BALESTIER: THE BIRTH OF SUBURBIA

Abstract

This is the first comprehensive written account on the area known as Balestier. It positions Balestier as an important heterogeneous urban-fringe district that has reciprocated to the various stages of morphological, political, social and cultural transformations of Singapore. The dissertation responds to how Balestier and sub-urban developments have been discussed in scholarly published works, architectural surveys, histories and official publications. The Major content of this paper will be divided into 5 Chapters. Chapter 1 dealing with Multi- ethnicity, Chapter 2 with the formalization of land use, Chapter 3 with the Recreational History and its associated social history, Chapter 4 with special functions & industrial history and Chapter 5 attempts to reconcile these findings to elucidate a largely unwritten chapter in Singapore’s sub-urban development with a special focus on Balestier. The main driving force behind this dissertation arose from the standpoint of a critique on the National Heritage Board’s (NHB) promotion and classification of Balestier.