The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) has launched a public exhibition for the Long-Term Plan Review (LTPR) titled “Spaces For Our Dreams” on Monday (Jun 6), showcasing planning concepts and strategies for Singapore’s development over the next 50 years and beyond.

Planning strategies take into consideration the need to enhance flexibility and optionality of our land use given the increasingly complex and uncertain environment, and aim to balance trade-offs for various land use needs.

Designed based on feedback from over 15,000 people, the plan focuses on a Singapore that is inclusive, sustainable, adaptable and resilient, and distinctive and endearing.

As part of the LTPR, the URA will provide more variety of inclusive housing to meet the various needs of Singaporeans. This will be done by increasing homes in convenient locations, diversifying home types, and building for a better mix of public and private homes, and planning for healthier lifestyles across ages. This includes experimenting with housing concepts for assisted living to provide more housing options for the island’s growing ageing population.

The URA will also look to improve flexibility of spaces, for example a co-working space during the day might be converted to host community events in the evenings. This dual-use scheme also extends to schools to provide more community use to their sports facilities.

Where possible, underutilised open spaces, such as rooftops of multi-storey car parks, can also be repurposed for uses such as community gardens.

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Observers say this focus on flexibility is the key idea in the LTPR, as some of the ideas proposed are already being implemented or in past concept plans. 

“As this is a long-term plan, lots of flexibility has to be built in to factor in the unknowns in the future – more mixed uses, time-sharing of facilities, flexible usage of space, shorter leases and faster development cycle,” noted Lee Sze Teck, Huttons Asia’s senior director for research.

Indeed, end-users are likely to be happy with more flexible usage of spaces around them since they will be able to fulfil a greater number of needs without having to travel as much as before, said Steven Tan, chief executive officer of OrangeTee & Tie. 

“Also, with more flexible uses of space, end-users will have more opportunities to interact, which could allow for stronger community bonds to form,” said Tan.

The plan also includes expanding polycentres to bring work closer to homes. This will be accompanied by a new “vertical zoning” concept in industrial estates, which will integrate different but complementary uses within a single development.

“Clean industrial activities can occupy the lower floors and co-working spaces in the mid-floors, which then creates a buffer for residences on the upper floors,” URA explained.

Huttons’ Lee said more details are needed on the implementation of such a zoning, given that currently, industrial lands are sold on a 20-year lease while commercial and residential sites are on 99-year leases. 

“How are the different leases going to be harmonised? If industrial leases are on a 99-year lease, it will increase costs to the end-users and is a complete reversal from the current stance where leases are on 20 years to lower costs. Will URA waive the change of use charges for non-industrial use?”

Meanwhile, the Central Business District (CBD) will be transformed into a mixed-use precinct by offering more recreational amenities.

In connectivity, the focus is on strengthening mobility networks and shifting towards more sustainable and efficient modes of travel. By the 2030s, about 360 km of new rail network will be built, allowing 8 in 10 households will be within 10 minutes’ walking distance of a train station.

As e-commerce grows, the URA also plans to generate more efficient deliveries, for instance by having companies to collaborate and coordinate their logistics operations or using underutilised multi-storey HDB car parks as courier hubs where parcels are handed over to parcel walkers for door-to-door deliveries. Beyond the island, URA also plans to strengthen Singapore’s global network by strengthening its air, maritime and logistics connections.

To overcome Singapore’s size constraint, the URA plans to explore the idea of creating underground caverns to store goods and materials that need large land area or house utilities and suitable industries.

Minister for National Development Desmond Lee said at the launch: “Take the Jurong Rock Caverns and Underground Ammunition Facility for example. These 2 cavern facilities collectively freed up around 360 ha of surface land for other uses. Hence, we will continue to find ways to mitigate cost and technical barriers to locate transport infrastructure and major utility facilities and lines underground where feasible.”

The URA also plans to include more greenery and recreational spaces in neighbourhoods, such as arts and culture nodes, public libraries and community centres.

The LTPR also comprises URA’s islandwide Green and Blue Plan, which aims to integrate more parks and waterways into the urban city, while also protecting biodiversity.

Based on findings from The National Parks Board’s (NParks) Ecological Profiling Exercise, the new Khatib Nature Corridor will also be established to strengthen the ecological and recreational connectivity between the Central Catchment Nature Reserve and Khatib Bongsu Nature Park.

Besides Khatib Nature Corridor, the feasibility of 3 other corridors around Lim Chu Kang, Kranji and Seletar are being studied. Another corridor could also be identified at the site of Paya Lebar Air Base (PLAB), once it is relocated.

In its developments, the URA will prioritise development on brownfield sites “where possible”, such as at the Greater Southern Waterfront and PLAB site, which will both be redeveloped into new and green live-work-play areas.

In his speech, the minister also introduced the concept of Identity Corridors, which are designed to make Singapore a more distinctive and endearing home.

The 5 new Identity Corridors include the 24 km long Rail Corridor located along the former railway to Malaysia; the Southern Ridges and the Coast stretching 10 km from Marina Bay to Keppel Harbour; the Inner Ring, a route encircling the city centre; the Thomson-Kallang corridor, intertwining green and blue corridors beginning in Woodlands, running along the Kallang River and stretching to the Thomson area and beyond; and the historical neighbourhoods such as Joo Chiat and Geylang Serai which make up the Historic East Corridor.

URA said: “We will continue to refine the concepts, strategies and proposals to ensure they stay relevant to the needs of Singaporeans and Singapore.”

The exhibition is held at The URA Centre Atrium at 45 Maxwell Road, from Jun 6 to Aug 4. Opening hours are Mondays to Saturdays, 9 am to 5 pm. Subsequently, the URA will rove the exhibition to the heartlands.