Sharing the Golden Mile Urban Design for Golden Mile
NUS-Tsinghua Sharing Cities Joint Studio 2019: NUS Studio
By: Carnation Kng Joanne Tiaw Leong Rong Guang Phuah Lin Yip Jing Wei Studio Instructors: Zhang Ye Seah Chee Huang Brian Cheng He Zhuoshu
Origins: The City Room Early Vision and Concept The Golden Mile was first envisioned to be a bustling mile of integrated commercial and lifestyle destinations under the 1967 Golden Mile redevelopment scheme by the then Urban Redevelopment Department (now URA). Such ambitious ideals, part of the bid to address the urgent need for economic development for the then newly-independent Singapore, were perhaps best represented by the area’s landmark development the Golden Mile Complex. The Golden Mile Complex (completed in 1973) was designed as a high-density, vertical, “self-contained city”, combining everything needed for urban life, similar to People’s Park Complex.”, and is one of the earliest prototypes of mixed-use developments in Asia.
Urban Proposal for the Golden Mile by SPUR Source: Rem Koolhaas, Singapore Songlines
SPUR’s vision of open-ended, integrated urban spaces Source: Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) NUS-Tsinghua Sharing Cities Joint Design Studio 2019: Sharing the Golden Mile
Embodying the ideas of a tropical mega-city by the architects belonging to the Singapore Planning and Urban Research Group (SPUR), the Golden Mile Complex’s architecture was based on the concept of creating a “city room”. As described by the architects, the “city room” refers to “an arrangement of scales (of spaces), levels and movement designed to invite the people in and to accommodate them at a variety of ways and speeds.” Developed as a “node for open-ended expansion and ‘uncontainment’...”, the Complex was originally intended to be a catalyst and microcosm of what was yet to come for the larger Golden Mile district.
Golden Mile Complex’s atrium space, intended to be a “city room” Source: discoversg.com
Sources: Too Young to Die: Giving New Lease of Life to Singapore’s Modernist Icons. Singapore Heritage Society, August 2018 https://failedarchitecture. com/singapores-metabolistmegastructures-the-asian-city-oftomorrow/
NUS-Tsinghua Sharing Cities Joint Design Studio 2019: Sharing the Golden Mile
Existing Site Issues Mile(s) Apart: Spatial Segregation at Golden Mile Contrary to the original visions of SPUR, both the Golden Mile Complex and larger district today is hardly not one of urban openendedness and continuity. Existing physical elements, like the disparities in urban grain – where massive commercial developments along Beach Road abruptly interface with the finer grain heritage shophouses of Kampong Glam – and the existence of major carriageways like the 6-lane Beach Road which obstructs human circulation on site, have inevitably dividing the site quite literally.
NUS-Tsinghua Sharing Cities Joint Design Studio 2019: Sharing the Golden Mile
Physical Urban Analysis of the Golden Mile site NUS-Tsinghua Sharing Cities Joint Design Studio 2019: Sharing the Golden Mile
Existing Site Issues Mile(s) Apart: Social Segregation at Golden Mile The spatial segregation of the Golden Mile district appears to manifest itself socially as well. Physical barriers, alongside cultural and socio-economic differences have kept the richly diverse demography - consisting of (largely) low-income senior citizens, blue-collar migrant workers from other Southeast Asian countries, white-collar office workers and tourists in segregated, self-contained communities.
Existing Key Demographic Groups
Public signage explicitly warning against gathering - specially written in Thai - suggests certain hostility between locals and migrants. NUS-Tsinghua Sharing Cities Joint Design Studio 2019: Sharing the Golden Mile
The influx of higher-income residents into the new high-end developments may further increase the sense of disparity on site.
The socio-economic realities of Golden Mile’s demographic groups have undoubtedly distorted the original planning and architectural visions of “sensory expansiveness, humaneness and indeterminacy”. Stark contrasts in living, cultural and consumption habits, coupled with one-dimensional land use zoning, have exacerbated the district’s unequal development. In short, the Golden Mile district “...became [a series of] spaces of confinement and containment, keeping subaltern communities enclosed in their place.” Source: https://failedarchitecture. com/singapores-metabolistmegastructures-the-asian-city-oftomorrow/
A site of rich social and cultural diversity, but poor social and spatial cohesion
NUS-Tsinghua Sharing Cities Joint Design Studio 2019: Sharing the Golden Mile
Land Use Plan Source: URA
URA Draft Master Plan 2019
Overall Central Area Plan Source: URA
Commerce and Industry Plan for Central Area Source: URA
Overview and Key Takeaways The recent release of the URA Draft Master Plan 2019 largely touches on the broad themes and ideas of creating a more liveable, inclusive, sustainable and resilient Singapore, all of which lie closely with our ideals of a sharing city. Positioned strategically near the northern tip of the CBD, the Golden Mile site possesses the immense potential to be developed as a strong economic gateway between the city centre and the rest of Singapore with the expansion of the Central Business District (CBD). It also serves as a mediator for people to transition between the intense high-density city developments and the lowerdensity outskirts.
Expansion of the CBD As part of “Strengthening Economic Gateways Growth of Central Area�, extensive plans have been made for future mixed-use, commercial and industrial developments in key growth areas. Positioned as the northern gateway of the CBD, the Golden Mile district becomes extremely sensitive and susceptible to changes happening within the CBD and its immediate outskirts. Base Image Source: Google Earth NUS-Tsinghua Sharing Cities Joint Design Studio 2019: Sharing the Golden Mile
A Sharing City An Urban Solution to the Golden Mile? With all these in mind, the team has taken on the challenge to propose a scheme aiming to balance the pressures of urban redevelopment with the intent of creating quality, inclusive and shared living spaces. Inspired by our research into sharing systems and practices, alongside SPUR’s vision of extended, continuous urban commons, we aim to rejuvenate, reintegrate the Golden Mile districtby reinventing the idea of a “City Room” with sharing.
Key upcoming developments near the Golden Mile - An Imbalance of Urban Energy Nuclei In addition to its existing high-intensity and high-energy neighbouring districts, the Golden Mile area is/will be caught in between several major urban energy zones with numerous cultural and commercial development plans slated to happen - putting its interface and position among its neighbours into question. Base Image Source: Google Earth
NUS-Tsinghua Sharing Cities Joint Design Studio 2019: Sharing the Golden Mile
Sharing the Golden Mile Sharing System Overview Sharing the Golden Mile is a system of sharing that seeks to address the urban issues identified earlier. Reimagining the city’s role with its inhabitants at the core, the system aims to optimise the economic value of the Golden Mile site without compromising on the need to address the less tangible social concerns of segregation. A two-tier, interdependent sharing economic system is proposed to empower and integrate existing, less-privileged communities with those from more privileged socioeconomic strata.
Two-tier Sharing Economic System Overview A social ring provides a more localised, resilient support base to the activities in an economic core, while the core optimises the capital and resource generation for the social initiatives in return. NUS-Tsinghua Sharing Cities Joint Design Studio 2019: Sharing the Golden Mile
Integrated SubSystems Overview A series of sharing networks targeting different focus areas (transportation, housing, production, consumption and creation) is developed, with corresponding programs in the economic core and social ring to facilitate inter- and intrasystem sharing.
NUS-Tsinghua Sharing Cities Joint Design Studio 2019: Sharing the Golden Mile
NUS-Tsinghua Sharing Cities Joint Design Studio 2019: Sharing the Golden Mile
NUS-Tsinghua Sharing Cities Joint Design Studio 2019: Sharing the Golden Mile
NUS-Tsinghua Sharing Cities Joint Design Studio 2019: Sharing the Golden Mile
NUS-Tsinghua Sharing Cities Joint Design Studio 2019: Sharing the Golden Mile
NUS-Tsinghua Sharing Cities Joint Design Studio 2019: Sharing the Golden Mile
NUS-Tsinghua Sharing Cities Joint Design Studio 2019: Sharing the Golden Mile
NUS-Tsinghua Sharing Cities Joint Design Studio 2019: Sharing the Golden Mile
Team picture (L-R): Joanne Tiaw, Carnation Kng, Yip Jing Wei, Phuah Lin, Leong Rong Guang
NUS-Tsinghua Sharing Cities Joint Design Studio 2019: Sharing the Golden Mile
Golden Mile Complex’s pool, reclaimed land beyond Beach Road, sitting empty today (2019)