As published in The Straits Times
We thank Mr Ang Tun Loon for his letter “Guard against overcrowding in new housing precincts” (May 23).
New housing precincts, such as at Bayshore and the former Keppel Club site, are planned to address Singaporeans’ aspirations for more inclusive and diverse housing options and evolving lifestyles. These include more singles and young families who prefer to live closer to the city centre. With the average household size in Singapore shrinking from 4.25 in 1990 to 3.11 in 2023, there is also a need to increase housing supply to meet rising demand.
Singapore is a small and densely populated city state, and we agree with Mr Ang that as we develop new areas, we must continue to maintain a quality living environment for Singaporeans and address the challenges of crowding and congestion.
In addition to enhancing and upgrading existing infrastructure and introducing new amenities to cater to the needs of current and future residents, we plan and design our neighbourhoods sensitively to vary building heights, orientate streets to optimise wind corridors, incorporate more open and green spaces, and ensure good connectivity and walkability.
The pace of development in these new areas is carefully calibrated to ensure that plans can be adjusted in response to changing needs and localised concerns, such as traffic.
For example, in planning for Bayshore, most residents will be within walking distance of key public transport nodes and key amenities such as shops and eateries, reducing reliance on private transport and traffic congestion. There is also a park the size of four football fields that will be developed at the heart of the estate, with a direct connection to East Coast Park. These will meet residents’ health and well-being needs.
At the former Keppel Club site, future residents will similarly be near transport nodes amidst a waterfront environment with sky-rise greenery, parks and open spaces, while enjoying easy access to workplaces and amenities in the city centre.
URA will continue to work with the relevant agencies and communities to plan for attractive and liveable precincts and ensure that residents’ needs are met, even as we make more optimal use of our limited land resources.
Lee Wai Kin