PEDESTRIANISATION OF CHINATOWN - THE PUBLIC PERCEPTION

Abstract

The idea of pedestrianisation evolved in the early 20th century in Western Europe to mitigate the congestion problem caused by growing affluence of the people and the increasing automobile on the roads. Since then, pedestrianisation had been popular in the European countries. In Singapore, pedestrianised streets have been adopted as a policy in the conservation and planning of Singapore's city centre (Yuen and Chin, 1998). One example is the pedestrianisation of Chinatown. Pagoda Street, Trengganu Street, Sago Street, and Smith Street were pedestrianised consecutively to revive the olden vibrant mood of Kreta Ayer. In this study, the author seeks to investigate the public perception towards the pedestrianisation of Kreta Ayer, and explore what the visitors feel is missing in the area. The visitors' walking and shopping experiences in the area after the pedestrianisation would also be questioned. The visitors were generally found to have positive perceptions towards the pedestrianisation and have enjoyed their walking and shopping experiences there. However, there are more improvements to be made to further enhance their visits.