PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN HERITAGE CONSERVATION IN SINGAPORE

Abstract

“What is well loved by whom?” This is the fundamental question underlying the necessity of public participation in heritage conservation in increasingly plural societies such as Singapore. This research paper seeks to bring into closer scrutiny the prevailing level of participation in heritage conservation in Singapore, the general public’s view of participation as well as the relevant authority’s attitudes towards participation. A detailed case study of Chinatown conservation process and a public survey surface a generally low level of participation among the public, partly as a result of the disinterest in over-commercialized conserved sites, the strong mentality of the futility of participation and the perceived lack of suitable participation platforms catering to the elderly. Although government officers and experts in the field, as expressed through the in-depth interviews, recognize the negative public perception towards participation, they believe that the government has done sufficiently in creating opportunities for participation. Thus, exists between the civil society and the authority a gap in understanding and expectation. This can be bridged by the government creating more elderly-friendly participation platforms and making various adjustments to participation process, such as the stage at which public involvement is called for, duration and transparency. The time and effort that the state puts in for participation process should be flexible, depending on the extent to which the conservation process concerns the public. As the civil society matures, as a result of better education, greater expectation, and a shift from the hardware to the heartware, the wind of change is about to approach the arena of public participation in heritage conservation.