyer Quay will be conserved with new extension to
become Fullerton Heritage (URA, 2008), with new commercial activities. Urban
greenery is not neglected as in the middle of the new business district at Marina Bay
there are patches of green area, while to the East at what used to be Marina South
Park is the Gardens at Marina South, part of the Gardens by the Bay project (URA
2008). This 54 hectare garden will feature attractions such as horticultural shows,
conservatory and flower market (NParks, 2005). At the waterfront there will also be a
new Waterfront Promenade, providing a new place for leisure.
Tanjong Pagar
To the Southwest of Marina Bay is Tanjong Pagar, where new residential and
commercial developments will take place. Pinnacle@Duxton (Fig. 13), a high class
high-rise housing estate is currently being built at the grass patch (Fig. 14). New hotels
and commercial developments are also being planned at the grass patches around The
Amara. These new developments will boost tourism and also bring convenience to
business travellers, benefiting from the developments' close proximity to the Central
Business District. Large areas of grass patches are removed, but new parks will be
created extending from the present Duxton Plain Park till Tanjong Pagar MRT Station
(Fig.l4).
Singapore River
There is little new development near the mouth of Singapore River, but further
upstream near Clarke Quay there are new hotel developments (Fig. 15), some at
present are bare unused lands (Fig. 16) behind Central Mall, Riverside Point and the
present Merchant Court Swissotel. Closer to Chinatown, new hotel is also planned at
the bare land next to Hong Lim Park. These new hotel developments near tourist
attractions such as Singapore River and Chinatown will further boost our tourism
industry.
Kallang Basin
More new developments await to the East at Kallang Basin. A new Sports Hub will be
built at where the National Stadium is currently at (Fig. 18), with new facilities such as
Sports Science Centre and Sports Library, promoting healthy lifestyle to the people
(URA, 2008). The waterfront to the South (Fig. 17) will be developed into Gardens at
Marina East as part of the Gardens by the Bay project (URA, 2008). People can look
forward to this new urban green spot. Going further upstream along Kallang River,
new hotel developments are planned along the belt at locations of now the Kallang
Water Sports Centre, Kallang Sea Training Centre and Kallang Riverside Park.
Tourists can expect excellent riverfront view from the hotels. There will also be new
residential areas at either side of Kallang River, between Sims Avenue and Boon
Keng Road. These areas are currently occupied by warehouses and industrial
buildings and unused land (Fig. 18). The residential area will be complemented with
park that connects the main roads to the riverfront (Fig. 17). To the South, more high-
end residential area will be built on the unused land at Tanjong Rhu. The Geylang
River waterfront will definitely add to the high class living environment there. Further
North, the unused land in the light industrial area (Fig. 18) will be fully utilised to
house more business units.
Conclusion
In the course of doing this project, we have seen how useful a tool that satellite
images is. It can act as a bridge bringing us between the past and present, and present
to future. However, there are also limitations to what satellite images alone can do.
For example, you may not be able to differentiate a hotel from an office building just
by looking at the top view. Underground transport networks are also not visible to
satellite images. To get a more complete picture, other auxiliary data are needed.
Ground truth, maps, plans and drawings, published papers are some of the sources of
information that can complement satellite images. A sound background knowledge of
the area of interest will also come in handy in analysing the satellite images.
Through this project we have looked at the changing landscape of urban Singapore
from the past to present, and what may appear in the near future. Different period in
the nation's timeline calls for different urban planning strategy. One period may
prioritise industrial and trade growth, while other period may be tapping into the
global tourism trend, and the next period could be focusing on raising the standard of
living to a higher level.
Looking at the transformation in the city, we have seen improvements in the living
environment for the past 50 years, and can expect more to come for the next 10 to 15
years.
Reference
Chhabria, A., "Operating against all odds", Rescue 995,
(Singapore Civil Defence Force, Vol 3, No 5, April 2007), p9
Liu, G. Singapore, a pictorial history 1819-2000, (Routledge, 2001) pi 74
National Parks Board, "Gardens at Marina South", Gardens by the Bay, 2005
<http ://www. gardensbythebay . org . sg/?
p=section&sub=article&articlegrppk=3 1 &articlepk=98>
Reisman, D., "Housing and superannuation: social security in Singapore",
InternationalJournal of Social Economics, (Emerald Group Publishing, Vol 34, No 3,
2007), pl61
Urban Redevelopment Authority, Central Region Draft Master Plan 2008 brochure,
2008
Urban Redevelopment Authority, Embrace the World at Marina Bay Singapore
brochure, 2008
Yeoh, B., Wong T., Over Singapore 50 Years Ago, (Editions Didier Millet, 2007)
Appendix
Fullerton House
Fig.l. Aerial photograph of Singapore River mouth in 1950s, referenced against
modern day satellite image.
Fig.2. Satellite image of modern day Singapore River and adjacent Raffles Place.
Fig. 3. Aerial photograph of Kallang Basin in 1950s, referenced with satellite image in
background.
Immigration and
Checkpoint
Authority
Fig.4. Satellite image of Kallang Basin in present day.
Fig. 5. Aerial photograph of Tanjong Pagar georeferenced to present day satelUte
image.
Fig. 6. Satelhte image of Tanjong Pagar.
Fig. 7. Aerial photograph of Bukit Ho Swee in the 1950s, georeferenced to satellite
image of present day.
Fig. 8. Satellite image of Bukit Ho Swee in present day.
mber Mansions
Fig. 9. Aerial photograph of Dhoby Ghaut area in the 1950s, with present day satellite
image in the background.
Fig. 10. Present day satellite image of Dhoby Ghaut.
Marina Bay
Sands
Fig.l 1. Draft Master Plan 2008 map of Marina Bay area.
Collyer
Fig. 12. Satellite image of present day Marina Bay area.
2008
Fig. 13. Draft Master Plan 2008 map of Tanjong Pagar.
Fig. 14. Satellite image of present day Tanjong Pagar.
Fig. 15. Draft Master Plan 2008 map of Singapore River.
Fig. 16. Satellite image of present day Singapore River.
business and light
industrial area
*»^- — 111 BI
new residential
■areas
iGardens at "
Marina East
Fig. 17. Draft Master Plan 2008 map of Kallang Basin
Fig. 18. Satellite image of present day Kallang Basin.
MASTER PLAN LEGEND
DRAFT MASTER PLAN 2008
1 1
RESmiNTIAL
RESIDENTIAL WITH COMMERCIAL
AT 1ST STOREY
COMMERCIAL & RESIDENTIAL
COMMERCIAL
HOTEL
WHITE
BUSINESS 1
BUSINESS 1 - WHITE
BUSINESS 2
BUSINESS 2 - WHITE
BUSINESS PARK
BUSINESS PARK - WHITE
RESIDENTIAL INSTITUTION
HEALTH & MEDICAL CARE
EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION
PU^Ce OF WORSHIP
CIVIC 4 COMMUNITY INSTITimON
OPEN SPACE
PARK
BEACH AREA
SPORTS & RECREATION
WATERBODY
ROAD
U
TRANSPORT FACILITIES
1 1
1
RAILWAY
1 1
^■'
■ 1
1—
MASS RAPID TRANSIT
^
— izzi —
UGHT RAPID TRANSIT
UTIUTY
1 1
1 ^ CEMETERY
1 1
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1 AGRICULTURE
1
1 w 1
1
PORT / AIRPORT
^^^^^^_
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RESERVE SITE
^H
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SPECIAL USE
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1 PARK CONNECTOR
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1
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h —
PLANNING AREA GOUNOARY
1 1
\ —
PLOT RATIO BOUNDARY
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1 U NDE RGROU N D ROAD /
1 1 N FRASTR UCTU RE TU N NEL
1 £ 1
1 2.8
MAXIMUM PERMISSIBLE
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1 4.9+
BASE PLOT RATIO
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MAXIMUM PERMISSIBLE
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MINIMUM eUSiN ESS (B)
PLOT RATIO
CONSERVATION AREA
1 1
NATURE RESERVE
1 1
j NATIONAL PARK
1 1
1 1
1 '
1 MONUMENT
Fig. 19. Legend for Draft Master Plan 2008
