Pilot plans for underground space in select areas

Singapore

THE Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) has unveiled underground space plans for Marina Bay, Jurong Innovation District and Punggol Digital District as it studies underground space with the aim of using land more efficiently.

The underground space plan shows planned underground uses at various depths, such as MRT stations, pedestrian links, and major utility infrastructure within key areas, a URA spokesperson highlighted. This would make planned underground uses for the site clearer to developers and land owners.

Speaking at the Draft Master Plan 2019 launch on Wednesday, Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong said that the pilot will be expanded to include more areas in the future.

The government is also studying shifting more utilities, infrastructure, storage and warehousing facilities underground so as to free up spaces above ground.

By placing facilities underground, the freed up land above ground could then be used for residential, commercial or recreational uses in land-scarce Singapore, said analysts. They also highlighted that it would give the government more flexibility to develop the three strategic areas.

Already, Singapore's first 230kV underground substation is being built next to Labrador Park MRT station. This saves about 3 hectares of land above ground for development

Meanwhile, there are also ongoing studies by JTC and PUB to identify potential cavern spaces for industrial, utility and storage uses. Singapore already has existing caverns such as the 150-metre deep Jurong Rock Caverns and the Underground Ammunition Facility, freeing up 60 ha and 300 ha of surface land, respectively.

Over 17km of Singapore's expressways are also underground.

Highlighting that major cities globally are already beginning to put their expressways underground, Prof Yong Kwet Yew, a professor of civil engineering at the National University of Singapore, said: "Traffic, in particular, on highways and expressways can provide noisy ambience to neighbourhoods."

But there are challenges to shifting expressways and facilities underground namely, cost and societal acceptance. Other risks that would have to be designed for include evacuation plans in the case of a fire or explosion, as well as potential water seepage into any upnderground structure, Prof Yong highlighted.

For developers, underground space maps could provide opportunities for them to dovetail what is above ground with what is below. For example, in cities such as Montreal, many commercial developments have connected basements, partly due to the weather as well as to alleviate traffic congestion by removing the need for pedestrian crossings on the roads.

"With proper underground plans in each of these three districts, space will be used optimally and there will be better integration between above and underground activities," Prof Yong added, referring to the pilot involving Marina Bay, Jurong Innovation District and Punggol Digital District.

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