MAXIMUM CITY : DIVERSITY AND PUBLIC SPACE IN THE CBD

Abstract

This dissertation deals primarily with the master planning of Singapore’s Central Business District (the CBD) which surrounds almost two third of the Marina Bay. Given its prime location at the heart of the Downtown Core and its relatively small land area, there is a need to maximize the use of the land, hence ‘Maximum City.’ However, in this study, we will view master planning of the city as a practice that not only require the ‘science of space’ but also require the knowledge of the ‘production of space’. This can be done by using New Urbanism theories, an alternative urban planning method which studies the relationship between urban life and urban form. The site of study is separated into two distinct areas, the Old CBD and the New CBD. Using parameters from New Urbanism theories by Jane Jacobs and Jan Gehl, we will evaluate and compare the Old CBD against the New CBD. Through that, we hope to understand the flaws of the current CBD model so as to provide insights for a better and more inclusive CBD model. The right to the city, as termed by French sociologist Henri Lefebvre, is the right for every citizen and city dweller, to meet, gather and be a part of society. It is because of this right to the city that everyone have, that it is important for us to review and reflect so as to design a better city for tomorrow.