SINGAPORE: Works to create a green, safe and walkable park environment in the Civic District have started, announced the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) on Thursday (Dec 4).
The project will stitch the spaces around Padang - such as the Asian Civilisations Museum, Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall - the National Gallery and the Esplanade Park, to create an integrated arts, culture and lifestyle precinct.
Most of the works will be completed in phases throughout 2015, to tie in with the various SG50 celebrations and events taking place in the area next year, said the URA.
In a blog entry on Thursday, National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan described the Civic District as "full of history, memories, monuments and beauties". He said these works will enhance visitors' experience considerably and also create new spaces for more community activities.
KEY ENHANCEMENTS BY JULY 2015
The key enhancements for the project will be made at Empress Place, St Andrew's Road and Connaught Drive, the Singapore River, and the Esplanade Park.
Express Place, which currently separates the Asian Civilisations Museum and the Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall, will be paved over so as to create a seamless park-like setting.
Part of Fullerton Road is also being realigned to create a more spacious lawn in front of the Asian Civilisations Museum and the Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall. New infrastructure such as power, water and lighting will be installed to allow the space to be used for outdoor events.
These works will be completed by July 2015.
Also to be completed by July 2015 is the introduction of a more spacious walkway along St Andrew's Road in front of the National Gallery, the conversion of one side of Anderson Bridge to a pedestrian footpath, and the conversion of Connaught Drive to a two-way street where traffic will be limited to buses and coaches.
Other works that have started include the building of new stepped plazas along the edge of the Singapore River, the improvement of landscaping at the Esplanade Park, and the building of a new 8km-long "Jubilee Walk" with trail markers that tell the story of Singapore's progress from past to present and the future.
- CNA/xh
Greener and more walkable spaces to be introduced in Civic District
Today Online 4 Dec 14;
SINGAPORE — The Republic’s Civic District is undergoing a makeover that will see some landmarks in the area connected to create a green, safe and walkable park environment, said the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) today (Dec 4).
The goal of the project, the URA said, is to stitch together spaces around the Padang — such as the Asian Civilisations Museum, Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall, the National Gallery and the Esplanade Park — to create an integrated arts, culture and lifestyle precinct.
Besides greenery and walkways, some new infrastructure, such as power, water and lighting, will also be installed to allow for outdoor events. The bulk of the work is expected to be completed in phases throughout next year.
National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan said in a blog post that the upgrades are an “SG50 gift to Singaporeans”. The enhancements were first unveiled during the Draft Master Plan 2013 exhibition, Mr Khaw said.
Some of the key areas undergoing changes include:
Empress Place
Empress Place, which currently separates the Asian Civilisations Museum and the Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall, will be paved over by July next year to give priority to pedestrians and integrate the buildings on either side into a seamless park-like setting. Part of Fullerton Road will also be realigned to create a more spacious lawn in front of the Asian Civilisations Museum and the Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall.
St Andrew’s Road and Connaught Drive
A more spacious walkway will be introduced along St Andrew’s Road in front of the National Gallery. One side of Anderson Bridge will be converted to a pedestrian footpath. Both will be completed by July next year.
Along Connaught Drive, works have started to remove the existing car and coach parking lots and these will be paved or landscaped over to provide more space for the public. From July next year, Connaught Drive will be converted to a two-way street and traffic will be limited to buses and coaches, with new bus stops, shelters and coach drop-off points to allow visitors a convenient gateway point into the precinct.
Stepped Plazas
Along the edge of the Singapore River, new stepped plazas will be introduced at Queen Elizabeth Walk and in front of the Asian Civilisations Museum to allow visitors to sit and enjoy the waterfront views and activities taking place on the river.
Esplanade Park
The URA is working together with NParks to improve the landscaping in the area. Street furniture, such as benches with mobile phone charging points, will also be added.
Five new Angsana trees will be planted within Esplanade Park near Anderson Bridge. This commemorates a popular meeting spot marked by five such trees that were around until the 1990s, popularly known in Hokkien as the “Gor Zhan Chew Khar” (the spot under the five trees). A new children’s playground is also planned within the park.
Jubilee Walk
An 8km long trail known as Jubilee Walk will connect key attractions through the Civic District and Marina Bay. There will be trail markers that tell the story of Singapore’s progress from past to present and the future, as visitors walk from Fort Canning to the Marina Bay Barrage. A new Jubilee Bridge will also link Merlion Park to Marina Promenade.
Turning civic district into a walkable park - minus cars
Christopher Tan The Straits Times AsiaOne 5 Dec 14;
Cementing a bold vision laid out in an urban master plan last year, the authorities here said work has started to reclaim the city's civic district from the car.
The area around the Padang - encompassing landmarks like Victoria Theatre, the National Gallery and Esplanade Park - will be turned into "a walkable park" within an "arts, culture and lifestyle precinct", said National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan.
"Our civic district is full of history, memories, monuments and beauties," the minister wrote on his blog yesterday. "Over the years, huge assets have been assembled there, but their full potential is not being realised."
To unleash this potential, traffic access to the area will be crimped, with roads like Empress Place paved over and Connaught Drive accessible only to buses and coaches. One side of the historic Anderson Bridge will be converted to a footpath.
Most of the reconstruction - which will cost $66 million - will be completed in phases next year, in time for the various SG50 celebrations. For instance, part of Fullerton Road will be realigned to free up more lawn space in front of the Asian Civilisations Museum. Likewise, a more spacious walkway will be built along St Andrew's Road. These will be ready by next July.
Work has already started to remove kerbside parking spaces in Connaught Drive. The stretch will be paved and landscaped so people can walk, jog, cycle and skate there. Along the edge of the Singapore River, where Queen Elizabeth Walk sits, a stepped plaza will be built to bring the public closer to the water.
Harking back to the days when the area was a favourite haunt for courting couples, five Angsana trees will be planted in Esplanade Park near Anderson Bridge. They mark the spot where five such trees stood, up to 1990.
To mark SG50, an 8km Jubilee Walk will connect attractions in the area, with trail markers to tell stories of Singapore's progress. The transformation plan is reminiscent of similar moves by cities elsewhere to claw back road space.
San Francisco did away with the Embarcadero Freeway after it was damaged by an earthquake in 1989. In its place, a wide boardwalk now fronts the bay, frequented by joggers, cyclists and those who want respite from the city.
About 10 years ago, Seoul tore down a highway to uncover the Cheonggyecheon river and create an oasis in the city.
National University of Singapore transport researcher Lee Der Horng gave the plan the thumbs up. "It allows residents and visitors a greater opportunity to immerse in the city and to enjoy the city," he said. "We should have more of this."
