LIFE ALONG WATERLOO STREET : A STUDY INTO HDB PODIUM BLOCKS ALONG WATERLOO STREET AND THEIR CONTEXTUAL IMPACT

Abstract

The particular objects of study in this dissertation are three blocks of podium-block public housing developments in the Central Area located along the stretch of Waterloo Street- Rochor Centre, Cheng Yan Court and Waterloo Centre. They were constructed within the period of Urban Renewal as part of the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA)’s efforts to relocate the families and businesses affected by the slum clearance in the city centre. The interest in these blocks stemmed from the observation that despite their close proximity to each other and the similarities in their physical qualities and function, the level of life and vibrancy in its immediate context differs tremendously. It is the intent of this dissertation to investigate what factors generated by the podium blocks contribute to the differing activity levels, or “life” along Waterloo Street. The paper extrapolates its definition of “life” from Jan Gehl’s analytical framework of life in his literature “Life between Buildings”. A framework is set out to study the physical qualities of the podium blocks, the context they are set in, the users of the buildings and the space between the buildings, and the resultant activities generated for each podium block development. The methodology of research entails onsite studies such as shop type mapping and interactions with residents and users of the podium blocks. The studies obtained on the podium blocks and their contextual impact on life along Waterloo Street are evaluated, further suggesting strategies that could be adopted to inject life into the lifeless stretch of Waterloo Street.