BREWING UP A CULTURE : AN INVESTIGATION OF CAFE SPACES IN SINGAPORE

Abstract

Café spaces in the world are not just a space used for drinking coffee. It is a place marker. Its versatile nature allows great contributions to the urban culture and space, though often manifested in subtle ways. It redefines the domain of private and public, homes and homes away from home. It is a gathering space. It is a social space. It is a site for cultural exchange. Otherwise known as a Third Place, café spaces are seemingly unimportant but are unpretentiously significant places. Café spaces in Singapore can be categorized into three different types: the traditional local coffee shops, commercial cafes and the new and uprising indie cafes. Little has been documented on how café spaces contribute to the urban domain and public culture in the context of Singapore. This dissertation seeks to trace the coffee culture in Singapore, and in doing so, find out the ways in which they are unique to the local culture especially in face of globalisation, their role in the city, and how they have contributed to public space and place making. Multiple café spaces in Singapore are mapped through time through field studies, literature, interviews and web reviews of blogs so as to understand the impact the café spaces have on people. The studies offered insights to the rationale behind the locations of the cafes. Also, café spaces in Singapore play more than just an urban living room. They are venues in which arts could be promoted and they contribute to the image of a city. In brewing up new cultures and spaces, what would become of Singapore in the future?