MARINA SOUTH - RECREATION DEMAND STUDY

Abstract

Recreation and sports play an important role in the development of a healthy body and sound, mind. The fact that more land has been allocated to recreational land use in recent years together with the Singapore Sports Council's Sports for All programme shows the Government's awareness of the importance of sports and recreation to the well being of Singaporeans. Coupled with this awareness is what can be termed the coming of age of Singapore from an undeveloped nation into a prospering newly industrialised country (NIC). This new status brings with it a rising affluence with Singaporeans learning to enjoy themselves more and more. Planners show a sensitivity to this changing need through increased attention paid to the development of recreation facilities. Marina South, targetted for completion in 1989, must be one such product. But it is not enough just to provide a facility and expect people to use it. Planners should equip themselves with an added dimension of understanding the process that goes between their product and the ultimate users. This study seeks to examine factors which are relevant to site selection among recreationists, and understand their implications. The relative importance of location, the facilities available and environment are compared and analysed. In particular, the first two factors are examined in the context of Marina South. In addition, the physical aspect of location - travel time, travel mode and catchment areas - as it applies to Marina South are analysed. It is hoped that through this study we will be able to make an informed prediction of the the likely performance of Marina South.