It will take more to turn Singappore into the ‘world’s playground’: Panel
Jessica Yeo, Today Online 22 Sep 08;
IT’S got a little bit of everything — a vibrant mix of people, places and infrastructure. But it needs that little something extra to give it the buzz.
As cities around the region rush headlong into remaking themselves in the push for the tourist and business dollar, Singapore needs to identify and develop the edge that would turn it into the world’s playground.
The proposed sports hub, the inaugural SingTel Singapore Grand Prix, it’s heady cultural fusion and vibrant night life, the arts, the upcoming integrated resorts, a garden city, health, education and security — it has the basics and more in place.
And “this can be the starting point to attract the people that we want to attract”, said Mr Kelvin Lai, head of biomedical sciences (medical technology) at the Economic Development Board.
Still, the Republic seems to lack that zing, concluded an eight member panel discussing the topic, “creating vibrant iconic cities for the future”, hosted by Philips last Friday.
Infrastructure and branding alone are not enough to make a city “iconic”. It’s the spirit and vitality of its people, said Mr Bert Verschuren of Philips Consumer Lifestyle. “The soul of the city and country comes from the people, the culture and societal norms,” he said during the roundtable.
The Republic has plenty of kernel, observed Mr Ian Wilson, Fairmont Hotel and Resorts regional vice-president for Asia, and that gives it an advantage. “To say that Singapore is not iconic would be a fallacy because if you look around today, Singapore is very much the sacrifice of the people who live here,” said Mr Wilson.
Yet, when compared to Hong Kong, for instance, it’s still not the “fun city” to be in. But the ongoing changes to the city’s skyline, the hosting of major events, like the F1 night race, could change this, said Mr Paul Peeters, CEO of Philips Asean.
“Singapore has not always been seen as an attractive city to play (unlike Hong Kong). But you do see a little change here. There is infrastructure coming up which opens eyes,“ said Mr Peeters.
The “vibrancy factor” of the city could go up a notch or two with the opening of the sports hub at Kallang a few years down the road, said Mr Tai Lee Siang, president of the Singapore Institute of Architects.
Niche marketing is the way to go, said NMP Jessie Phua, who is president of the Singapore Bowling Federation. “Which part of the pie do we want to position ourselves?” she asked. “If we can identify this and to go for it then I think we will be more successful.”
Mr Wilson agreed. “Iconic cities have an edge to them,” he said. “We’ve got to have some people who love some aspects of the city and some who hate some aspects of the city. Some bold gestures and taking some chances is not a bad thing.”
