DAKOTA CRESCENT: A CASE FOR KAMPONG SPIRIT

Abstract

The public housing story in Singapore is an international case study of a country that went from rags (slums) to riches (the modern high-rise). To achieve this, mass resettlement from the late 1950s saw urban kampongs being replaced by the HDB public housing. With social reforms and drastic landscape transformations, the semi-autonomous kampong dwellers were transformed into ideal citizens of the independent nation. In the contemporary era, redevelopment schemes have once again displaced many people.

Built in 1958, Dakota Crescent represents one of these many historical markers. The 2014 relocation paints another chapter of upheaval for its rental community - a stark reminder of their status in the homeownership narrative. The impending demolition threatens to erase traces of the common memories and struggles that have forged the kampung spirit. Dakota Crescent has become an embodiment of its inhabitants, a presence invisible and left behind by the progressive society.

This thesis is about returning Dakota Crescent to its people. Through partial adaptive reuse, the thesis envisions a future where the former community returns to the revitalised estate. The masterplan embraces the entry of new residents and demographics, and seeks to create a synergy amidst these socioeconomic differences. This is built upon an exploration into the hypothesis of factors that make up the kampung spirit - the people, social infrastructure, and the place of living. By investigating the intricate domestic landscape, the intervention proposes the addition of new structures that aim at reclaiming a sense of place and identity. These propositions essentially strive to counter the extent of gentrification that is likely to be felt from the estate’s new conserved status. For a community that has been uprooted many times, this reimagination of Dakota Crescent begins from the physical remnants left behind by its inhabitants.