Demolishing the City of the Future(tribunemag.co.uk)
tribunemag.co.uk
Demolishing the City of the Future
https://tribunemag.co.uk/2019/04/demolishing-the-city-of-the-future
10 comments
It’s interesting that these buildings represent such a confluence of contrasting ideas which support and at times compete with each other.
On the one hand it was an opportunity to break from a colonial past but that lent to a kind of authoritarian architectural regime (locals -Malay people, were pushed out and away and a rural way of life was left on life support mostly on small islands). But at the same time they had their own Asian vision of a future and architecture and executed pretty well. I mean, for these blocks of flats, the apartments ranged from about 1400sf to 3300sf. This isn’t sardine cans.
But now these buildings are old and quaint and regular Singaporeans like _the new_. So these old building are a bit undesirable and often get sold for redevelopment into new modern “global” architecture. Some are sought out by people on the periphery, which is a bit ironic as these started out as being dwellings for a rising middle class.
On the one hand it was an opportunity to break from a colonial past but that lent to a kind of authoritarian architectural regime (locals -Malay people, were pushed out and away and a rural way of life was left on life support mostly on small islands). But at the same time they had their own Asian vision of a future and architecture and executed pretty well. I mean, for these blocks of flats, the apartments ranged from about 1400sf to 3300sf. This isn’t sardine cans.
But now these buildings are old and quaint and regular Singaporeans like _the new_. So these old building are a bit undesirable and often get sold for redevelopment into new modern “global” architecture. Some are sought out by people on the periphery, which is a bit ironic as these started out as being dwellings for a rising middle class.
Aside from Kampong Glam, Chinatown and Little India, Singapore feels largely devoid of any "sense of of history." I don't mean this as a slight(it's a fantastic place), just an observation. There's a "sameness" of it all that can feel almost unsettling at times. Hong Kong is similar in this respect - a place that looms large in history and yet any semblance of the past has largely been erased from the cityscape.
Reminds of of the Bijlmermeer in Amsterdam https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bijlmermeer
A bunch of those buildings were demolished... It also didn't help that El Al Flight 1862 crashed into 2 of those buildings
A bunch of those buildings were demolished... It also didn't help that El Al Flight 1862 crashed into 2 of those buildings
Can I make the observation that a 1400sqft (127m^2) 2-bedroom apartment is friggin' huge! My Parisian 3BR (F4) apartment was just over half of that and didn't feel small.
The socialist roots of the PAP live on in institutional form if not policy. Yesterday a May Day Rally was held, for example.
As K. Jeyaratnam says, Singaporeans get the government they deserve. A lack of pressure on the government produces complacency. When they feel threatened we have people of the Tharman and LKY type.
The destruction of these buildings is emblematic of the destruction of the old competent Singapore. LHL’s rule has not seen any significant progress and much backsliding, e.g., in the MRT, management of state enterprises, etc. These buildings will be replaced, but they will be replaced by novelties, not elements of a coherent vision as those built in the twentieth century were. It was fun whilst it lasted.
As K. Jeyaratnam says, Singaporeans get the government they deserve. A lack of pressure on the government produces complacency. When they feel threatened we have people of the Tharman and LKY type.
The destruction of these buildings is emblematic of the destruction of the old competent Singapore. LHL’s rule has not seen any significant progress and much backsliding, e.g., in the MRT, management of state enterprises, etc. These buildings will be replaced, but they will be replaced by novelties, not elements of a coherent vision as those built in the twentieth century were. It was fun whilst it lasted.
This is an interesting insight. Do you live in Singapore or did you conclude this from elsewhere?
Amusingly, "Stalin era" is a selling point for apartments in Riga.
So despite the two cities being separated only by a river and about the same age, they look quite different.