SOCIOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF PLANNING IN THE SINGAPORE CENTRAL AREA

Abstract

This study deals with the social aspects of urban renewal, under the overall conceptual framework of social planning. Social planning is a term that has often been loosely used without any clear-out definition or conceptualization. This study attempts to conceptualize social planning. Social planning is defined as "the application of research techniques of sociology in examining the social structural and attitudinal aspects of the human population, especially the poorer section, with the aim of creating maximum satisfaction with the environment." As a sociological contribution to urban planning, this study sees social planning as essentially the use of sociological techniques and approaches to serve urban planning objectives, these objectives being defined as maximum satisfaction with the environment, and minimum hardship arising from urban planning or urban renewal policies. The urban renewal programme for the Central Area of Singapore provides the context and opportunity for this study. Data were collected in the Central Area Survey 1968 from a random sample of the areas earmarked for eventual urban renewal. The survey was conducted just before urban renewal began in earnest. This study examines the social structural and socio-economic characteristics of the Central Area residents, and their attitudes towards urban renewal and relocation. The possible problems that may arise in the event of relocation are also probed, together with the level of living of the households, their ability to pay the rent of government flats if they were to be relocated and their perception of urban renewal. The adequacy of certain housing and neighbourhood conditions, and the satisfaction of the Central Area residents with environmental conditions are also examined, Furthermore, a comparison of a factor analysis of a series of questions related to satisfaction with environmental conditions of the Central Area residents with that of the tenants of public housing estates is made so that the planner can be guided in the design of public housing estates into which the majority of the Central Area residents will eventually be relocated. This study also attempts to indicate the relevance of sociological techniques for urban planning applications. In particular, it attempts to show that factor analysis, a technique widely used in many disciplines, can be very usefully applied to problems in urban planning. Conclusions are summarized at the end of each chapter and in the final chapter of this thesis.