LIVING INFORMALITY IN THE CITY : THE STUDY OF SUNGEI ROAD MARKET, SINGAPORE

Abstract

Historically, the Marketplace was set up to fulfill basic consumption needs. Its presence was spontaneous and ad-hoc in the urban environment. Often, it is located near areas which encourage activities, such as ports where traders gather to exchange goods. Its existence was evidently the result of community activities and cultural practices. Today, the ideology of the marketplace differs where the occurrence of market is usually planned and organized. In the local context, markets are often used as tools to encourage activities in the community, when marketplaces become formalized. The marketplace, as an urban scene in the urban realm of public life, contributes greatly to street life. Its success creates the imageability of a city. The image which it portrays is shaped by the integration of its social and physical aspects with relation to its context of space, history, population and culture. This dissertation aims to investigate the significance of informal marketplace in Singapore context. The place making of marketplaces are illustrated through the analysis of its historical transformation and cultural background. This paper will cover the morphology of informal marketplace from past to present, taking into consideration the urban factors that are influencing and shaping the concept of marketplace. The Sungei Road market (Thieves’ Market) form the main case study as the paper attempts to reveal how it has formed part of the city and how the city has grown simultaneously with its informality. This dissertation will illustrate the essence of its spontaneous existence and organizational consequences to the urban environment, in relation to its rich historical culture and practices. The different aspects accounting for its success will exhibit the need and importance of informal marketplaces in Singapore. The dissertation will provide an insight to the social qualities of Singapore’s informal marketplace as it continues to contribute to the city beyond the physical realm.