Mah Bow Tan launches "My Endearing Home" exhibition at Marina Square

Satish Cheney, Channel NewsAsia 16 May 09;

SINGAPORE: National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan launched the "My Endearing Home" exhibition at Marina Square on Saturday.

The event aims to encourage the public to rediscover and reconnect with Singapore by enjoying leisure destinations.

After the launch at Marina Square, the exhibition will travel to other popular community destinations such as Parkway Parade and VivoCity.

The second edition of the "Rediscover Singapore" guide was also launched on Saturday.

It is a unique guide to various nooks and crannies around Singapore. - CNA/vm

Singapore past and present
Teo Wan Gek, Straits Times 17 May 09;

Some 30 years ago, Mr Christopher Soh lived in Taman Jurong, in the west. The 52-year-old credit manager now lives in Paya Lebar Way, in the east.

Yesterday, he was amazed at the changes wrought in his old 'kampung' when he visited an exhibition.

'There have been great changes. There were just some old HDB flats and a few condominiums in the past, but now I see hotels coming up too,' he said.

'Many people don't know what Singapore has. We have a lot of historical and heritage sites. It's good to highlight these areas to people now.'

It is folks like Mr Soh, eager to revisit old Singapore and to feel excited about changes taking place, that Minister for National Development Mah Bow Tan had in mind when he launched the My Endearing Home exhibition at Marina Square yesterday.

Put up by the Urban Redevelopment Authority, the exhibition showcases plans for the city centres and heartlands. The public can glimpse what their neighbourhood will look like in the future.

In his speech, Mr Mah said there will be many changes in the next few years.

'The transformation of Singapore is not just about Marina Bay. It is about the heartlands too.

'Outside the city centre, new regional commercial districts like the Jurong Lake District are beginning to take shape. HDB heartlands, such as Yishun, Punggol and Dawson, will be improved and upgraded with new facilities and a new generation of public housing,' he said.

The exhibition at Marina Square, which will end on Tuesday, is the first of a series of seven that will be held in various venues from now till August.

Mr Mah wants Singaporeans, having seen the exhibits, to 'go out and see what is happening around Singapore, to rediscover Singapore'.

The second edition of Rediscover Singapore - a guide providing information on various local recreational destinations - was also launched at the event.

'There is so much in Singapore that I think we do not appreciate enough' and attractions like the Marina Barrage or the horticulture park would be on a must-see itinerary for a tourist. But 'many Singaporeans are not aware of them', he said.

Community tours will be organised to popular destinations such as the Southern Ridges and the Marina Barrage, he said.

URA launches the 'My Endearing Home' exhibition and the second edition of 'Rediscover Singapore' guide
URA website 16 May 09;

The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) announced the launch of the “My Endearing Home” exhibition and the second edition of the “Rediscover Singapore” guide today.

Mr Mah Bow Tan, Minister for National Development launched the “My Endearing Home” exhibition today at Marina Square, attended by more than 200 guests comprising community leaders, grassroots representatives, partner agencies and members of the public.

Exhibition to show at seven locations

The “My Endearing Home” exhibition aims to encourage the public to ‘rediscover’ Singapore and enjoy the leisure destinations today as well as to excite the public on the upcoming plans for Singapore that they can look forward to. It also marks the start of the “My New Singapore” programme.

A glimpse of what’s to come

After the launch at Marina Square, the exhibition will travel to six other popular community destinations across Singapore from May to August 2009, bringing the exciting highlights of the new Master Plan to Singaporeans. The public will be able to catch a glimpse of what is to come in the future and see for themselves how Marina Bay and Jurong Lake District will develop into exciting live, work, play destinations.

Residents will also be able to find out what they can expect to see in their own neighbourhoods as exhibition content will be tailored to feature the future plans for the five regions at the different venues (see table below for venues and dates).

Marina Square 16 to 19 May 2009
HDB Hub 18 to 21 Jun 2009
Causeway Point 9 to 12 Jul 2009
VivoCity 23 to 26 Jul 2009
IMM Atrium 30 Jul to 2 Aug 2009
Compass Point 13 to 16 Aug 2009
Parkway Parade 27 to 30 Aug 2009

Rediscovering Singapore

The exhibition also hopes to encourage Singaporeans to rediscover and reconnect with Singapore again as they learn more about the various leisure destinations around the island today. Residents will be reintroduced to revitalised leisure destinations like Changi Point and Singapore River.

The URA is partnering the People’s Association to attract the community to the exhibition and organise community tours, to bring residents to the various destinations such as the Southern Ridges, HortPark, Sungei Buloh, Changi Point and Marina Barrage amongst others. The community can sign up for these tours at any of the seven exhibitions or at the “My Endearing Home” website at www.ura.gov.sg/myendearinghome.

Launch of Rediscover Singapore guide

The second edition of the “Rediscover Singapore” guide was also launched today. Specially commissioned by the URA in conjunction with the Leisure Plan under the Master Plan 2008, “Rediscover Singapore" is a unique explorer's guide to various interesting nooks and crannies around Singapore. The guide is free with the June 2009 issue of "Time Out Singapore" magazine. Participants for the “My Endearing Home” community tours will also get a free copy of this guide.

From historic Katong, rustic Lim Chu Kang farms, to exciting things to do in the city, the guide covers many places that are special to Singaporeans, with tips on how to get there and what to see and do. The guide also features some of the URA's future plans under the island-wide Leisure Plan for these places and is part of our quest to uncover the many recreational destinations that Singaporeans can rediscover and explore.

Mrs Cheong Koon Hean, CEO, URA, said: “We hope Singaporeans will use the guide and take the time to explore the many interesting leisure spots around Singapore. Besides going to the movies or shopping, there’s actually a lot to do. From lush green spaces, sporting fun, quaint charming villages, to exciting attractions, we want to tell everyone that Singapore is a playground for all, that there’s something for everyone, at any time of the day and night.”

Photo competition

Minister Mah also announced the start of the “My Endearing Home” Photo Competition where members of the public can capture special moments through their camera lenses as they rediscover Singapore. There are two categories in this photo competition - “My Home” and “My Heritage”. Refer to Annex 1 for details of this unique photography competition.

About the Master Plan 2008

The Master Plan 2008 is a detailed statutory land use plan that guides the physical development of Singapore for the next 10 to 15 years. The Draft Master Plan 2008 Exhibition was launched on 23 May 2008 by Mr Mah Bow Tan, Minister for National Development and had attracted more than 200,000 visitors. The Master Plan 2008 was gazetted on 5 Dec 2008. More information on the Master Plan 2008 is available online at http://www.ura.gov.sg/MP2008.

About the “My New Singapore” programme

The “My New Singapore” programme was first announced by Minister Mah at the URA Corporate Plan Seminar on 17 April 2009. It seeks to encourage Singaporeans to rediscover Singapore and comprises events and activities to reach out to Singaporeans, and to invite them to see new developments and visit leisure destinations. The “My Endearing Home” exhibition marks the start of this programme.