CONSTRUCTED LANDSCAPES: URBAN PARKS - THE EMBLEM OF PUBLIC SPACE IN SINGAPORE

Abstract

Originating from nature, the urban park is a new typology of urban space that does not stem from the rigidness of the urbanized city. It is valued and commonly discussed in view of the benefits which the lush greenery can have on a city more than it as a public space. Through the evolution of park spaces in the West, they have become symbols of the attainment of public rights. The development of parks as public space has been discussed prominently in the West. On the contrary, little discussion has been made about the construction of parks as an emblem of public space in Singapore- a hybrid society of both the West and the East. Under the British colonial rule, while the idea of parks were transposed to Singapore, it was not carried out to its full potential due to other pressing issues like housing and the economy. Even when Singapore attained independence, the idea of a Garden City proposed by then Prime Minister Mr. Lee Kuan Yew resulted in the landscape of Singapore to be developed with a political agenda. Only in the 1980s onwards were land set aside for parks built as part of New Town development. The contemporary city today is one fixated on globalization and capitalism. There is an increase in situations where public spaces are managed by private hand and Singapore is not excluded. Building on the works of Yuan, Ooi on the development of parks as a recreational space, this dissertation aims to examine the developmental trajectory of parks as a public space in Singapore. This dissertation hypothesizes that parks are becoming the emblem of public space in Singapore and from its provision, puts forward the possibility of parks as the remains of what can be defined as public in Singapore. The Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park is used as a case study to see how it has developed and positioned itself as a public space over a span of 24 years.