AC 5007 - Batch 4 - Lim Jia Rong

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

Assessing the Heritage of Community Centres in Singapore

Lim Jia Rong A0167071H Advisor: Dr Wong Yunn Chii

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Master Of Arts In Architectural Conservation

DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE 2022/2023 1

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

Abstract This study aims to explore the heritage value of community centres (CCs) in Singapore, by first reviewing literature and PA publications to form an understanding of CC heritage, then understand public perceptions of the heritage value of these everyday spaces. To understand these perceptions, the study adopts a mixed-methods approach involving both quantitative and qualitative analyses. The quantitative analysis involved data processing techniques such as frequency distribution and word cloud visualisation, while the qualitative analysis involved a manual reading of relevant comments that are extracted, both from the same set of reviews obtained from Google Maps Reviews. The study revealed 3 main findings: 1. Inevitably, the state shapes the heritage experience of CCs in Singapore, whether through the tangible and intangible aspects, the collective narratives of the CCs in Singapore is influenced by state intentions. This is an important perspective to keep in mind when assessing the heritage of such state managed entities.

2. The research is the first comprehensive attempt to understand the heritage value of CCs in Singapore, and found that there is indeed heritage value in the CCs, and heritage should be assessed in the development process of CCs. 3. The study employs a three-pronged approach in heritage assessment, comprising review of written texts, quantitative analysis of large-scale data, and qualitative inquiry into insights revealed from the previous two prongs, showing the strength of incorporating the method in heritage assessment.

The study concludes that CCs are an important part of Singapore's heritage landscape, and that further research is needed to understand their heritage value. Recommendations for future research include exploring more CCs beyond those studied in this paper, using other NLP methods, and conducting structured interviews of stakeholders and visitors.

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Table of Contents Abstract Table of Contents List of Figures

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List of Tables

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List of Abbreviations CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Research Background 1.2 Research Motivation 1.2.1 Observed Trends 1.2.1.1 Marine Parade Community Centre 1.3 Research Problem 1.4 Research Aims and Objectives 1.5 Research Significance 1.6 Dissertation Structure

8 9 9 9 9 9 10 10 11 11

CHAPTER 2: HISTORY, DEVELOPMENT AND HERITAGE OF COMMUNITY CENTRES IN SINGAPORE 12 2.1 History of CCs in Singapore 12 2.1.1 First Community Centres 12 2.1.2 Formation of the PA 13 2.1.3 Social functions of CCs 13 2.1.4 Community Involvement in CC Development 14 2.2 Review of Literature on Functions of CC: Society, Politics, Community and Identity 15 2.3 Discussions 18 2.3.1 Heritage of Everyday Spaces and the relation to Community Centres 18 2.3.2 Summary 19 CHAPTER 3: HERITAGE SIGNIFICANCE OF SPACE AND ARCHITECTURE 20 3.1 Introduction 20 3.2 Development of Community Centres/Clubs Architecture 21 3.2.1 Marine Parade Community Building 27 3.3 Review of Literature on Form: Geography, Urban Planning, Architecture and Space 28 3.3 Discussions 29 3.3.1 Significance of CC Architecture in Relation to National Identity and Heritage 29 3.3.2 Summary 30 CHAPTER 4: ASSESSING PUBLIC PERCEPTIONS OF COMMUNITY CENTRE HERITAGE 31 4.1 Review of Related Literature 31 4.2 Data Collection and Processing 33 4.2.1 Data Characteristics 33 4.2.2 Data Collection and Pre-processing 34 4.2.2.1 Collection 34 4.2.2.2 Filtering 34 4.2.2.3 Pre-processing 35

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4.2.3 Data Processing 36 4.3 Data Analysis 37 4.3.1 Data Based Analysis 37 4.3.2 Qualitative Analysis 39 4.3.2.1 Architecture 40 4.4 Summary 42 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION 43 5.1 Summary 43 5.1.1 Chapter 2 43 5.1.2 Chapter 3 43 5.1.3 Chapter 4 43 5.2 Main Findings 44 5.3 Limitations 44 5.3 Recommendations and Conclusion 45 CHAPTER 6: BIBLIOGRAPHY 46 APPENDICES 50 APPENDIX A: Facebook comments on MPCB Upgrading Notice by the Marine Parade official account and Darren Soh’s post on the redevelopment of MPCB 50 APPENDIX B: MPCB Big Donors List 55 APPENDIX C: List of CCs and number of Google Reviews collected for each CC 56 APPENDIX D: List of CCs, arranged by star rating 59 APPENDIX E: CCs below 4 stars 62 APPENDIX F: Word Frequency Analysis for each CC 67 APPENDIX G: Top 20 token words mentioned in individual CCs (arranged in order, top left highest frequency) 122 APPENDIX H: List of text comments with the mention of the word “Heritage” 130 APPENDIX I: List of text comments with the mention of the word “History” 133 APPENDIX J: List of text comments with the mention of the word “Identity” 135 APPENDIX K: List of text comments with the mention of the word “Architecture” 136

(Approximately 12800 Words)

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List of Figures Chapter 2 Figure 2.1: PA’s 5th Anniversary Souvenir Board of Management Photos (Source: Screenshot from NLB Digital Books) Chapter 3 Figure 3.1: Tanjong Pagar CC in 1965 (Source: remembersingapore.org, 2013) Figure 3.2: Ama Keng Village CCin 1960s, a village community centre of simple hut structure with activity spaces inside. (Source: remembersingapore.org, 2013) Figure 3.3: Photo of playground in early CC for kindergarten children from PA 25th Anniversary Publication: 1960-1985, 25 years with the people (Source: The People’s Association, 1985) Figure 3.4: Kampong Kembangan CC prior to the Alteration and Addition work done in 1990s. From “1960-1990, 30 Years from the People publication in 1990” (Source: The People’s Association, 1990) Figure 3.5: In the same book, the new CC will feature characteristic architecture and facilities to emulate the “poshness” of CCs. (Source: The People’s Association, 1990) Figure 3.6: A few CCs were constructed with distinctive designs, such as the “dougong”, characteristic of Chinese architecture seen in Yuhua CC. From “1960-1990, 30 Years from the People publication in 1990” (Source: The People’s Association, 1990) Figure 3.7: Changkat CC features vernacular Rumah Limas Style roofs and a nod to the village history of the area. From “1960-1990, 30 Years from the People publication in 1990” (Source: The People’s Association, 1990) Figure 3.8: Eunos CC featuring a Minangkabau-styled roof in its design. From roots.gov.sg (Source: NHB, 2023) Figure 3.9: Tampines North CC, displayed in the first page of the publication, with a mention of the modernity of its architecture, with fragmented blocks arranged in a playful manner.

From “1960-1990, 30 Years from the People publication in 1990” (Source: The People’s Association, 1990) Figure 3.10: PA’s publication showcasing the different facilities to attract the community to use the facility. From “1960-1990, 30 Years from the People publication in 1990” (Source: The People’s Association, 1990) Figure 3.11: Photo of Tampines Hub Facade (Source: roots.gov.sg) Figure 3.12: Photo of MPCB at night, with the mural in the left side of the photo (Source: photo from Terrence Chua, screenshot from docomomo.sg) Figure 3.13: Screenshot of map showing spatial distribution of CCs in 1984 (Source: Lee, 1993) Chapter 4 Figure 4.1: Screenshots of Google Maps reviews official policy from Google. (Source: support.google.com) Figure 4.2: Frequency distribution of lemmatized words in text comments of all CCs in Singapore (Source: Author) 5

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Figure 4.3: Word Cloud of lemmatized words in text comments of all CCs in Singapore (Source: Author) Figure 4.4: Photo of Tanglin CC (Source: People’s Association)

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List of Tables Chapter 4 Table 4.1 Data processing steps in preparation for analysis Table 4.2 Data characteristics after processing

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List of Abbreviations Community Centre/Club CC

*

CCMCs

Community Club Management Committees

HDB ISIS

Housing Development Board

MP

Member of Parliament

MPCB

Marine Parade Community Building

MRT

Mass Rapid Transit

NFL

National Football League

NHB

National Heritage Board

NLB

National Library Board

NLP NLTK

Natural Language Processing Natural Language Toolkit

OTH PA PAP PM

Our Tampines Hub People’s Association People’s Association Party Prime Minister

For ease of writing, Community Centre and Community Club will be used interchangeably as CC, unless spelled out.

Islamic State of Iraq and Syria

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CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1

Research Background

CCs are an integral part of Singapore, and perform myriad societal functions, from providing spaces for enrichment classes, communal and sports activities, Covid-19 vaccination, citizenry services, engagement with political office holders, to serving as the mouthpiece to communicate certain state policies (People’s Association [PA], 2023; C. M. Seah, 1973; K. Y. Lee, 1978). Since the first community initiated CC in Tiong Bahru in 1951 (National Heritage Board [NHB], 2023), the number of CCs in Singapore has expanded greatly until today, with over 100 CCs all around Singapore (PA, 2023), one can be found in almost every constituency. Being a civic institution that is all over Singapore and serving a myriad of functions, studies have been conducted on the CCs in various forms, especially in the earlier decades since the formation of PA in 1960. These studies generally focused on the functions, effectiveness, impacts on surrounding buildings, societal impacts of the CCs and its management, and mainly based on the perceptions of the political or academic elites, or through short surveys of the population with heavier participation in the CC activities.

1.2

Research Motivation

1.2.1 Observed Trends CCs are closely integrated with the development of modern Singapore and form a significant aspect of the population’s interactions with the urban built environment, as the CCs were developed together with the urbanisation of the island. Consequently, through the many functions offered, the livelihoods of the population are closely intertwined with the CCs, and such close interactions create opportunities for strong connections to form between the user and the space, and sentimentality towards the place (E.Y. Low, 2017). Yet, despite the rich connection to the community, these places draw no observed feelings of sentimentality and protection from the masses, as observed in the seemingly muted reactions towards the demolition of older CCs to make way for newer CCs with better offerings and facilities. The contradiction between the supposed reaction and the reality of the public behaviour raises the question of whether the public perception of CCs is really one that lacks the desire for conservation. The Singapore public is not incapable of a groundswell to support the conservation of historical sites, as observed in the calls for the protection of the Bukit Brown Cemetery (R. Chandran, 2019) and Dakota Crescent (H. Chng, 2017), so why was the public reaction different for the CCs? 1.2.1.1 Marine Parade Community Centre Recently, the Marine Parade Community Building (MPCB), which housed the Marine Parade CC was demolished just 22 years after it was built. One of the first CCs constructed under the Community Centre Co-Location programme, where the building featured the co-location of different facilities within the same edifice, like the CC, library, and the non-profit theatre company The Necessary Stage – within a single structure. According to the then Prime Minister (PM) and Member of Parliament (MP) for Marine Parade, Goh Chok Tong (2020) 9

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the goal of the CC type was to cultivate an environment that encourages collaborative programming across multiple institutions, while optimising the use of available land.

Designed by William Lim, the CC featured many significant features that warrants consideration into conserving the building, yet, despite calls for its conservation by civic groups such as Docomomo (2022), the general public is largely ambivalent towards the demolition of the building, until the local photographer, Darren Soh, raised the issue on this Facebook post (Appendix A), despite this, many do think it should be renovated. This raises the question: how can a gem that garners significant attention from elites and academics fail to generate similar levels of enthusiasm or groundswell?

The contradiction between the heritage value of CCs and the lack of public reaction to their demolition, together with the general public remaining largely ambivalent towards the demolition of the MPCB drives the main motivation for the paper: Why is the general public ambivalent towards the demolition and redevelopment of CCs, when it is clear that these places are well utilised within the society and is closely intertwined with the population’s history and community?

1.3

Research Problem

The research problem is the lack of serious consideration for the potential heritage value of CCs as a whole in Singapore, despite their significant role in the society and close interaction with the population. Prior literature on CCs did not focus on their heritage value.

This leads to the question of why the general public remains largely ambivalent towards the demolition and redevelopment of CCs, which are closely intertwined with the population's history and community, and are institutions that are well-utilised within the society. The research aims to fill this gap by first assessing the heritage of CCs in Singapore and the perceived heritage value of CCs by the population, to uncover the ambivalence towards CCs by the general public.

1.4

Research Aims and Objectives

The research seeks to understand the heritage value of the CC using existing literature and PA publications, then assess the public perception towards the heritage value of such community spaces using social media reviews by the general public on the Google Maps platform (Google Maps Reviews), the study aims to: 1. First establish the potential facets of the significance of the CCs in relation to heritage and conservation.

2. Then, using reviews scraped from the Google Maps platform, assess the public’s general perception towards the CCs in Singapore on social media and form an understanding of the public’s view on the heritage value of the CCs. 10

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3. Suggest possible strategies in heritage management for the development of CCs based on the data analysis.

1.5

Research Significance

The study contributes to the understanding of CCs through the lens of heritage. CCs are an important contributor to modern Singapore’s history, society and development process, and the significance of its heritage value will continue to grow with time, yet there is no focused study of the heritage value of the CCs in Singapore. The study contributes the first step into examining the heritage value of the CCs in two ways: the facets in which CCs may have heritage value, and the general public’s perception of heritage in the CCs. Furthermore, the use of Natural Language Processing (NLP) tools in understanding the broad perceptions of the public towards heritage spaces in social media is a well-researched area globally. Using similar methods in assessing Singapore’s heritage spaces contributes to the discourse on the potential usage of such tools in the Singapore heritage scene and the effectiveness of the tool when used in Singaporean society.

1.6

Dissertation Structure

Chapter 2 explores the history and development of CCs in Singapore through literature and PA publications, to form an understanding of the background of CCs and how its functions contribute to the heritage value of the CCs. Chapter 3 reviews the spatial and architectural developments of the CCs through literature and PA publications, the form of CCs is explored and heritage value is assessed.

Chapter 4 ventures into the assessment of public perception towards CCs, and explains the characteristics of the raw data obtained from Google Reviews, the processing done to prepare the data for analysis and presents the insights obtained from the data analysis. Then discusses the insights, and suggests the potential impacts of the insights.

Chapter 6 reviews the research objectives and evaluates the findings of the study against the stated objectives. And henceforth summarise the contributions and limitations of the study with recommendations for future studies.

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CHAPTER 2: HISTORY, DEVELOPMENT AND HERITAGE OF COMMUNITY CENTRES IN SINGAPORE Before discussing the potential heritage value of CCs and the reasons for conservation, it is essential to first understand the history of these civic institutions in Singapore, along with the extent of their functions and spatial presence within the population. This examination will enable us to better appreciate the nature of the socio-political contestations behind its developments, interactions between the population and the CCs buildings, as well as comprehend the perceptions shown by the general population towards the redevelopment of these centres.

2.1

History of CCs in Singapore

CCs, first formed with the intention to foster cooperation and easing urban life difficulties, have a rich history in both the US and UK. Settlement workers in the US initiated the use of school buildings as social centres, while in the UK, community associations emerged to support post-WWI housing estates (M. K. Smith, 2002). These organisations focused on promoting social activities, adult education, and self-organisation within communities. Their influence has since spread to numerous towns, cultivating a democratic society rooted in local activities.

2.1.1 First Community Centres The idea of constructing CCs in Singapore emerged in the late 1940s, when the British forces returned in 1945, the British Military Administration set up centres to distribute food to the impoverished population, and these centres were converted to children’s centres when the need for these centres reduced, some of these centres were then converted to CCs by the Department of Social Welfare in the following years. Recognizing the effectiveness of CCs in serving state functions and fostering community participation and spirit, the post-war colonial government had plans to develop them in Singapore. Following directives from the Colonial Office, the department began constructing CCs in the early 1950s (Seah, 1969). Initially, the CCs were housed in existing buildings converted for the purpose.

The first CC was a ground-up initiative by the residents. Built in 1951, Tiong Bahru CC was proposed by the residents in 1948 to promote moral, cultural, and physical advancement. The original centre, located at Eu Chin Street, was a converted air-raid shelter and quickly gained popularity, with 13,000 members signing up within six weeks of its opening (NHB, 2020).

Subsequently, the colonial government built many other CCs, such as the Serangoon and Siglap centres. By the time the PA was established, 28 centres had been built (National Library Board [NLB], 2013).

The number of CCs expanded rapidly afterward, and by 1969, 186 centres were built throughout Singapore, including offshore islands, all on state funding (C. T. Lim, 1978). CCs organised a variety of social, cultural, educational, and athletic activities. Women and girls could attend classes in sewing, embroidery, knitting, cooking, and cake-making. Sports enthusiasts could also participate in activities such as football, table tennis, basketball, 12

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badminton, boxing, and body-building. Furthermore, cultural activities like lion dance, dragon dance, and singing were available for interested individuals (Seah, 1969). And the PA offered literacy classes for adults and kindergarten classes for children. The number of CCs in the rural areas were also quickly beefed up in the 1970s to combat the strong influence the Barisan Socialis (opposition party that came from the splitting of PAP) had in the rural areas (Yap, 1973).

2.1.2 Formation of the PA When the People’s Action Party (PAP) took power in 1959, there was a renewed effort in providing better community services to the people. In 1960, to further foster national consciousness and loyalty to the local community and society, the PA was created and the CCs were subsumed under its management (Ng, 1969). This was during a time when Singapore’s society was deeply divided along discrete communal lines and the PA sought to close the divide between the communal lines through the CCs. The PA had three objectives: (a) promoting group participation in various activities to build a multi-racial community, (b) establishing institutions for leadership training to foster national identity and dedication to a multi-racial society, and (c) carrying out any activities supporting the goals mentioned in (a) and (b) (Ng, 1969).

Since the electoral victory by the PAP in 1959, the PA has been managed directly by the PM's office, and remains so until today. The board of management is chaired by the PM and the majority of the members are from the ruling party. Today, 8 out of 15 of the board of management are from the ruling party.

Figure 2.1: PA’s 5th Anniversary Souvenir Board of Management Photos (Source: Screenshot from NLB Digital Books)

2.1.3 Social functions of CCs The functions of the PA and CC were observed by C. M. Seah (1969) to be an institutional effort by the political leadership to embed into the masses the various dimensions of political developments, such as cross-ethnic integration, the inoculation of approved societal norms 13

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and the development of national identity that is not restricted to parochial affiliations, it was a tool for political socialisation and control. Prior to 1959, the colonial government was lacklustre in the promotion of the CCs, as they foresaw the decline in their hegemony, and other self-rule governments did not expand the facilities of the CCs until 1959, when the PAP government understood the potential of the CCs and heavily expanded on its functions from recreational activities to promote vocational, cultural, educational to other activities that contributes directly to the task of nation-building (Seah, 1969).

The CCs served to promote national solidarity during the Konfrontasi, and after the separation from Malaysia, it sought to entrench the message of a rugged and socially-disciplined nation in the population. The CCs were a focus for the rallying of nationalism, where national events were celebrated and National Servicemen send-offs were conducted. MPs were placed as advisors to the CCs, allowing direct control by the political party, and consequently, the CCs allowed direct feedback from the ground to the MPs, and this continues till today, PAP members, regardless of whether they are elected to the parliament are appointed Grassroots Advisors of the CCs (Yuen, 2018). The CCs were not isolated institutions that operated strictly within their premises, instead forming a part of a larger network of civic, social and grassroots organisations (Lee, 1993). Furthermore, the services and programmes of the CCs were always available to the public and everyone was treated equally, thus creating an environment for promoting an integrated society with social and political stability (W. L. Lee, 1993). And as the population experienced significant changes through the resettlement from rural villages to new Housing and Development Board (HDB) flats, CCs served to address the increasing social complexities and the scope of issues faced by residents in the emerging town neighbourhoods while balancing its role as a state instrument for social integration (Vasoo, 1994).

2.1.4 Community Involvement in CC Development Prior to the creation of the PA, CCs were allowed a certain level of autonomy by the colonial government, and were largely run by people elected from amongst the participants of the activities. This led to the CCs platform becoming controlled by people with political aspirations (Seah, 1978). Hence when PA took over the CCs, they were initially managed by the state under the Department of Social Welfare until 1964, when PA put in place a Management Committee for every CC, where each CC is managed by local leaders at the grassroots level, instead of the public service. The Management Committee members are appointed by the Chairman of the Board of Management, usually on the recommendation of the MP (Ng, 1969), this was done to screen the members for those that fit the party agenda. It is, however, not a position selected by ballot, and consequently, these members are people who have served actively in the grassroots affairs, thus making them visible and viable to the Chairman and MP. Today, the Community Club Management Committees (CCMCs) form the main management organ of the CCs, and are made of volunteers who work closely with the full time staff with the PA to manage the programs and development of the CCs (PA, 2023).

Except during the rapid expansion of CCs in the 1960s, financing of development of CCs have been co-managed by the community, while the government provides grants for the 14

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developments, the CCMCs are responsible for fundraising a portion of the development costs.

From the recently upgraded Teck Ghee CC, where the State sponsored 90% of the upgrading costs, and the remainder raised by the CC’s management, to the Tiong Bahru Community Centre, established by residents who raised the full $20,000 (NHB, 2020), the community had always been responsible for fundraising for the development of the CCs.

2.2 Review of Literature on Functions of CC: Society, Politics, Community and Identity One of the earliest papers written on Singapore CCs was by Ng Kwee Choo (1969), where he explored the development of CCs as a way to develop a sense of community among the people during the very early years of nation building. He explored the organisational structures, activities, community leader’s role and evaluated the effectiveness of CCs as an instrument to foster national identity and spirit. Through the research, it was revealed that the CC management committee was almost all helmed by man, with only 13 of the 1,437 members being female. And a large percentage of the members were merchants and businessmen, which the author alluded to the nature of the business environment, where social status, involvement in community projects and prestige carries strong economic incentives for the businessman, especially if the businessman is appointed the Chairman. In contrast, only school principals and teachers were represented in the professionals group, which contrasted with the PA’s desire to involve professional elites in the management of the CCs. The author concluded with a few recommendations, firstly, CCs need clearly defined physical boundaries to foster a sense of belonging as the CCs then were porous and lacked clear boundaries and membership, leading to residents not feeling ownership over the space, which can be achieved through organising community projects. Secondly, the heavy involvement of the youths in the activities, albeit beneficial, did little to contribute to community building, and the activities should be reviewed to further fulfil the community building agenda. Lastly, effective local leadership is crucial for integrating communities, as leaders shape the development of the community and have a responsibility to promote unity among diverse groups.

In “Community Centres in Singapore: Their Political Involvement”, Seah Chee Meow (1973) examined the roles, abilities and accomplishments of the CCs with regards to the political development of Singapore in his thesis. From a sociologist’s lens, the author evaluated the organisation of CCs under PA and how the policies have impacted the effectiveness of the CCs in fulfilling the prescribed state functions. The research noted the stark differences in level of activity of the CCs before and after 1960, when the PAP government formed the PA. The CCs were only used for recreational activities before the PA took over, and was vastly expanded in both functions and numbers to achieve the political agendas of the ruling party; it was a shift from a recreational community space to a semi-party/governmental organisation, with the activities of the ruling party intertwining heavily with the CCs. The author postulates that the PAP’s strong focus on CC development was the potential uses of the CCs as organs to form a coherent and cohesive political community in the masses, to avoid similar fragmentation of the political psyche seen in neighbouring countries immediate 15

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post decolonisation. And it was apparent in the fact that a CC was chosen by the then internal government PM Lee Kuan Yew as the location to reveal the new state flag, a symbolic moment of the island’s journey towards decolonisation. The second function of the CC was the usefulness in bolstering mass support for the PAP, through dual functions of showcasing the CCs as delivering their electoral promise of a “more just and equal society” and to use the CCs as part of the ruling party’s campaigning. Hence, the PA and CCs become important organs through which PAP inculcates a sense of national identity, which was aligned with the aims of the party, which is to create a cohesive identity that are not bounded by ethnic or class lines. The author also clearly noted the high level of control the ruling party had over the management of the CCs, through formal means such as controlling the memberships of management committees and informal means through connections between CC management and ruling party. The extensive control alienates those who do not agree with the values or those who distrust party politics, dampening the maximisation of the goals of the CCs, and can be seen in the reluctance for active members of other political parties to participate in the management. The tight control further limits the adaptability and uniqueness of each CC to cater to the needs of the clientele.

Yap Boh Tiong (1973) examined the effectiveness and efficiency of the CCs as an organisation in his Master’s dissertation, the assessments are then used as an indicator of the level of CCs success in achieving its goals. Structural variables were operationalised and measured in the context of CC operations and their relationship with efficiency were then examined. The CC staff were also surveyed in the research to provide further insights.

Interestingly, the author found that most of the staff (98%) were not familiar with the objectives of the PA, and they mainly viewed the CCs as an intermediary between the state and the people, and as a service provider of organised community activities. Furthermore, the study found that many (CC staff, members) think that incorporating the local leaders into the CC management realised the objective of utilising the CCs as the middleman between the government and masses. It was also found that the educational level and training provided by the National Community Leadership Institute has a marginal impact on the leadership effectiveness of the CC leaders.

In the first 2 decades of the creation of PA, much of the literature has been on a strong focus on the functions and potentials of the Singapore CC in a tumultuous time, with the data collected and analysis focusing on the functions, organisation and effectiveness of the CCs. This is understandable, as the CCs then were less than 20 years old, save for the few that were constructed prior to the formation of PA. While the mention of heritage then will be too early, significant attention was given to the discussion of attachment and identity towards the CCs, which could possibly, in time to come, be potential facets for consideration of heritage significance of the CCs. In the later decades, the PA sought to change the nature and image of CCs into that of an affluent country club, and the research in the period could be seen to take into account that. In real estate bachelor theses, Gerald Lien (1995) explored the viability of the new CCs being self-sufficient in funding and found that with the improved affluence of the population, the facilities and services provided by the CCs have to constantly improve and upgrade to match the new needs of the people, and the CCs can manage with lesser 16

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government funding for operational needs if the community spend more labour, time and money to organise the CC activities. While Gong Zixuan (2019) analysed the effectiveness of the CCs through the impact of CCs on housing unit prices within its vicinity and surveyed the residents in the vicinity of different CCs. It was found that CCs in the form of large mixed use buildings such as Our Tampines Hub (OTH) had a significant impact on housing prices, while the regular CCs of the period did not. Hence, the CCs were only impactful if it contributed to the elevation of facilities provided to the residents in the vicinity.

In all, the researchers found that CCs in Singapore play a vital role in fostering belonging and identity while promoting social cohesion. Furthermore, these studies have assessed the effectiveness of CC management, highlighting the role of local leadership in integrating communities and the influence of government control on the adaptability and unique offerings of each CC. Their effectiveness relies on adaptive management, community involvement, and alignment with the population's changing needs. As the country's political landscape and affluence evolve, CCs also continually improve their facilities and services to remain relevant and valuable to their users.

In the 20th anniversary publication, "The First Twenty Years," it was evident that the focus of the PA during the earlier years was on addressing the challenges faced by Singapore, most of the efforts were spent on resolving deeply rooted communist issues and racial problems, and creating a sense of nationalism. The CC expansion served as a strategic tool to counteract the established support base of the communists and forge a cohesive society based not on ethnic or ideological lines. This corroborates with the literature, and as observed, the publication spent a significant amount of the book detailing the threats faced by the society at the time, with photos of communist graffiti and riots. Hence, the facilities in CCs at the time were simpler, designed primarily to provide a location within the masses for the PAP to exert its influence, and fulfil its society building agenda (C. M. Seah, 1973).

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2.3

Discussions

2.3.1 Heritage of Everyday Spaces and the relation to Community Centres Lily Kong and Brenda Yeoh (1995) highlighted that place is a repository of both individual and collective memories, which may evolve spontaneously or be imposed by the state. The fusion of personal and collective memory contributes to the creation of a place's meaning, as "cultures develop in places and are passed on in places." These place meanings are invested and invented by the people, as they are constructions that combine the daily experiences of the users and distilled memories. Hence places are closely tied to the community that utilises them, as they serve as the backdrop for shared narratives, which in turn help shape a location's identity (L. Kong and B. Yeoh, 1995). The close relationship between the general population and CCs ensures plentiful interactions between the people and the CCs. From participating in recreational activities, classes, sports, and dialogues with political leaders, the population has had plenty of experiences in the CCs, even until today. This understanding of place is particularly relevant to the assessment of the heritage of everyday spaces like CCs, where the shared narrative of the common people constitutes the identity of the place, in contrast to the identity of elite heritage such as palaces and monuments.

Kelvin E.Y. Low (2017) postulated that heritage creation is not just about preserving old buildings or sites but also about how people interact with these spaces and imbue them with meaning. He uses the term "concrete memories" to describe the sensory and embodied experiences that people have with everyday spaces, such as the smell of a favourite dish in a hawker centre or the sound of children playing at a local park. These concrete memories are essential because they help to create a sense of familiarity and ownership over these spaces, which in turn contributes to their heritage value. Through their interactions with CCs, the general population strengthens the cultural significance of these spaces and ensures their lasting impact on the community.

Considering the idea that the state plays a significant role in creating and shaping the heritage experience (L. Kong and B. Yeoh, 1995), it is important to consider the political aspect of this process. The state has the power and resources to define places and their meanings, and as a result, can influence how the public perceives and interacts with these spaces. To quote Kong and Yeoh: "there is politics, broadly defined, in the investment of meaning in places, whereby the powerful often have the wherewithal to define places and their meanings." One way to explore this concept further is to examine how the state's involvement in the establishment and management of CCs can affect their cultural significance and the shared narratives that emerge from them. By promoting certain activities, allocating resources, or providing specific services at CCs, the state can subtly guide the community's collective experience and memory formation within these spaces. This is clearly shown in the works by C. M. Seah and K. C. Ng, where the state deliberately curated the activities and spaces to achieve nation building and mass support garnering goals. This curation of experience shapes how the public perceives the heritage value of CCs, either fostering a sense of belonging and pride or creating a more contrived and orchestrated environment.

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Furthermore, the state can use its influence to preserve or alter the physical characteristics of heritage sites, thus directly affecting the heritage experience. Through the implementation of policies, regulations, and funding, the state can decide which buildings, landscapes, or cultural practices are considered worthy of preservation and promotion. This power to define what is deemed as 'heritage' allows the state to shape collective memory, highlighting certain aspects of history and culture while potentially downplaying or even erasing others.

2.3.2 Summary The chapter examines the development and functions of CCs in Singapore concerning society, politics, community, and identity creation. Early research focused on the role of CCs in nation-building, with emphasis on the importance of clearly defined boundaries, effective local leadership, and appropriate youth activities for community building. As the PA sought to transform the CCs' image in later decades, research shifted to evaluating their self-sufficiency in funding, impact on housing prices, and alignment with the changing needs of the population. Overall, CCs are found to play a vital role in fostering belonging, identity, and social cohesion in Singapore, with their effectiveness relying on adaptive management, community involvement, and alignment with the population's changing needs.

However, when discussing the heritage of CCs, it is important to note that CCs are everyday spaces, unlike grand and “elite” buildings such as palaces and city halls, where historical significance is salient. The heritage value of CCs forms from narratives, and individual and collective memories in creating a sense of belonging and identity in the community. The state's role in shaping the heritage experience is undeniable, revealing its influence on CCs' cultural significance and their shared narratives. Through the implementation of policies, regulations, and funding, the state can decide which aspects of heritage are considered worthy of preservation and promotion, affecting the collective memory and cultural identity of the community.

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CHAPTER 3: HERITAGE ARCHITECTURE 3.1

SIGNIFICANCE

OF

SPACE

AND

Introduction

As established in Chapter 2, the state prioritises the functions of the CCs and the human "software" (Y. S. Lee, 1989) in their development. Nonetheless, the functionality of CCs relies on the physical fabric in which they are executed, as spatial morphology impacts user experiences. Simultaneously, the form of the CCs, including their architectural design, layout, and aesthetic elements, plays a pivotal role in shaping these experiences by evoking a sense of identity, belonging, and memory. The architectural form can also influence user interactions, fostering social cohesion and promoting community involvement. Consequently, the space and architecture of the CCs should not be dismissed as secondary considerations.

The opening speech by then PM Lee Kuan Yew at the 1978 PA conference emphasised that although physical spaces could help to promote community cohesion, forming a cohesive community from strangers required more intricate human relationships. Subsequent PMs, who also chaired the PA’s Board, shared similar views. PM Goh Chok Tong mentioned in his message for the MPCB opening that the key to a successful CC lies in its people, not the building itself, despite considerable efforts put into the architecture of the building.

Contemporary messaging has continued to downplay the importance of architectural merits in favour of community engagement and social cohesion agenda. PM Lee Hsien Loong, in a 2020 publication, “Not just another grandpa story: People's Association 60 years of community building”, highlighted that CCs are defined by the community-building activities within them, not their architecture or amenities. The message consistently prioritises the socio-political functions of CCs over their architectural merits. However, it is important to note that CC facilities are always prominently displayed in public PA publications to inform residents of available amenities and attract them to the CCs. The 1989 PA conference on CCs in the 1990s marked a shift towards greater community involvement and representation in the development process. One of the recommendations adopted by the conference was: “1 Knowledge of Community Needs vi The Advisor, MC (Management Committee), Fund Raising Committee, and other civic organisations should be consulted before new CCs are built instead of leaving it entirely to the architect. The views of residents on the provision of facilities should also be sought to ensure that the facilities incorporated are best suited to their needs.”

The 1990s saw a significant shift in the approach to CC development, with an emphasis on inclusivity and catering to a more affluent population. The recommendation from the conference highlighted the importance of community involvement in the planning and architectural process, reflecting a break away from the hastily built, essential facilities style of CCs in earlier decades. According to PA’s 30th anniversary publication, "The People’s 20

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Association 1960-1990, 30 Years With The People," there was a notable change in viewing CCs not just as community spaces, but as venues that offered activities and services tailored to higher social classes, to attract more people to the CCs. This led to the renaming of some community centres as community clubs. Furthermore, the modern architecture and upscale facilities in the new community clubs were promoted to attract the increasingly affluent masses. This strategic shift underlined the growing importance of architecture and community engagement in the development of CCs during the 1990s and created many of the CCs we see today.

3.2

Development of Community Centres/Clubs Architecture

In the first decade, CC styles were classified as Standard or Rural type, where a Standard CC was constructed in concrete and came equipped with better equipment and facilities such as a community hall, rooms for activities and outdoor sporting courts. Whereas the Rural types are more temporary in nature and constructed in wood, with an office, a community hall and a television stand, and sporting courts in some (Yap, 1973). By 1970, there were 95 stand types and 92 rural types, this was a result of the electoral promise to bring CCs to the masses, even the remotest villages, hence less permanent structures are built in rural areas, to avoid wastage in the rural to urban movement of the masses and for ease of rapid construction (Seah, 1973). An analysis of the PA publications reveals that during the initial 20 years of CC construction (The First Twenty Years, People’s Association, 1980), the focus was on expanding the reach within the population. Consequently, the construction was simpler and aimed at providing basic community activity spaces such as communal halls and sports facilities.

Figure 3.1: Tanjong Pagar CC in 1965 (Source: remembersingapore.org, 2013)

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Figure 3.2: Ama Keng Village CC in 1960s, a village CC of simple hut structure with activity spaces inside. (Source: remembersingapore.org, 2013)

Figure 3.3: Photo of playground in early CCs for kindergarten children from PA 25th Anniversary Publication: 1960-1985, 25 years with the people (Source: The People’s Association, 1985)

These centres were rapidly established as the state sought to address the deeply rooted communist issues and racial tensions that troubled the nation in the early years of independence. The swift expansion of CCs served as a tool to counteract the strong base support the communists had established among the population. As a result, the facilities were 22

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more straightforward, designed to provide a location for the ruling party to project influence over the masses.

The lower quality of CCs built in the first decade were replaced by better facilities and aesthetics as the population grew more affluent (Yap, 1973). Mid 1970s saw the first major upgrading of CCs in Brauhaus fashion (V. Kong, 1994). Over the subsequent decades, community centres evolved to align with the needs and aspirations of political leaders and the public. A significant shift in architectural style occurred in the late 1980s when the concept of "Community Clubs" was proposed in the 1989 PA conference, and block splits were injected to create courtyards or internal spaces (V. Kong, 1994). Consequently, numerous CCs adopted the "Community Club" name. This rebranding coincided with the increasing affluence of the population, with CCs attempting to emulate the style of country clubs popular with the affluent at the time. In the PA publication "The People's Association 1960-1990, 30 Years With The People" (PA, 1990), the modernity and uniqueness of CC architecture was emphasised, and the sophistication of the facilities was showcased.

Figure 3.4: Kampong Kembangan Community Centre prior to the Alteration and Addition work done in 1990s. From “1960-1990, 30 Years from the People publication in 1990” (Source: The People’s Association, 1990)

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Figure 3.5: In the same book, the new community centres(clubs) will feature characteristic architecture and facilities to emulate the “poshness” of community clubs. (Source: The People’s Association, 1990)

Figure 3.6: A few CCs were constructed with distinctive designs, such as the “dougong”, characteristic of Chinese architecture seen in Yuhua CC. From “1960-1990, 30 Years from the People publication in 1990” (Source: The People’s Association, 1990)

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Figure 3.7: Changkat CC features vernacular Rumah Limas Style roofs and a nod to the village history of the area. From “1960-1990, 30 Years from the People publication in 1990” (Source: The People’s Association, 1990)

Figure 3.8: Eunos CC featuring a Minangkabau-styled roof in its design. From roots.gov.sg (Source: NHB, 2023)

Figure 3.9: Tampines North CC, displayed in the first page of the publication, with a mention of the modernity of its architecture, with fragmented blocks arranged in a playful manner. From “1960-1990, 30 Years from the People publication in 1990” (Source: The People’s Association, 1990)

Through PA’s publication, it is evident that it sought to redevelop CCs with each having a distinctive character to its design, a shift away from the simplistic and functional designs 25

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built in the first 20 years since PA’s creation in 1960, with the new CC designs featuring vernacular and ethnic themes, and upgraded facilities.

Figure 3.10: PA’s publication showcasing the different facilities to attract the community to use the facility. From “1960-1990, 30 Years from the People publication in 1990” (Source: The People’s Association, 1990)

In the late 1990s, a new concept of co-locating CCs with other civil functions was introduced in an effort to maximise space utilisation and offer a more comprehensive range of services to the public. This approach was quickly put into action, with an initial eight CCs redeveloped to incorporate additional facilities within the same building (The Straits Times, 1996).

Examples of such redeveloped CCs include the MPCB and Queenstown CC. These revamped CCs not only housed the traditional CC functions but also featured other civic amenities such as libraries, sports facilities, and public service offices. This co-location strategy proved to be successful and was subsequently adopted by many other CCs, transforming them into multi-functional centres that catered to the diverse needs of the community. As a result, the majority of CCs seen today embody this integrated approach.

In the following years, the CCs became increasingly integrated with other facilities and offered an even wider range of services to the community. This further integration manifests in the OTH, where collaborations with various state-managed entities created massive co-located community hubs in mixed-use developments, combining public amenities and private/public tenants in the same building, such as sporting facilities, polyclinics, community libraries, hawker centres and more are co-located in the same integrated development.

Figure 3.11: Photo of Tampines Hub Facade (Source: roots.gov.sg)

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The hub was first mooted in 2011 and construction works commenced after a series of public consultation sessions involving more than 15,000 Tampines residents (NHB, 2022). OTH was a large-scale development and the CC is just a small portion of the whole mixed-used development. Following the construction of Heartbeat@Bedok and Kampung Admiralty, these new forms of large scale community hubs in the 21st century are set to replace some of the CCs when they are slated for renewal and replace the traditional CC functions with other amenities as the main attraction, or it could be seen as an expansion of the socio-political function that the CCs fulfil.

3.2.1 Marine Parade Community Building The MPCB, completed in 1999, is a significant landmark in Singapore as it was part of the Community Centre Co-Location programme (The Straits Times, 1996). Initiated by then PM and MP for Marine Parade, Goh Chok Tong, the building integrates diverse programs - a CC, library, and non-profit theatre company, The Necessary Stage - within a single structure. This innovative approach aimed at fostering cross-institutional programming and maximising land-use. The funds for the CC was raised through corporate and individual donations (Appendix B), and the top donors were honoured in the opening ceremony souvenir.

Figure 3.12: Photo of MPCB at night, with the mural in the left side of the photo (Source: photo from Terrence Chua, screenshot from docomomo.sg)

Designed by pioneering architect William Lim, the MPCB showcases the influences of Postmodernism, Deconstructivism, and American architect Frank Gehry's work (Meyers, 2022). The central facade of the building features a large mosaic mural, The Texturefulness of Life, by Thai architect Surachai Yeamsiri, representing a groundbreaking integration of public art and architecture and is considered one of the largest public artwork in Singapore.

The MPCB marks an important milestone in the evolution of the CCs, and its architecture in Singapore. However, in April 2022, it was announced that the MPCB would be demolished due to maintenance issues and plans for an underground connection to an upcoming MRT station, despite calls for repair and adaptive reuse by Docomomo Singapore.

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3.3 Review of Literature on Form: Geography, Urban Planning, Architecture and Space In his bachelor thesis, Lee Wai Loon (1993) studied the CCs in both spatial and temporal dimensions, through the distribution of the CCs throughout history, and how it came to be distributed in such a manner. It was observed that the number of CCs underwent an explosion in the 1960s and 1970s, but as the political climate stabilised and urban renewal plans were better thought out, many older or smaller CCs were consolidated to better spend public funds and maximise land usage. Furthermore, as the CCs lacked other community needed facilities such as food centres, libraries and sporting complexes, CCs tend to be located in neighbourhood centres to consolidate community facilities to facilitate ease of access. Efforts were also made to locate CCs in prominent places to increase its visibility and hence awareness by the population. The author also noted that in the CCs studied, a significant number of participants in the activities are from outside the constituency, such as the Braddell Heights CC. This is contrary to K. C. Ng’s observation that CCs lacked clear physical boundaries, which is important for the residents to inculcate a sense of ownership over the CCs, where instead W. K. Lee argued that the fact that CCs had remained open to all and non discriminatory allowed CCs to maintain a high number of participation and fostering of community beyond geographical lines.

Figure 3.13: Screenshot of map showing spatial distribution of CCs in 1984 (Source: Lee, 1993)

Vanessa Kong (1994) looked into urban CCs and sought to redefine the concept of community in her design dissertation. Kong argued that the urbanisation of Singapore and the increasing middle class formed a new demographic of people that are more mobile and less bounded by the community of a village, their ties multiply as they interact with more people and are consequently weaker. The rural CCs benefit from the strong rural communal ties that are present in the villages, as they band together to combat perceived threats such as gangsterism and communist activities. However, the urban CCs do not share the same advantages, as the residential morphology changed from ground level dwellings in open village houses to vertical housing blocks. The residents lose the openness and trust of a rural village, as doors were shut to protect individual homes, increasing security but at the cost of neighbourliness. Also, the author noted that the fencing, and the hard and walled facade of CCs in the period contributed to the “enclosing” of the community space in the residential areas, the exclusivity further strengthened by changing the names from Community Centres 28

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to Community Clubs and imposing a small membership fee to create a club-like image. The author proposed a new morphology for CCs, one spread out in a street with individual buildings for different purposes, to create a porous integrative space for the residents and nearby business district workers.

CCs were massively expanded in response to social and political imperatives during the early years of nation-building. Consequently, the majority of academic studies have focused on their development, history, effectiveness, and efficiency. Researchers have examined the history, challenges, and trends that have shaped the evolution of CCs, how the CCs continued to serve political functions, as well as the societal impacts they have had on the nation.

Research conclusions trend towards recommendations for future development and management of CCs to better achieve the state's prescribed role of creating social inclusion and fostering a sense of community that transcends racial, ideological, and class divisions.

Consequently, there are less literature focusing on the form of the CCs, and even when it is discussed, literature eventually draws back to the functions of the CCs and how the form is or should be influenced by the functions. Understandably, as community based civic institutions, the functions of the CCs outweigh the form in which the edifices are presented, and as seen in the political intentions of the state, the development of CCs had rested primarily on the desire to fulfil state and community functions.

3.3

Discussions

3.3.1 Significance of CC Architecture in Relation to National Identity and Heritage The architecture of CCs has evolved significantly over the years, reflecting the changes in Singapore's society, economy, and political landscape. Early CC designs were utilitarian, serving the primary purpose of community building and fostering national identity. As Singapore prospered and society became more affluent, the architectural styles of CCs evolved to cater to the changing needs and expectations of the population. Several of these CCs showcase the influence of vernacular and ethnic architecture, intending for these buildings to evoke a sense of national identity and heritage. This is evident in the design of CCs such as Yuhua, Changkat, and Eunos, which incorporate traditional architectural elements such as Chinese "dougong" brackets, Malay Rumah Limas style roofs, and Minangkabau-styled roofs respectively. These design elements serve to evoke a sense of nostalgia and familiarity while fostering a connection to Singapore's diverse cultural roots.

Meanwhile, CCs such as the MPCB, OTH, and Heartbeat@Bedok illustrate a more contemporary approach, showcasing the influence of modern architectural styles and concepts. These designs reflect Singapore's progress and growth as a nation, as well as the state's commitment to providing high-quality, integrated facilities for the public. The architectural styles of these CCs not only demonstrate the evolution of the nation's built environment but also represent the ongoing process of nation-building and community development in Singapore.

As community spaces that have existed and evolved throughout Singapore's history, CCs hold significant heritage value for the nation. They not only serve as architectural landmarks but 29

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also embody the nation's collective memories, experiences, and aspirations. They reflect the state’s aspirations for the people and community of their time.

3.3.2 Summary Throughout the years, the space and architecture of CCs have played a pivotal role in shaping user experiences and fostering a sense of identity, belonging, and memory. As architectural landmarks, they hold significant heritage value, reflecting the changes and progress of Singapore as a nation. CCs have been instrumental in community building and fostering national identity by providing a physical space where people can come together and participate in various activities. Hence, the space and architecture of CCs are integral aspects of their overall significance and impact on Singapore's heritage and national identity. By acknowledging and preserving the architectural heritage of CCs, Singaporeans can better appreciate the role they play in the nation's history and ongoing process of community building and development.

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CHAPTER 4: ASSESSING PUBLIC PERCEPTIONS OF COMMUNITY CENTRE HERITAGE In the previous chapters, we have laid the foundations for understanding the heritage significance of CCs in Singapore. Chapter 2 delved into the evolution of CCs, exploring their development over time and socio communal significance, while Chapter 3 focused on the spatial and architectural factors contributing to their heritage value. As we move forward in this research, it will be useful to assess the extent to which these values are recognized and appreciated by the general public. This understanding will not only help us gauge public sentiment towards the preservation of CC heritage but also inform policy decisions aimed at promoting awareness and appreciation of these important community spaces.

Chapter 4 aims to explore the perceived heritage value of CCs among the general population, connecting the insights from Chapters 2 and 3 to public opinion. Rather than utilising curated surveys and interviews, which may skew respondents to attribute higher heritage value to CCs than they otherwise might, the research attempts to understand latent public perceptions of CCs in a more organic manner. To achieve this, we will examine social media where feedback and comments are provided without a prescribed structure, allowing individuals to express their opinions and sentiments freely. This approach offers a more authentic insight into how the community perceives the heritage significance of CCs in their daily lives.

4.1

Review of Related Literature

S. Münster, P. Utescher, and Y. Aydogan (2018) emphasised the effectiveness of data-driven and data-guided methods in identifying current topics and trends in digital heritage, particularly when analysing built heritage, which can be a complex research area. They explored various methodological approaches, such as trend analysis through questionnaires, quantitative bibliometric surveys, computer-linguistic methods, and machine learning. The paper’s insights into data-driven and data-guided methods for identifying topics and trends in digital heritage provides valuable context for the use of social media comments in textual analysis of perceived heritage. Through the use of these methods, patterns and trends can be revealed in otherwise unwieldy data that are impossible for a qualitative analysis, allowing a broad based and large scale understanding of the trends. However, the paper also emphasised the importance of “why” questions that are asked through more qualitative forms of research, as these large scale data do not allow a deeper understanding of each individual text. While data-driven and data-guided methods can help to identify patterns and trends in large amounts of data, they cannot provide insights into the underlying reasons for these patterns and trends.

V. Poulopoulos and M. Wallace (2021) showcased the effectiveness of data analytics and machine learning in analysing large cultural heritage datasets, identifying patterns that traditional methods may overlook. Their findings also suggest that machine learning algorithms can discern patterns in images of cultural artefacts or sites, and data analytics can reveal trends in visitor behaviour at heritage sites. These strengths underline the potential of using data from social media comments and NLP in heritage assessment.

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E. Cunliffe and L. Curini (2018) highlights the potential of social media platforms as valuable data sources for sentiment analysis in their study on the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and heritage destruction. The authors examine the rising trend of targeted heritage site destruction and publicity of the destruction by ISIS in Syria and Iraq. By utilising Twitter comments for sentiment analysis, the researchers were able to show that the majority of destruction were actually not publicised. And that the publicising of the destruction was conducted more for the wider Arabic world audience and the West, such as the attack on Palmyra, and not for their local audience, such as the destruction of local cemeteries and shrines.

In a token analysis of words used by the National Football League (NFL) in America, S. Sinclair and G. Rockwell (2016) discovered differences in the words used to describe NFL prospects of different races. White players were more likely to be described as "intelligent," while black players were more likely to be described as "natural", and this was made possible by large dataset analysis tools such as Voyant Tools, where a large number of texts could be analysed. The researchers suggested that these linguistic biases may reflect underlying racial stereotypes and showed the potential for digital humanities methods and tools to uncover hidden biases in various fields.

S. Stellacci and S. Moro (2022) also employed sentiment analysis to analyse online reviews of public exterior spaces in Italian heritage cities, revealing key factors influencing travellers' experiences, such as aesthetics, social interaction, mobility, amenities, safety, and destination loyalty. The study focused on 10 Italian heritage cities that were selected for their cultural value and also served as gathering places for multiple communities, such as public exterior spaces, specifically historic squares and railway stations. The study contributes to the research on using social media to understand public perceptions of heritage sites, as it demonstrated that analysing online reviews with sentiment analysis techniques can yield valuable insights into visitors' experiences, informing urban design, city planning, and heritage site management decisions to enhance the attractiveness and functionality of public spaces.

The literature above demonstrates the value and potential of data-driven methods, particularly machine learning, data analytics, and sentiment analysis, in examining various aspects of heritage, including public perceptions and visitor experiences, especially when applied to large sets of social media data, for understanding public perceptions and experiences related to heritage. They offer valuable insights into the factors influencing public sentiment and the potential for informing decisions related to heritage conservation, urban design, and city planning.

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4.2

Data Collection and Processing

4.2.1 Data Characteristics Google Maps reviews were chosen for its breadth of responses and less skewed nature of comments, these reviews are a user-generated feature within the Google Maps platform that allows users to provide feedback and rate businesses, landmarks, or points of interest.

Reviews typically consist of a written comment and a rating on a 1-5 star scale, with 5 stars being the best. These reviews serve as a source of information for other users looking for insights into a specific location, and unlike themed platforms such as Tripadvisor, the reviews are not slanted towards a specific purpose.

Figure 4.1: Screenshots of Google Maps reviews official policy from Google. (Source: support.google.com)

In addition to written comments, users can also upload photos to complement their reviews or share more detailed visual information about a location.

These reviews consist of structured data, such as star ratings and reviewer information, and unstructured data such as written comments, together this information allows owners to improve, and visitors to make informed decisions. Reviews are given by visitors of the CCs with a Google Account and the Google Maps application installed in their phones. Visitors are encouraged to leave reviews via the Local Guide programme, where the reviewing of location is gamified, and leaving reviews allow the user to increase in rankings and earn badges. In this research, two sets of data will be obtained： 1. Star Ratings → Structured data, a rating with a maximum of 5 and minimum of 1, both inclusive. Provides a generic grading of the CC, with 5 being the best and 1 being the worst possible score.

2. Text Comments → Unstructured data, consisting of written text in different languages, but majority in local English.

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4.2.2

Data Collection and Pre-processing

4.2.2.1 Collection Using the Apify Application's complimentary Google Maps Reviews Scraper trial, Google Maps Reviews for 110 CCs (Appendix C), which included 3 temporarily or permanently closed CCs, were collected from the period between 17th January 2011 and 13th February 2023. Of which, 84 are named Community Clubs, 22 Community Centres and 5 with unique naming conventions. The raw data is presented in a CSV format, with 57367 reviews for all the CCs listed out in individual rows.

4.2.2.2 Filtering The raw data has to be processed to facilitate the data analysis. Firstly, all collected reviews contain some form of individual information such as username, date & time of review, and whether the reviewer is a local guide, but only the text comments and star ratings will be extracted to simplify the analysis of the reviews. Secondly, all reviews by the visitors contain a star rating, but not all reviews have written comments, it is a feature of Google Maps, where users can just leave a star rating without providing any photos or written comments. Lastly, not all comments are given in English, and the translations provided by Google are rudimentary and unsuitable for the rigour of text analysis required. The data is filtered and processed in the following steps: Step Action

Intention

1

Text comments and Star ratings are extracted from the reviews

To remove irrelevant information and obtain an uncluttered set of data

2

Text Comments are filtered for null entries and non-english comments

To obtain a corpus of English only texts for the analysis of text comments

Table 4.1: Data processing steps in preparation for analysis

The filtered data is presented in Table 4.2, by this point, the star ratings of each CC can be clearly listed out (Appendix D) and will be analysed further in Chapter 4.3.

Data

Quantity

Data Type

Information

Star ratings

110

Floating point number

The star grading of each CC

Text comments

17765

String, in the form of sentences written in local English

English text comments given by the reviewers of the CCs, arranged by individual CCs

Table 4.2: Data characteristics after processing

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4.2.2.3 Pre-processing The pre-processing of the text comments involves 4 steps: 1. Tokenization Tokenization is the process of breaking down the text into smaller units, or tokens, which usually represent words, phrases, or symbols. This preprocessing step in text analysis organises and structures data for easier analysis, such as counting word occurrences and identifying patterns. Tokenization enables efficient data processing and helps derive meaningful insights by understanding the text's structure and meaning. In this case, comments from all CCs are combined and tokenized, forming a corpus of word tokens for later analysis; the same is done for comments for each individual CC. 2. Lowercasing Lowercasing is simply reducing all the words to lowercase, as the coding language recognises uppercase and lowercase as each unique, lowercasing the words standardises the token words, facilitating frequency analysis.

3. Stopword removal Stopwords are common words such as "and", "the" and "is", these words do not contribute significantly to the context of this paper. This is done using a list of preloaded stop words from the NLTK(Natural Language Toolkit) in python.

4. Lemmatization Lemmatization involves reducing words to their base or dictionary form, known as the lemma. For example, the words "visiting," "visited," and "visits" would all be transformed into their base form, "visit." Lemmatization aims to simplify the text by accounting for the different inflections and variations of words, allowing for more accurate and efficient analysis. This is done using NLTK’s WordNet, which is a lexical database of English.

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4.2.3 Data Processing The text comments are analysed using Word Frequency Analysis, word frequency is essentially counting the frequency of occurrence of each individual unique lemmatised word in a corpora, or tokens. The frequency of occurrence of the top 20 most common words are then plotted in a distribution graph, and a word cloud is generated for better visualisation of the distribution (Figure 4.2 and 4.3 in Chapter 4.3.1). The same is done for text comments of each individual CCs and the results are listed in Appendix F. This provides insights into the majority perceptions of CCs and general trends.

To enhance our understanding of the public perception of CCs, relevant text comments are extracted unprocessed and analysed qualitatively. The selection of these texts is based on a straightforward methodology involving the filtering of comments for specific keywords.

However, determining the most appropriate keywords for a theme such as heritage is itself a pertinent study, but it can be quite intensive to delve into for this research. Hence, due to time and resource constraints, this analysis uses only the names of major themes as keywords to streamline the word search process. The keywords used are: 1.

2.

3.

4.

“Heritage” “History” “Identity” “Architecture”

The same keywords are also used in full lowercase to search for comments.

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4.3

Data Analysis

4.3.1 Data Based Analysis The frequency distribution for all the CCs in general is as shown:

Figure 4.2: Frequency distribution of lemmatized words in text comments of all CCs in Singapore (Source: Author)

The analysis of the frequency distribution of words in the comments reveals a predominantly positive experience for visitors to the CCs. It's important to highlight that the term "place" appears with the highest frequency, a finding that is consistent with the frequency distribution of text comments for most of the CCs. The concept of place is integral to the heritage discourse, as it provides the setting, or media in which built heritage related inquiries are raised. The reactions of commenters mirror their expectations of the place, which is an important point to bear in mind when evaluating the data. Furthermore, “community” is also frequently used, signalling that the visitors are potentially aware of the communal functions of the CC, or at least are aware of it being a community place.

The most frequently used words are generally positive, such as "good", "nice", "great", "friendly", and "clean", signalling that visitors may generally have positive experiences at the CCs, fulfilling the first basic expectation of creating a communal space: the visitors have to have positive experiences when visiting the place to want to come back.

These words also resonate with another dimension of CCs: their role in offering facilities to the community. Terms like "court" and "vaccination" show that users are highly aware of the 37

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amenities available at the CCs. The occurrence of "vaccination" is the result of repurposing CCs as COVID-19 vaccination centres. This functional adaptation emphasises a vital aspect of CCs: their ability to provide flexible community spaces that can adapt in response to the evolving needs of the community and the nation as a whole. As public spaces, CCs play a crucial role in addressing immediate challenges and serving the community in various ways, the high frequency of vaccination related comments also serve as an important point for the CC managers to look into their vaccination procedures and how can it be better improved now and for the future.

Figure 4.3: Word Cloud of lemmatized words in text comments of all CCs in Singapore (Source: Author)

The word cloud generated tells a deeper story of the comments given for CCs. At a glance it seems like it is a “good” “place”, with mentions of the staff and cleanliness of the CCs and its facilities. Yet on closer inspection, there are comments that reflect differently, such as “old” and “small”, these may signal a different perspective on some of the CCs. Looking at the star ratings of the CCs (Appendix D), it aligns with the observation that while the vast majority of comments for CCs are positive, there are some that do not fare as well. 12 CCs scored a star rating of below 4, and a closer look at the token distribution of each CC (Appendix E), many of it aligns with the poorer performance in star ratings, with words alluding to issues such as unfriendly staff, old facilities and a small place. However, there are also a few others, such as Geylang West, One Punggol and Zhenghua, that do not reveal any insights into the CC.

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Interestingly, comments for some CCs are dominated by functions that deviate slightly from the general perception of the functions of these community centres. For example, Boon Lay CC's most frequent word is "pizza," while "food" is the top word for Bukit Panjang CC and Fernvale CC, "burger" for Fuchun CC, and "KFC" for Potong Pasir CC. It would be inaccurate to disregard this trend as irrelevant to the heritage and social functions of the CCs. As established in Chapter 2, the heritage of such everyday spaces is shaped by the collective memories of individuals. Consequently, these seemingly quirky characteristics can potentially serve as a unifying narrative for many individuals, as they contribute to the unique identity and experience of each community centre.

In CCs that are differently themed, such as Wisma Geylang Serai, the word “malay” appeared many times. The Wisma Geylang Serai was indeed developed as a civic centre with the intention to celebrate the heritage of Geylang Serai, and will be a window into the rich Malay arts and culture of the precinct (ARCASIA, 2013). The frequency analysis revealed that the visitors are indeed influenced or inculcated with the understanding of the CC as a focal point of malay culture and identity.

The use of large-scale data analysis methods has proven to be valuable in gaining insightful general observations about the CCs. These methods enable the processing of vast amounts of data and reveal overarching trends that may not be easily discernible through other means.

The positive experiences reported by visitors at the CCs demonstrate that these CCs are creating welcoming and inclusive spaces where people can engage with each other, learn new skills, and participate in a wide range of activities. Such large-scale data methods also offer the advantage of identifying patterns and correlations that may not be apparent through qualitative analysis alone. For instance, the frequency distribution of words in the text comments can help pinpoint specific aspects of the CC experience that resonate with visitors, such as the availability of diverse facilities or the friendliness of staff. This is important for assessing the perceptions of the large number of visitors to the CCs, providing the managers a broad understanding of the visitor perceptions.

On the other hand, these large scale methods struggle to delve deeper into the reasons behind the trends; it could serve to reveal potential trends, but not answer why. Hence qualitative reading of the comments will be fruitful in deepening the understanding of the visitor perceptions 4.3.2 Qualitative Analysis The comments extracted through keywords filtering in Chapter 4.2.3 could be seen in Appendix H, I, J and K. The text comments do not share the same broad based trends seen in Chapter 4.3.1, but reveal deeper understanding of some of the insights observed in the earlier chapters.

The text comments for Wisma Geylang Serai highlight its strong heritage narratives, with many visitors sharing information about the Malay Heritage Centre, the architecture, and community activities. The presence of the Malay Heritage Centre and the development's 39

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messaging is reflected in the significantly higher number of comments discussing the heritage of the CC, even more than the oldest CC, Tiong Bahru CC, in terms of numbers, depth and breadth of information. Corroborating the trend observed in the data analysis, where a significant number of Malay related comments are observed. Meanwhile, Kampong Ubi CC's comments also reveal the presence of a Malay Heritage Centre within the community centre, although these comments focus on criticising the poorly maintained facilities, shedding light on an area in need of improvement.

The comments on Tiong Bahru CC highlight the heritage value of the community centre, as well as its connection to the broader Tiong Bahru area. Mentions of heritage trails, heritage zones, and the larger Tiong Bahru estate demonstrate the cultural significance of this CC. Interestingly, the keyword search identified a few CCs not previously discussed, such as Queenstown CC and Sembawang CC, which may warrant further investigation into their heritage value.

Potong Pasir CC surfaced in the keyword search for "identity," where the previously mentioned "KFC" from Chapter 4.2.1 appeared again. The CC was also described as "rustic and charming," but lacking "a certain character and identity." Furthermore, Tiong Bahru CC and Wisma Geylang Serai consistently exhibited strong inclinations towards the heritage value of the CCs. Their narratives differ in that Tiong Bahru CC’s underlying reason seems to be due to its location and lengthy existence, as well as strong state narratives on its cultural significance. In contrast, Wisma Geylang Serai, built in 2018 (The Straits Times, 2019), seems to serve as a focal point for channelling the Malay heritage narratives in Geylang Serai, despite its relatively recent construction. This demonstrates the diverse ways heritage can be embodied and experienced in different community centres.

4.3.2.1 Architecture In evaluating the architectural significance of the CCs (Appendix K), several observations were made. For CCs such as Bukit Batok, Chua Chu Kang, Nanyang, Nee Soon East, Tampines West, Tiong Bahru, and Yuhua, there were only positive mentions of their architecture, but without specifics regarding the reasons for this positivity. In contrast, other CCs like Buona Vista, Fernvale, and Tampines West provided more detailed insights into the merits of their architectural features, with comments highlighting modern facilities and spaciousness.

Interestingly, Eunos CC and Yuhua CC, which were previously mentioned in Chapter 3 for their unique ethnic-themed architecture, surfaced again in the keyword extraction. While the comment on Yuhua CC simply noted that the architecture was "nice," it reaffirmed the CC's unique Chinese-themed character, indicating that the public recognises the effort made to provide a distinct character. Conversely, Eunos CC presents a paradox: it has the lowest star rating, yet both the literature analysis in Chapter 3 and the text comments in Appendix K signal the CC's strong architectural character. This could suggest that the star rating may not correlate with the architectural merits of a CC, or that other factors, such as the provision of 40

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facilities (which has always been PA's main priority), may outweigh architectural merits when determining star ratings.

Lastly, a significant number of text comments mentioned Tanglin CC, discussing its unique architecture and heritage. These comments connected the colonial style of the architecture to a colonial heritage. However, Tanglin CC is a newly built facility, designed to mimic colonial styles (K. Karamjit, 1998) and evoke a sense of affluence similar to nearby country clubs such as Raffles Town Club; it was never a heritage building. The text demonstrate that a sense of identity and heritage can be artificially constructed through the design of the CC, making it a potential case study for further exploration into how the state can shape identity and heritage by manipulating the form of a building. This observation connects to the point made in Chapter 2, where the collective narratives and memories of the masses can be influenced to create a sense of heritage in everyday spaces.

Figure 4.4: Photo of Tanglin CC (Source: People’s Association)

4.3.2.1 Summary of Qualitative Analysis The qualitative analysis provides a deeper understanding of the insights observed in earlier chapters, revealing more about the heritage narratives, architectural significance, and the connection between identity and design in various community centres. Wisma Geylang Serai and Tiong Bahru CC consistently showed strong inclinations towards heritage value, with the former focusing on Malay heritage despite being a newer CC, while the latter drew its significance from its location, length of existence, and strong state narratives. The architectural analysis highlights positive mentions for several CCs, with others, like Buona Vista, Fernvale, and Tampines West, showcasing more specific features like modern facilities 41

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and spaciousness. Tanglin CC showed an example of how the state can artificially construct a sense of identity and heritage through design, warranting further investigation. The qualitative review complements the observations from the quantitative analysis well, by providing an alternative perspective to the general trends observed in large scale data methods.

4.4

Summary

This chapter investigates public perceptions of CC heritage in Singapore by examining Google Maps reviews and connecting insights from previous chapters on CC evolution, development, and architectural significance. Related literature on data-driven methods, machine learning, data analytics, and sentiment analysis applied to heritage studies were also reviewed, emphasising the value and potential of such methods in understanding public perceptions and experiences related to heritage.

The study processed and analysed 110 star ratings and 17,765 English text comments, by tokenizing the text comments and accounting for the frequency distribution of unique words.

Furthermore, relevant comments are extracted for qualitative analysis using keywords like "heritage", "history", "identity", and "architecture", hence insights into public sentiment are presented both quantitatively and qualitatively.

The frequency distribution reveals a predominantly positive experience for visitors to the CCs, with "place" appearing as the most frequent term. The frequency distribution suggests a correlation between visitor satisfaction and the availability of diverse facilities and friendliness of staff. The word cloud generated from the comments provides deeper insights into visitor perceptions of the CCs, and some of the comments on CCs are dominated by functions that deviate slightly from the core purposes of these community centres, such as food-related comments, and its potential for the construction of common memories and narratives for the masses are noted.

Overall, the combination of quantitative and qualitative methods provides a comprehensive understanding of public perceptions of community centre heritage in Singapore in breadth and depth, highlighting the importance of visitor satisfaction, availability of diverse facilities, and the role of CCs in offering flexible community spaces that can adapt in response to the evolving needs of the community and the nation as a whole.

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CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION 5.1

Summary

5.1.1 Chapter 2 Chapter 2 provides an overview of the historical development of CCs in Singapore and presents the socio-political functions the CCs play in the nation-building process of early Singapore until today. These CCs are everyday spaces and the heritage value of these spaces are mainly influenced by the collection of experiences and interactions that the population had with the CCs. Hence this chapter further showed the kind of experiences the population had with the CCs, and how these experiences can amalgamate to form a common narrative of the CCs, albeit with some form of artificial manipulation by the state.

5.1.2 Chapter 3 Chapter 3 looks into the form of the CCs, to understand the CCs from a Geographical, Architectural and Planning perspective. And while the leaders of PA have always talked about the architecture of the CCs as secondary to the functions it serves to the people, PA still spends considerable efforts in ensuring that the spatial design of the CCs attracts the population and serves them well. It is undeniable that the form provides the material fabric in which the CCs perform its functions and where the population build experiences in the CCs, hence the chapter emphasises on the material fabric of the CCs and how it is interacted with by the state and population.

5.1.3 Chapter 4 Chapter 4 attempts to assess the extent in which the population perceives the heritage value of the CCs, through the assessment of Google Maps Reviews, the research sought to understand the public perceptions of the heritage value of CCs, without the potential biases of themed platforms and curated surveys. Through analysis of the frequency distribution of unique words in text comments, broad trends were discovered. And relevant original text messages were extracted using keywords of common themes and used in a qualitative review to gain deeper insights into the trends observed in earlier chapters.

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5.2

Main Findings

The findings from the research could be summarised into the following three facets: Firstly, is the shaping of heritage experience by the state. The CCs have been, since its conception, a construct that is heavily influenced by the state, and the state could be observed to be manipulating the experiences of the population in various stages of the research. Such as the curation of activities to fulfil certain nationalistic agendas (Chapter 2), the deliberate rebranding and redesign of CCs to emulate a country club experience (Chapter 3), and how the perceived narratives of heritage by the population could be moulded by the state, such as in Wisma Geylang Serai and Tanglin CC (Chapter 4). The finding does not serve to vilify the state when assessing heritage, but rather provide a nuanced understanding of how heritage experience is created.

Secondly, the research provides the first broad-based attempt to understand the heritage of CCs in Singapore, an area of study that is not well researched. The CCs have been closely intertwined with the development of the nation and the experiences of the population, and it is established in the research that there is heritage significance in the CCs. Hence it is warranted that the heritage of CCs should be assessed in the development process of CCs. Thirdly, the research employed a 3 pronged approach in heritage assessment: 1) review of written texts, 2) quantitative analysis of large scale data and 3) qualitative inquiry into the insights revealed from the previous 2 prongs. It has been shown that the findings gained from the different prongs could be used to deepen insights, or challenge the observations made from other prongs. Thus strengthening the robustness of heritage assessment in each of the 3 approaches.

5.3

Limitations

A few limitations of the research is noted: 1. Consultations with stakeholders from state institutions The research was conducted without consultation with the state stakeholders, thus the insights obtained about the state’s intentions and perceptions are not corroborated by the state actors themselves, and insights into certain intentions are based on logical deductions by the author, from reviewing the publications and messages of the state stakeholders.

2. Limited reading of publications from PA and CCs The PA and CCs have produced many publications over the course of their creation.

Collectively, these publications constitute a large volume of texts, from conference papers, sponsored research to individual CC publications, and it would be very difficult to obtain and consume the large body of texts over the 14 weeks of the semester. Hence the reading of these publications are based on material that is more relevant to the research and consumable within the time period.

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3. Data collection may not be a balanced representation of demographics Lastly, the data obtained for chapter 4 is based on Google Maps reviews, which may exclude certain demographics of the population that do not have access to digital platforms or are not aware of the functions of the platform. And thus could not contribute to the corpora of texts obtained for the analysis.

5.3

Recommendations and Conclusion

In conclusion, this paper explores the heritage value of CCs in Singapore by conducting a desktop research of written material, and examining visitors' perceptions of these spaces.

Through a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, the study reveals the diverse ways heritage is embodied and experienced in different community centres. The findings highlight the importance of community centres as inclusive spaces that foster positive experiences and promote social cohesion. The paper also underscores the potential for architectural design to shape perceptions of heritage and identity. Overall, the study contributes to a better understanding of the role of community centres in Singapore's heritage discourse, and provides insights for improving their management and design in the future.

To gain a more comprehensive understanding of the heritage value of CCs, further quantitative and qualitative research is recommended. This could involve exploring other NLP methods for data analysis, such as sentiment analysis, text classification, and topic modelling. It is also suggested that a qualitative review of structured data sources, such as structured interviews with stakeholders and visitors, be conducted. Additionally, it would be beneficial to investigate more CCs beyond those included in this study to expand the scope of the research and capture a more diverse range of perspectives. Lastly, the results of the analysis in Chapter 4 is included in the appendices, and could be used by wiser ones to gain further insights into the subject.

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CHAPTER 6: BIBLIOGRAPHY 60 years of Community Centres. Remember Singapore. (2022, January 11). Retrieved from https://remembersingapore.org/2013/03/24/history-of-community-centres/#:~:text=The% 20idea%20of%20community%20centres,centres%20in%20the%20early%201950s ARCASIA. (2013, November 4). Design competition for Wisma Geylang Serai (WGS).

ARCASIA. Retrieved from https://www.arcasia.org/events/zone-activities-news/zone-b/225-design-competition-forwisma-geylang-serai-wgs.html Chandran, R. (2019, January 3). No rest for the dead: Singapore digs up graves for Highways.

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Retrieved from https://mothership.sg/2017/01/3-reasons-why-we-can-be-optimistic-about-dakota-crescen ts-conservation/ Cogn. Comput. 2022, 6, 73. https://doi.org/10.3390/bdcc6030073 Cunliffe, E., & Curini, L. (2018). Isis and Heritage Destruction: A sentiment analysis.

Antiquity, 92(364), 1094–1111. https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2018.134 Data in Cultural Heritage: The Past, the Present, and the Future. Big Data Forthcoming (2011) in K. Hawley and F. Macpherson (eds.) The Admissible Contents of Experience, Wiley‐Blackwell.

Gong, Z. X. (2018). Quantifying Community Bonding: Impact of Community Centers on Public Housing Prices (dissertation).

Graham, B., & Howard, P. (Eds.). (2016). The Ashgate Research Companion to Heritage and Identity. Routledge.

Hafizur, R. (2012). A Framework for Digital Heritage Interpretation (dissertation).

Kong, L., & Yeoh, B. S. A. (1995). The Meanings and Making of Place: Exploring History, Community and Identity. In Portraits of Places (pp. 12–23). essay.

Kong, V. (1993). Redefining the Concept of Community: An Urban Community Centre (dissertation).

Lee, S. (n.d.). Digitalisation of the National Colleciton: Challenges and Opportunities, 67–77.

Lee, W. L. (1992). Community Centres/Clubs of Singapore: Spatial Patterns and Functions (dissertation). National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.

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Lien, C. J. G. (1994). Community Clubs & Centres, The Ins & Outs (dissertation).

Lim, M. Z. (2019, January 13). Community clubs have special role as second home to residents: PM Lee Hsien Loong. The Straits Times. Retrieved from https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/community-clubs-have-special-role-as-second-ho me-to-residents-pm-lee-says-at-upgraded-teck Lim Chin Teong (1978) Programming and Organisation of Community Centre Activities in the 1980s, In The role of community centres in the 1980s, (pp. 108-115). The People’s Association.

Lipe, W. D. (n.d.). Value and meaning in cultural resources. In Cultural Values (pp. 1–10). essay.

Low, K. E. Y. (2017). Concrete memories and sensory pasts: Everyday Heritage and the politics of nationhood.

Pacific Affairs, 90(2), 275–295. https://doi.org/10.5509/2017902275 Meyers, J. (2022, December 15). Marine Parade Community building. Docomomo Singapore.

Retrieved from https://www.docomomo.sg/modernist-100/marine-parade-community-building Münster, S., Utescher, R., & Ulutas Aydogan, S. (2021). Digital topics on cultural heritage investigated: How can data-driven and data-guided methods support to identify current topics and trends in digital heritage?

Built Heritage, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s43238-021-00045-7 National Heritage Board. ROOTS. (2020, November 20). Retrieved from https://www.roots.gov.sg/en/places/places-landing/Places/landmarks/tiong-bahru-heritage -trail/tiong-bahru-community-centre National Library Board.

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Ng, K. G. (2022, October 11). Marine Parade Community Building and its mural wall to go, despite calls to retain them. The Straits Times. Retrieved from https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/community/marine-parade-community-building-a nd-its-mural-wall-to-go-despite-conservationists-wishes Ocon, D. (2021) Digitalising endangered cultural heritage in Southeast Asian cities: Preserving or replacing?

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People’s Association. (December 1980) The First Twenty Years. People’s Association, Kallang, Singapore 1439, Republic of Singapore.

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Poulopoulos, V.; Wallace, M. Digital Technologies and the Role of Rashith, R. (2019, January 28). Newly launched Wisma Geylang Serai to be a social and cultural hub for all Singaporeans: Lee Hsien Loong. The Straits Times. Retrieved from https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/newly-launched-wisma-geylang-serai-to-be-a-soc ial-and-cultural-hub-for-all-singaporeans S. Vasoo. (1994) Neighbourhood Leaders’ Participation in Community Development. Times Academic Press.

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Schreibman, S., Siemens, R. G., Unsworth, J., Sinclair, S., & Rockwell, G. (2016). Text Analysis and Visualization: Making Meaning Count. In A new companion to Digital Humanities (1st ed., pp. 274–290). essay, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Seah, C. M. (1975, March). Review of Community Centres in Sg: Their Political Involvement. Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, 6(1), 104–105.

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Smith, M. K. (2012, December 31). Community Centres (centers) and associations: Their history, theory, development and Practice. infedorg. Retrieved from https://infed.org/mobi/community-centers-and-associations/ Stellacci, S., & Moro, S. (2022). Travellers’ perspectives on historic squares and railway stations in Italian heritage cities revealed through sentiment analysis. Journal of Urban Design, 28(2), 174–198. https://doi.org/10.1080/13574809.2022.2097903 The Straits Times.

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Retrieved from https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19950626-1.2.38.1 2?ST=1&AT=search&k=Use+CCs+for+other+purposes+too&QT=use%2Cccs%2Cfor%2 Cother%2Cpurposes%2Ctoo&oref=article The Straits Times.

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Yap, B. T. (n.d.). Community Centres in Singapore with Special Emphasis on Efficiency (dissertation).

Yuen, S. (2018, March 8). Parliament: Grassroots Advisers appointed to fulfil mission of government of the day, says Chan Chun Sing. The Straits Times. Retrieved from https://www.straitstimes.com/politics/grassroots-advisors-are-appointed-to-fulfil-missionof-government-of-the-day-chan-chun-sing

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APPENDICES APPENDIX A: Facebook comments on MPCB Upgrading Notice by the Marine Parade official account and Darren Soh’s post on the redevelopment of MPCB * All comments were shown, usernames are not collected to protect individual identity Marine Parade Official Facebook Account The facade is a downgrade however - Please consider retaining diversity and allude to the culture from Katong. No need to make everything homogenous!

Was there for my booster in Feb. Heavy rain that morning and water was seeping from the ceiling. Pails were placed all over to collect the rainwater.

It is so bland, no personality. Exactly a place where you would imagine a child forced to give up their hobbies and interest to sign up for more nonsense enrichment programmes..

This is so sad

😭😭😭 RIP old and iconic facade...

would appreciate if the new design was as interesting as the existing one, no need to make it look so modern!

The current facade was so unique, I wish the new look would have kept that spirit

🙂

if the design has not been finalised, i’m sure the residents of marine parade would appreciate if the design was revised The proposed facade is uninspiring and drab. A mature estate like ours could do with an infusion of colour.

Hello! Where will the vaccination service be relocated to?

Will the community be able to be part of the design process or provide our input on the design in any way?

Will it have integrated facilities including swimming pool like heartbeat@bedok?

Trace token replacement services will be done where ?

😊😊😊

Tan See Leng im sure residents and u will be looking forwards . Dr tan.

New community centre and I will be looking forwards the new library to read book in 2025

😅📖

Milan Gharat Darren Soh’s Facebook Post on MPCB renovation The hype was considerable: 'It will be the most significant piece of public art ever in Singapore. It even has the potential to be the Southeast Asian version of the Southeast Asian version of the Sistine Chapel in Italy.' -- Alan Rubenstein of La Salle-SIA College of the Arts.

In the end, 66 entries were received, of which 40 were from Singapore. The winning artist's statement: 'a mix of materials to reflect the eclectic mix of traditional and high tech environments in Singapore. As for the video screen, he explained that it will serve to flesh activities in the club to passersby.'

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-'Marine Parade's Going Big on Art', Sunday Times, November 8, 1998 of this has no economic values, it will be removed

😊

The administrators definitely not in sync and totally ignorant with what Darren stated as the storied past. So much was put in not to mention the $30k prize for the winning entry. What is even more worthy to mention is that the use of tiles on external facades are generally not allowed by the authorities as a result of falling tiles at the NEA on Scotts Road. This explains why an Ang Moh building technologist was specially engaged to review and analyse the structural integrity of our entire system. One very high merit was the size of each mosaic. It was as tiny as 10mm which translates to small surface area and the probability of debonding close to zero. Even should it fall its not going to hurt. I believe this got them The All Mighty to grant the waiver

😂

We have a serious problem in that our leaders do not understand nor appreciate heritage. This is the problem when we have a bunch of ex-military men running the country.

Real stupid idea to remove the artwork National library red brick was made to give way too iconic too.

I remember this building when I was in architecture school. It redefined our local CC typology. What a pity it's not conserved.

So many art aficionados here! I lived across from this and I'll be frank - over time it became an eyesore. The facade is hard to maintain, and with the rain Singapore gets, it started looking grimy quite early on. The leaf motif for the roof didn't function well as a roof. Rain would still make it through different spots.

Thanks for bringing up the history of the piece. I am thankful for the time it was there, but I am glad that it is going to make way for the work of the next generation.

Sad to see this go, thank you for this!

Elevate this Landmark Art as part of the East Coast Plan Thank you. This was one of our favorite places as a family and it’s so sad this beautiful art work will be destroyed!

Another piece of contemporary architecture which will be destroyed instead of understanding it. Time to review URA policies about refurbishing buildings.

If it's so iconic why waste money n tear it down? Y not maintain n conserve?

The mural deserves to be saved. It's iconic, and pioneered the idea that CCs can have buildings that look fun. I wonder if those who made the decision ever lived in the east. The place is meaningful to many Marine Paraders.

I think this warrants a rethink to the redevelopment plans Such a waste to let the iconic mural to be buried with history. Should be conserved as much as we can here.

22 years already??!!

What a pity that so much of our architecture is condemned to be demolished, "improved" or altered beyond recognition The mural can be relocated to the Founders Memorial together with its fascinating piece of history.

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It will be a shame to see this go... hopefully the relevant authority can look into how to preserve Miss studying there!!! Eileen Poh Thank you Darren for bringing me to places digitally. If not for your photographs I would never have been to see so many interesting things which were part of our history I hope the Govt will consider maintaining the iconic shape of the building. It is a nice piece of art.

Sent this to Kasan.

Hope it can be transformed into Tampines Hub II with fabulous library !

🤦🤷

Untill now here still no direct MRT line.. u build or demolished also wasting people money Chantal Sajan Just drove past this morning… (1 July) Not many people know this history! I too didn’t know the judging panel was helmed by TK Sabapathy! I It is such a shame that nothing more is done to co-locate this artwork elsewhere.

Great programming aside (including The first Starbucks and a top notch gym back then) , this artistic inclusion really made a standout difference from all other rather regular-looking hubs you mentioned.

I really like the building facade. Though the roof was not designed for 20 years of heavy rain. The leaks have become really obvious from the number of buckets lying around when I was last there to take the covid jabs.

I think it's sacrilegeous to remove the facade. To me it is an East Coast facade that draws its inspiration from its environment. There are subtle touches of this all over, in very abstract forms. The architectural form itself is very sculptural in nature, and it remains memorable.

With HDB blocks as it's backdrop, the building is refreshingly different.

Noooo :( i used to hang out at the library there all the time after school in primary school.

This makes me so sad This current party only know how to demolish things.

Oh no! I remembered when the building opened. There was this very innovative LED information display strips running across the facade mural. The black and red strips was very avant- grade at the time because CCs then unusually use the tacky cloth banners to display their courses and events and everytime my dad drives pass the building to enter ECP (i stay in Kembangan) I would plaster my face on the car windows to admire the building. It’s very sad to see such an iconic building to go…

Oddly enough, the CC near me, tampines North CC also is undergoing upgrading. It wasn't exactly old in my opinion, the last time it was upgraded was like 2010s or something?

Could the buildings not be maintained instead? Or were materials back then only able to last some 20 odd years?

52

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

I rememberedthe LED light went out pretty early and have been removed.

It has served its time… really needs a facelift. The roof was leaking onto everyone going there for vaccinations!

Darren, thank you for the background research. I wonder how the mural could be retained and incorporated into the new building? Perhaps like the Cathay Building facade?

Thank you for the background information, Darren! Forget history and cultural legacy; architecture here is mere function and utility … not memories.

Iconic timeless design, bitter sweet memories of this place. Wish part of the facade can be preserved in situ or in other institutions They should gazette the facade as a national monument for conservation, just as they gazetted Cathay's front facade of its theatre building. This has as much social and cultural significance to its community as did Cathay.

Kagan Goh The iconic old National Library they just simply demolished what is a mural to them?

Thank you Darren for this post. This mural was constructed in in-Situ GFRC and finished in glass mosaics from Mexico which I supplied and installed during my Builders Shop days.

Six artisans were imported from Mexico supplemented by another 6 in-house craftsman of ours hailing from Philippines.

Without doubt this was my most memorable project throughout my 40 years. It was a public tender but then Mr William Lim requires the tender submissions to come complete with a miniature of an image he produced. Ours was the clear winner as the pixels were very high.

We won by the price bid too though and it was such a sweet win because we were just $1k+ higher. The tender evaluation did not stop here. A building consultant was specifically engaged to review and analyse our method statement.

We survived all including the installation phase where the Main Contractor added additional challenges.

Elise Benjamin so sad Very sad. Nothing lasts in Singapore... https://www.clayarchitecture.com/blog/article/singapores-largest-piece-installation-art-set-dis appear B.k. Tham Kua Bin Hui Sadly very poorly maintained today. Roof is rusting, cracks in concrete, multiple trip hazards from missing tiles and hidden steps... not good at all.

Pepita Theresa Elise Chia “Funnily, the footprint and tenants of the building as well as its height will remain unchanged.”

If I understand correctly, The Necessary Stage will be losing their space. https://coconuts.co/singapore/lifestyle/theatre-company-evicted-from-home-of-20-years-lays -out-nomadic-plans/ 53

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

Again… another unnecessary change…

The roof design is very bad as fallen leaves are trapped on it giving it a somewhat dirty look.

Even strong winds can't dislodged them. It remained there till it rot for a long period and can never be clean. Unless physically you climbed onto the roof to sweep the leaves away which never happened. i actually remember the version BEFORE this orange one. it was where i hung out growing up!

I guess the dad thing about Singapore is the calculus for history vs land development always comes out in favor development. Guess that's just the way for a place with limited land.

Such a shame.

You made this building so iconic! Reminds me the organic form of MOMA of Seattle.

54

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

APPENDIX B: MPCB Big Donors List

55

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

APPENDIX C: List of CCs and number of Google Reviews collected for each CC

No CC Name

Number of Comments Community 19

19

Changi Simei 230 Community Club

20

Chong Pang 133 Community Club

21

Eunos Community Club 20

1

Aljunied Centre

22

Dover Centre

Community 23

2

ACE The Place 174 Community Club

23

Clementi Centre

Community 237

3

Ang Mo Kio 108 Community Centre

24

Fengshan Club

Community 56

4

Anchorvale Community 226 Club

5

Ayer Rajah Community 195 Club Community 428

6

Bedok Centre

25

Fernvale Community 322 Club / Hawker Centre & Market

Community 469

26

7

Bishan Club

Fuchun Club

27

8

Boon Lay Community 86 Club

Gek Poh Ville 77 Community Club Chua Chu Kang 261 Community Club

9

Braddell Heights 12 Community Club

28 29

Wisma Geylang Serai

10

Bukit Batok 160 Community Club

30

Ci Yuan Community 1089 Club

11

Bukit Merah 59 Community Centre

31

Geylang West 54 Community Club

12

Bukit Batok Community Club

32

Henderson Community 101 Club

13

Bukit Timah 197 Community Club

33

Hillview Club

14

Bukit Panjang 214 Community Club

34

Hong Kah North 259 Community Club

15

Buona Vista 319 Community Club

35

Hougang Club

Community 109

16

Cairnhill Club

36

Hwi Yoh Community 60 Centre

Community 282

17

Canberra Club

37

Joo Chiat Community 42 Club

18

Cheng San Community 132 Club

38

Jalan Besar Community 227 Club

39

Jurong Green 217 Community Club

East 168

Community 126

676

Community 119

Community 317

56

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

40

Jurong Spring 125 Community Club

61

Nee Soon Link 10 Community Centre

41

Kampong Chai Chee 8 Community Centre

62

Nee Soon South CC

74

63

One Punggol

217

42

Kaki Bukit Community 76 Centre

64

Nee Soon Community Club

43

Kallang Club

65

Pasir Ris Elias 244 Community Club

44

Kampong Glam 93 Community Club

66

Pasir Ris Community Club

45

Kampong Kembangan 97 Community Club

67

Paya Lebar Kovan 65 Community Club

46

Kampong Ubi 108 Community Centre

68

Pek Kio Centre

47

Katong Centre

69

Potong Pasir 233 Community Club

48

Keat Hong Community 277 Club

70

Punggol 21 Community 292 Club

49

Kim Seng Community 77 Centre

71

Punggol West 24 Community Centre

50

Kebun Bahru 218 Community Club

72

Punggol Club

51

Leng Kee Community 28 Club

73

Queenstown Community Centre

52

MacPherson Community Club

74

Radin Mas Community 216 Club

53

Marine Parade 174 Community Club

75

Rivervale Club

54

Marsiling Club

76

Sembawang Community Club

55

Marymount Community 105 Club

77

Sengkang Club

Mountbatten Community Club

57

56

78

Siglap Community Club 59

57

Nee Soon Central 94 Community Club

79

Siglap Centre

58

Nanyang Club

80

Senja-Cashew Community Club

59

Kreta Ayer Community 54 Centre

81

Siglap South 73 Community Centre

60

Kolam Ayer 121 Community Club

82

Tampines Central 89 Community Club

Community 155

Community 40

220

Community 130

Community 242

East 304

East 316

Community 129

Community 16 210

Community 63 126

Community 362

Community 70 354

57

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

83

Taman Jurong 215 Community Club

97

The Serangoon 302 Community Club

84

Tampines Changkat 68 Community Club

98

Toa Payoh Community Club

85

Tampines Community Club

99

Toa Payoh South 42 Community Club

86

Tampines North 102 Community Club

Toa Payoh West 234 100 Community Club

87

Tampines West 48 Community Club

Ulu Pandan Community 127 101 Club

Community 106

88

Tanglin Club

West Coast Community 170 102 Centre

89

Tanjong Pagar 228 Community Club

Woodgrove Community 24 103 Centre

90

Teck Ghee Community 262 Club

Whampoa Community 193 104 Club

imPAct@Hong Green

Lim 23

91

Woodlands Community 247 105 Club

92

Telok Blangah 48 Community Club

Yew Tee Community 209 106 Club

93

The Frontier 118 Community Club

Woodlands Galaxy 266 107 Community Club

Thomson Club

Community 1

94

Yio Chu Kang 105 108 Community Club

Toa Payoh Central 28 Community Club

109 Yuhua Community Club 200

95 96

Tiong Bahru 111 Community Centre

East 36

Zhenghua 110 Club

East 58

Community 146

58

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

APPENDIX D: List of CCs, arranged by star rating

No CCs Thomson 1 Club

Stars Community 5

2

Kampong Chai Chee 4.9 Community Centre

3

imPAct@Hong Green

4

Leng Kee Community 4.5 Club

5

Punggol Club

6

Jalan Besar CC

7

Kolam Ayer Community Club 4.4

8

Nee Soon Link 4.4 Community Centre

9

Radin Mas Community 4.4 Club

Lim 4.7

Community 4.5 4.4

Taman Jurong 4.4 Community Club 10 Tampines West 4.4 Community Club 11 Tanjong Pagar 4.4 12 Community Club Anchorvale Community 4.3 13 Club Braddell Heights 4.3 14 Community Club Cairnhill Community Club 4.3 15 Hougang Community 4.3 16 Club Katong Community 4.3 17 Centre Kebun Bahru Community 4.3 18 Club Marine Parade 4.3 19 Community Club

Punggol West 4.3 20 Community Centre Senja-Cashew 4.3 21 Community Club 22 Siglap Community Club 4.3 Siglap South Community 4.3 23 Centre Tampines East 4.3 24 Community Club Teck Ghee Community 4.3 25 Club Telok Blangah 4.3 26 Community Club Toa Payoh West 4.3 27 Community Club 4.3 28 Wisma Geylang Serai Woodlands Galaxy 4.3 Community Club 29 ACE The Place 4.2 30 Community Club Ayer Rajah Community 4.2 31 Club Bedok Community 4.2 Centre 32 33 Bishan Community Club 4.2 Boon Lay Community 4.2 34 Club Bukit Timah Community 4.2 35 Club Buona Vista Community 4.2 36 Club Changi Simei 4.2 Community Club 37 Ci Yuan Community 4.2 38 Club Clementi Community 4.2 39 Centre Dover 40 Centre

Community 4.2 59

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

Hillview Community 4.2 Club 41 Hong Kah North Community Club 4.2 42 Keat Hong Community 4.2 43 Club

Bukit Batok Community 4.1 62 Club Bukit Panjang Community Club 4.1 63 Canberra Community 4.1 64 Club

Nanyang Community Club 4.2 44 Nee Soon Central 4.2 45 Community Club

Cheng San Community 4.1 65 Club Chong Pang Community 4.1 66 Club

Nee Soon East Community Club 4.2 46 Pasir Ris Elias 4.2 47 Community Club Potong Pasir Community 4.2 48 Club Punggol 21 Community 4.2 49 Club Queenstown Community 4.2 50 Centre

67 Fuchun Community Club 4.1 Gek Poh Ville 4.1 Community Club 68 Henderson Community 4.1 69 Club Jurong Green 4.1 70 Community Club

Sengkang Community 4.2 Club 51 Tampines Changkat 4.2 52 Community Club 53 Tanglin Community Club 4.2 The Frontier Community 4.2 54 Club The Serangoon 4.2 Community Club 55 Tiong Bahru Community 4.2 56 Centre

71 Kallang Community Club 4.1 Kampong Kembangan Community Club 4.1 72 Kim Seng Community 4.1 73 Centre Kreta Ayer Community 4.1 74 Centre MacPherson Community 4.1 75 Club Pasir Ris East 4.1 76 Community Club

Toa Payoh Central 4.2 Community Club 57 West Coast Community 4.2 58 Centre Woodlands Community 4.2 59 Club 60 Yuhua Community Club 4.2

Pek Kio Community 4.1 77 Centre Rivervale Community 4.1 78 Club Toa Payoh South 4.1 Community Club 79 Whampoa Community 4.1 80 Club Yew Tee Community 4.1 81 Club

Ang Mo Kio Community 4.1 61 Centre

Bukit Batok Community Club 82

East 4 60

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

Bukit Merah Community 4 83 Centre Chua Chu Kang Community Club 4 84 Fengshan Community 4 85 Club Joo Chiat Community 4 86 Club Jurong Spring 4 87 Community Club Kaki Bukit Community 4 88 Centre Kampong Glam 4 89 Community Club Kampong Ubi Community Centre 4 90 Marsiling Community 4 Club 91 4 92 Nee Soon South CC

Marymount Community 3.9 103 Club Mountbatten Community 3.9 104 Club 3.9 105 One Punggol Siglap Community 3.9 106 Centre Tampines Central 3.9 Community Club 107 Ulu Pandan Community 3.9 108 Club Zhenghua 109 Club

Community 3.9

110 Eunos Community Club 3.8

Paya Lebar Kovan 4 93 Community Club Sembawang Community 4 94 Club Tampines North 4 Community Club 95 Toa Payoh East 4 96 Community Club Woodgrove Community 4 97 Centre Yio Chu Kang 4 98 Community Club Aljunied Community 3.9 Centre 99 Fernvale Community Club / Hawker Centre & 3.9 100 Market Geylang West 3.9 101 Community Club Hwi Yoh Community 3.9 102 Centre 61

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

APPENDIX E: CCs below 4 stars Aljunied Community Centre (3.9 stars)

Fernvale Community Club / Hawker Centre & Market (3.9 stars)

Geylang West Community Club (3.9 stars)

62

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

Hwi Yoh Community Centre (3.9 stars)

Marymount Community Club (3.9 stars)

Mountbatten Community Club (3.9 stars)

63

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

One Punggol (3.9 stars)

Siglap Community Centre (3.9 stars)

Tampines Central Community Club (3.9 stars)

64

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

Ulu Pandan Community Club (3.9 stars)

Zhenghua Community Club (3.9 stars)

Eunos Community Club (3.8 stars)

65

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

66

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

APPENDIX F: Word Frequency Analysis for each CC Aljunied Community Centre 19 comments 274 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

ACE The Place Community Club 174 comments 1286 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

67

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

Ang Mo Kio Community Centre 108 comments 800 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

Anchorvale Community Club 226 comments 1875 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

68

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

Ayer Rajah Community Club 195 comments 1798 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

Bedok Community Centre 428 comments 3793 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

69

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

Bishan Community Club 469 comments 4148 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

Boon Lay Community Club 86 comments 761 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

70

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

Braddell Heights Community Club 12 comments 74 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

Bukit Batok Community Club 160 comments 1525 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

71

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

Bukit Merah Community Centre 59 comments 539 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

Bukit Batok East Community Club 168 comments 1096 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

72

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

Bukit Timah Community Club 197 comments 1752 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

Bukit Panjang Community Club 214 comments 2004 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

73

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

Buona Vista Community Club 319 comments 2488 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

Cairnhill Community Club 109 comments 947 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

74

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

Canberra Community Club 282 comments 2711 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

Cheng San Community Club 132 comments 958 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

75

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

Changi Simei Community Club 230 comments 1921 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

Chong Pang Community Club 133 comments 958 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

76

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

Eunos Community Club 20 comments 318 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

Dover Community Centre 23 comments 130 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

77

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

Clementi Community Centre 237 comments 1796 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

Fengshan Community Club 56 comments 416 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

78

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

Fernvale Community Club / Hawker Centre & Market 322 comments 7661 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

Fuchun Community Club 126 comments 1135 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

79

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

Gek Poh Ville Community Club 77 comments 565 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

Chua Chu Kang Community Club 261 comments 2163 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

80

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

Wisma Geylang Serai 676 comments 6209 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

Ci Yuan Community Club 1089 comments 10539 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

81

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

Geylang West Community Club 54 comments 314 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

Henderson Community Club 101 comments 799 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

82

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

Hillview Community Club 119 comments 1033 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

Hong Kah North Community Club 259 comments 2223 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

83

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

Hougang Community Club 317 comments 2711 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

Hwi Yoh Community Centre 60 comments 556 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

84

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

Joo Chiat Community Club 42 comments 528 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

Jalan Besar Community Club 227 comments 1939 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

85

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

Jurong Green Community Club 217 comments 1566 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

Jurong Spring Community Club 125 comments 819 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

86

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

Kampong Chai Chee Community Centre 8 comments 147 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

Kaki Bukit Community Centre 76 comments 404 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

87

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

Kallang Community Club 155 comments 1238 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

Kampong Glam Community Club 93 comments 695 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

88

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

Kampong Kembangan Community Club 97 comments 619 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

Kampong Ubi Community Centre 108 comments 1037 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

89

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

Katong Community Centre 40 comments 330 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

Keat Hong Community Club 277 comments 3255 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

90

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

Kim Seng Community Centre 77 comments 557 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

Kebun Bahru Community Club 218 comments 2108 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

91

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

Leng Kee Community Club 28 comments 316 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

MacPherson Community Club 220 comments 1638 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

92

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

Marine Parade Community Club 174 comments 1477 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

Marsiling Community Club 130 comments 996 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

93

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

Marymount Community Club 105 comments 1329 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

Mountbatten Community Club 57 comments 404 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

94

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

Nee Soon Central Community Club 94 comments 722 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

Nanyang Community Club 242 comments 1860 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

95

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

Kreta Ayer Community Centre 54 comments 323 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

Kolam Ayer Community Club 121 comments 910 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

96

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

Nee Soon Link Community Centre 10 comments 80 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

Nee Soon South CC 74 comments 566 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

97

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

One Punggol 217 comments 3160 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

Nee Soon East Community Club 304 comments 2824 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

98

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

Pasir Ris Elias Community Club 244 comments 2031 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

Pasir Ris East Community Club 316 comments 2839 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

99

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

Paya Lebar Kovan Community Club 65 comments 596 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

Pek Kio Community Centre 129 comments 1162 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

100

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

Potong Pasir Community Club 233 comments 2091 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

Punggol 21 Community Club 292 comments 2559 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

101

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

Punggol West Community Centre 24 comments 275 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

Punggol Community Club 16 comments 241 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

102

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

Queenstown Community Centre 210 comments 2000 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

Radin Mas Community Club 216 comments 1894 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

103

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

Rivervale Community Club 63 comments 838 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

Sembawang Community Club 126 comments 1075 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

104

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

Sengkang Community Club 362 comments 3109 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

Siglap Community Club 59 comments 716 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

105

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

Siglap Community Centre 70 comments 427 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

Senja-Cashew Community Club 354 comments 3585 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

106

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

Siglap South Community Centre 73 comments 692 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

Tampines Central Community Club 89 comments 695 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

107

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

Taman Jurong Community Club 215 comments 1958 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

Tampines Changkat Community Club 68 comments 446 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

108

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

Tampines East Community Club 36 comments 320 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

Tampines North Community Club 102 comments 669 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

109

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

Tampines West Community Club 48 comments 389 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

Tanglin Community Club 106 comments 1136 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

110

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

Tanjong Pagar Community Club 228 comments 2163 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

Teck Ghee Community Club 262 comments 2457 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

111

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

imPAct@Hong Lim Green 23 comments 316 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

Telok Blangah Community Club 48 comments 620 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

112

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

The Frontier Community Club 118 comments 1069 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

Thomson Community Club 1 comments 203 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

113

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

Toa Payoh Central Community Club 28 comments 263 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

Tiong Bahru Community Centre 111 comments 1050 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

114

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

The Serangoon Community Club 302 comments 2763 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

Toa Payoh East Community Club 58 comments 538 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

115

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

Toa Payoh South Community Club 42 comments 501 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

Toa Payoh West Community Club 234 comments 2449 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

116

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

Ulu Pandan Community Club 127 comments 1006 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

West Coast Community Centre 170 comments 1409 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

117

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

Woodgrove Community Centre 24 comments 265 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

Whampoa Community Club 193 comments 1484 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

118

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

Woodlands Community Club 247 comments 1788 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

Yew Tee Community Club 209 comments 1573 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

119

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

Woodlands Galaxy Community Club 266 comments 2385 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

Yio Chu Kang Community Club 105 comments 854 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

120

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

Yuhua Community Club 200 comments 1495 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

Zhenghua Community Club 146 comments 1212 tokens Word Frequency Distribution Table

Word Cloud Presentation

121

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

APPENDIX G: Top 20 token words mentioned in individual CCs (arranged in order, top left highest frequency) No

CCs

Token words

1

Aljunied Centre

2

ACE The Place place, good, nice, community, cc, food, indian, facility, Community Club great, gym, badminton, restaurant, well, parking, lot, wa, staff, friendly, kns, people

3

Ang Mo Kio place, good, nice, gym, staff, wa, cc, old, community, &, Community Centre went, course, lot, basketball, court, great, toilet, centre, event, location

4

Anchorvale Community Club

5

Ayer Rajah Community place, nice, good, food, community, basketball, cc, court, Club great, ha, badminton, staff, well, facility, friendly, wa, indoor, play, centre, chicken

6

Bedok Centre

Community place, good, community, wa, vaccination, bedok, han, nice, staff, centre, well, went, cc, lot, service, ha, many, food, one, friendly

7

Bishan Club

Community starbucks, place, community, nice, good, bishan, cc, well, club, ha, activity, gym, great, centre, many, bus, wa, located, n, went

8

Boon Lay Community pizza, good, community, hut, wa, staff, play, place, nice, Club basketball, boon, centre, machine, ha, activity, atm, facility, cc, even, badminton

9

Braddell Heights staff, helpful, jalan, environment, nice, wa, renovating, Community Club closed, renovation, liao., meeting, mp, go, nex, mall, shopping, oh, yeah..for, sure, bradell

10

Bukit Batok place, good, nice, staff, community, food, many, wa, Community Club friendly, service, bukit, activity, great, batok, coffee, !!, old, shop, resident, cc

11

Bukit Merah table, community, cc, badminton, old, staff, court, place, Community Centre hall, tennis, bukit, merah, play, nice, good, center, many, activity, ha, area

12

Bukit Batok East place, good, staff, cc, community, nice, burger, gym, Community Club friendly, king, activity, great, service, quite, time, quiet, many, token, lot, helpful

13

Bukit Timah well, place, wa, cc, good, nice, vaccination, community, Community Club staff, service, club, went, badminton, n, friendly, clean, bukit, timah, vaccine, great

Community community, wa, service, good, aljunied, friendly, dog, staff, cc, customer, owner, mean, side, centre, open, u, counter, pretty, rude., around

place, swimming, nice, good, pool, great, community, sport, gym, cc, ha, facility, wa, club, badminton, activity, one, food, many, staff

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Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

14

Bukit Panjang food, good, place, nice, cc, stall, community, coffee, shop, Community Club staff, ha, basketball, centre, activity, lot, wa, panjang, many, court, well

15

Buona Vista good, wa, place, nice, community, staff, vaccination, cc, Community Club basketball, went, booster, service, great, centre, activity, ha, friendly, well, court, time

16

Cairnhill Club

Community nice, place, newton, great, good, community, court, basketball, near, facility, lot, cafe, centre, cc, parking, food, quite, cc., many, badminton

17

Canberra Club

Community place, good, community, nice, wa, post, vaccination, well, cafe, police, went, cc, service, centre, staff, ha, sembawang, booster, posb, office

18

Cheng San Community good, community, nice, place, cc, staff, activity, ang, mo, Club kio, friendly, walk, need, cheng, available, mrt, many, event, food, facility

19

Changi Simei place, nice, good, food, community, library, staff, stall, wa, Community Club cc, n, great, simei, char, well, one, court, centre, coffee, small

20

Chong Pang place, good, community, chong, pang, friendly, staff, Community Club activity, cc, great, toilet, need, yishun, nice, lot, court, sport, ha, market, centre

21

Eunos Club

Community community, eunos, cc, &, place, basketball, still, nice, court, badminton, tour, guide, coach, resident, sheltered, open, call, worst, centre, hold

22

Dover Centre

Community small, community, nice, place, friendly, local, many, good, useful, given, shop, staff, activity, around, here., centre, lot, hdb, well, really

23

Clementi Centre

Community place, good, community, staff, vaccination, wa, well, nice, friendly, went, cc, centre, new, time, organised, need, great, facility, service, note

24

Fengshan Community community, place, good, badminton, nice, activity, Club basketball, court, resident, lot, light, subway, club, great, cc, hall, went, people, facility, area

25

Fernvale Community food, stall, hawker, wa, good, place, centre, price, chicken, Club / Hawker Centre spacious, nice, one, new, noodle, long, mee, variety, curry, & Market many, clean

26

Fuchun Club

27

Gek Poh Ville place, good, cc, nice, friendly, wa, food, community, staff, Community Club gek, poh, great, plus, badminton, many, singpass, password, service, quite, much

28

Chua Chu Kang place, good, community, staff, cc, nice, people, court, Community Club activity, centre, old, friendly, ha, wa, course, need, toilet, many, basketball, one

Community good, burger, king, place, cc, nice, community, longer, wa, staff, facility, friendly, ha, cc., one, centre, lot, located, n, many

123

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

29

Wisma Geylang Serai

place, nice, good, malay, food, community, geylang, serai, wa, many, new, event, lot, clean, wisma, shop, n, great, ha, spacious

30

Ci Yuan Community food, good, hawker, place, nice, stall, clean, variety, centre, Club many, great, lot, community, price, food., ha, mee, choice, one, wa

31

Geylang West good, wa, community, many, place, activity, nice, session, Community Club still, centre, clean, old, bad, machine, resident, every, tuesday, long, ok., need

32

Henderson Community place, good, community, nice, wa, one, staff, badminton, Club centre, friendly, cny, new, note, q, basketball, ha, police, activity, -, cc

33

Hillview Club

34

Hong Kah North wa, vaccination, place, good, community, nice, well, cc, Community Club staff, went, vaccine, activity, many, lot, friendly, covid, vaccination., booster, service, center

35

Hougang Club

36

Hwi Yoh Community cc, good, place, nice, basketball, transport, ha, staff, friendly, Centre small, community, centre, event, nearby, deposit, asked, $30.00, said, many, two

37

Joo Chiat Community community, cc, friendly, joo, well, place, chiat, club, Club badminton, many, good, district, lot, gym, here., chinese, one, find, rubbish, old

38

Jalan Besar vaccination, good, wa, staff, well, place, nice, friendly, Community Club community, went, service, cc, covid, centre, vaccination., jab, process, mrt, lavender, clean

39

Jurong Green place, good, community, nice, jurong, cc, ha, staff, pizza, Community Club clean, food, domino, wa, great, n, domino's, centre, basketball, lot, facility

40

Jurong Spring place, nice, community, good, new, ha, renovation, many, Community Club club, clean, centre, basketball, cc, toilet, nearby, hawker, great, facility, play, newly

41

Kampong Chai Chee service, samsia, m, step, staff, tax, centre, helpful, friendly, Community Centre professional, comfortable, last, time, visited, place, friend, recommended, regarding, income, matter

42

Kaki Bukit Community good, centre, place, community, cc, staff, renovation, Centre renovation., badminton, activity, nice, went, friendly, still, next, year, free, bedok, currently, people

43

Kallang Club

Community place, nice, community, cc, hillview, friendly, new, cafe, facility, court, staff, wa, many, well, one, club, centre, elizabeth, estate, best

Community place, vaccination, good, wa, nice, well, community, staff, went, hougang, service, clean, cc, vaccine, club, ha, centre, one, covid, cafe

Community place, good, community, food, nice, staff, great, club, many, n, friendly, wa, service, shop, court, activity, cc, location, clean, boon 124

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

44

Kampong Glam good, friendly, food, place, nice, activity, community, centre, Community Club center, hawker, tennis, court, wa, ha, staff, went, club, run, senior, singapore

45

Kampong Kembangan place, nice, good, community, great, well, activity, cc, wa, Community Club quite, kembangan, court, place., vegetarian, badminton, covid, walk, center, club, ha

46

Kampong Ubi place, good, community, wa, ha, old, nice, great, facility, Community Centre court, pizza, cc, n, parking, come, wedding, basketball, quite, run, day

47

Katong Centre

48

Keat Hong Community place, bowling, good, level, community, lot, nice, great, cc, Club ha, alley, many, court, wa, basketball, facility, food, free, starbucks, lift

49

Kim Seng Community helpful, staff, good, community, friendly, nice, cc, wa, Centre center, court, small, place, centre, staff., activity, token, one, basketball, great, service

50

Kebun Bahru place, community, good, nice, burger, cc, wa, food, staff, Community Club great, well, vaccination, basketball, fast, facility, new, went, centre, court, friendly

51

Leng Kee Community place, nice, court, community, good, many, people, staff, Club floor, basketball, n, helpful, leng, kee, room, class, best, ha, badminton, book

52

MacPherson Community Club

53

Marine Parade library, good, community, place, cc, nice, court, well, Community Club badminton, staff, great, facility, basketball, marine, parade, need, service, library,, centre, covid

54

Marsiling Community place, cc, community, went, old, good, nice, staff, parking, n, Club need, quite, well, friendly, centre, wa, park, come, marsiling, vaccination

55

Marymount Community Club

parking, nice, place, cc, community, wa, park, building, new, good, car, hdb, centre, find, marymount, place., facility, food, public, staff

56

Mountbatten Community Club

place, basketball, nice, court, good, cc, great, ha, play, will, old, 2, service, well, place., badminton, -, toilet, torn, make

57

Nee Soon Central place, yishun, good, great, staff, nice, friendly, cc, room, Community Club clean, helpful, community, new, here., well, wa, kid, cosy, study, function

58

Nanyang Club

Community place, nice, activity, centre, good, great, community, &, class, much, school, speed, staff, place., friendly, cc, offer, well, wide, need

place, good, community, court, nice, basketball, activity, great, cc, staff, many, centre, new, helpful, badminton, &, facility, lot, ha, wa

Community place, nice, good, community, food, wa, cc, clean, subway, well, kfc, staff, friendly, will, many, gym, vaccination, lot, center, shop 125

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

59

Kreta Ayer Community place, community, clean, helpful, around, good, staff, center, Centre went, wa, cc, go, nice, heart, centre, service, customer, activities., time, please

60

Kolam Ayer nice, place, good, well, vaccination, wa, community, covid, Community Club clean, centre, new, service, cc, n, vaccine, ., staff, went, take, badminton

61

Nee Soon Link place, yishun, best, many, center, community, centre, people, Community Centre star,, eat., eatery, there., arrange, anything., singpass, done, le, 10, minutes., majulah

62

Nee Soon South CC

place, cc, community, good, service, posb, helpful, club, nice, clean, wa, police, kfc, staff, got, bus, nothing, normal, facility, great

63

One Punggol

food, hawker, place, one, punggol, will, open, good, centre, stall, nice, new, lot, center, wa, look, great, library, parking, community

64

Nee Soon East place, good, yishun, wa, cc, nice, went, community, court, Community Club staff, basketball, friendly, vaccination, great, well, badminton, pizza, clean, people, bus

65

Pasir Ris Elias place, nice, good, community, vaccination, cc, wa, great, Community Club well, went, food, many, ha, clean, elia, big, activity, n, staff, vaccination.

66

Pasir Ris East food, place, good, community, nice, police, stall, cc, court, Community Club wa, ha, ri, pasir, polyclinic, friendly, centre, well, n, great, many

67

Paya Lebar Kovan good, place, nice, cc, community, play, activity, court, Community Club facility, well, badminton, -, ha, basketball, staff, awesome, lot, wa, booked, clean

68

Pek Kio Community good, place, badminton, wa, nice, community, &, court, cc, Centre staff, water, go, floor, small, great, 4, wooden, centre, food, course

69

Potong Pasir place, kfc, good, cc, wa, community, nice, ha, staff, potong, Community Club pasir, court, vaccination, friendly, basketball, n, went, gym, sheng, well

70

Punggol Community Club

71

Punggol West wa, staff, great, friendly, helpful, n, class, help, ha, nice, Community Centre good, refund, there,, know, issue, much, looking, thank, well, love

72

Punggol Club

73

Queenstown Community Centre

21 place, good, community, wa, staff, went, punggol, nice, well, friendly, cc, great, study, time, many, class, activity, food, lot, centre

Community staff, study, area, helpful, place, cc, nice, friendly, open, one, club, wa, free, area., people, token, good, field, convenient, will place, wa, good, well, staff, vaccination, community, nice, great, vaccination., cc, centre, friendly, parking, went, ,, clean, covid, booster, n 126

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

74

Radin Mas Community wa, good, place, nice, community, went, vaccination, clean, Club cc, well, staff, club, vaccine, facility, renovated, newly, booster, radin, covid, ma

75

Rivervale Community cc, place, nice, community, rivervale, child, open, music, Club food, good, wa, activity, lot, facility, centre, 2, new, holiday, given, -

76

Sembawang Community Club

77

Sengkang Community place, good, community, nice, study, police, sengkang, cc, Club great, staff, post, free, wa, lot, polyclinic,, club, shopping, service, food, got

78

Siglap Club

Community new, nice, place, sheng, n, cc, good, supermarket, community, basketball, wa, badminton, great, bowling, even, staff, siong, open, court,, room

79

Siglap Centre

Community good, community, cc, place, old, court, nice, building, new, great, n, badminton, quiet, staff, friendly, car, basketball, many, lot, newer

80

Senja-Cashew Community Club

81

Siglap South good, staff, cc, course, friendly, community, wa, nice, class, Community Centre place, great, activity, helpful, siglap, kid, &, parking, many, centre, clean

82

Tampines Central food, place, court, good, community, stall, tampines, Community Club supermarket, level, ntuc, fish, ,, nice, great, 2, wa, looking, one, club, much

83

Taman Jurong good, place, community, wa, jurong, cc, staff, taman, Community Club vaccination, nice, centre, activity, many, food, service, clean, friendly, ha, one, well

84

Tampines Changkat friendly, staff, good, place, wa, community, old, basketball, Community Club nice, badminton, event, toilet, helpful, cc, court, one, level, well, run, facility

85

Tampines East wa, staff, good, booster, friendly, people, cc, take, shot, 1, Community Club food, well, helpful, another, provide, vaccination, healthcare, worker, walk-in, stating

86

Tampines North burger, king, place, cc, community, nice, staff, activity, good, Community Club ha, free, quiet, wa, restaurant, lot, centre, facility, friendly, quite, service

87

Tampines West place, food, good, ha, nice, subway, community, starbucks, Community Club many, toilet, cc, basketball, court., court, eatery, arnold, level, awesome, around, staff

88

Tanglin Club

place, community, cc, good, nice, wa, quite, badminton, court, staff, old, club, lot, sembawang, quiet, great, experience, go, small, facility

nice, swimming, place, pool, good, wa, community, great, well, cc, clean, court, food, badminton, bukit, panjang, n, many, pool,, friendly

Community community, good, place, nice, club, cc, facility, wa, staff, martial, lot, one, friendly, basketball, service, art, court, activity, class, badminton 127

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

89

Tanjong Pagar good, place, nice, community, wa, vaccination, well, staff, Community Club singpass, covid, vaccine, centre, service, cc, went, go, people, activity, got, badminton

90

Teck Ghee Community place, vaccination, wa, nice, good, community, staff, clean, Club well, cc, went, centre, friendly, new, one, activity, many, teck, ghee, great

91

imPAct@Hong Green

92

Telok Blangah nice, old, good, place, kee, chang, community, clean, toilet, Community Club court, wa, food, great, centre, telok, will, small, n, well, c.

93

The Frontier place, library, community, jurong, good, wa, nice, centre, cc, Community Club point, go, frontier, badminton, staff, located, really, book, music, read, big

94

Thomson Community bishan, playground, thomson, garden, north, walking, Club distance, upper, park, ming, cafe, house, within, te8, lotus, pond, sport, temple, shopping, mall

95

Toa Payoh Central toa, payoh, police, walking, distance, new, station, many, Community Club food, clean, community, service, centre, central, busy, ha, shop, nice, place, cc

96

Tiong Bahru place, nice, community, wa, good, staff, basketball, center, Community Centre centre, bahru, play, tiong, helpful, activity, friendly, clean, cc, heritage, ,, see

97

The Serangoon good, place, nice, vaccination, wa, staff, well, cc, Community Club community, many, shop, went, vaccination., service, pet, clean, ha, one, go, covid

98

Toa Payoh East good, cc, staff, place, community, friendly, course, need, Community Club hall, old, area, show, toa, payoh, east, ha, go, exercise, keep, helpful

99

Toa Payoh South good, badminton, community, need, staff, wa, basketball, Community Club well, clean, facility, old, nice, lot, toa, court, friendly, went, place, play, class

100

Toa Payoh West wa, place, nice, vaccination, community, good, staff, cc, Community Club went, friendly, well, covid, ha, gym, club, centre, clean, came, one, court

Lim place, great, gym, good, nice, workout, wa, facilities,, staff, new, facility, equipment, back, definitely, recommend, workout!, now., maybe, pretty, pa

101 Ulu Pandan place, community, good, nice, cc, renovation, staff, club, Community Club friendly, court, one, people, go, building, many, play, gym, centre, still, will 102 West Coast Community community, place, basketball, good, nice, burger, facility, Centre king, staff, cc, centre, great, court, newly, wa, badminton, activity, &, service, food 103 Woodgrove Community Centre

cc, good, staff, community, place, centre, one, small, void, &, course, room, bus, attentive, make, unfriendly, dislike, way, block, stop 128

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

104 Whampoa Community community, place, nice, good, activity, club, facility, cc, post, Club n, clean, centre, atm, ha, badminton, court, office, new, resident, service 105 Woodlands Community place, burger, king, good, community, nice, staff, food, cc, Club great, ha, woodland, clean, well, friendly, booster, mrt, wa, service, centre 106 Yew Tee Community place, good, cc, police, tee, community, yew, nice, ha, court, Club basketball, post, wa, vaccination, service, centre, facility, staff, clean, ok 107 Woodlands Galaxy place, nice, wa, community, good, subway, vaccination, cc, Community Club went, time, staff, vaccine, got, here., liho, well, mrt, admiralty, great, police 108 Yio Chu Kang cc, good, place, community, staff, centre, wa, activity, Community Club helpful, great, event, hawker, nice, food, yio, chu, kang, class, people, & 109 Yuhua Club

Community good, place, nice, community, cc, activity, staff, wa, friendly, vaccination, well, covid, n, many, club, great, lot, service, went, police

110 Zhenghua Community place, good, community, food, wa, cc, nice, coffee, one, Club police, atm, shop, staff, facility, ha, posb, &, zhenghua, friendly, new

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Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

APPENDIX H: List of text comments with the mention of the word “Heritage” Wisma Geylang Watch out for malay heritage centre and arranged walkabout tours...

Serai malay art gallery.. badminton courts... saap saap thai (its taste nicer here)..great carpark area... free big screen movies.. (even world cup football screenings)... karaoke rooms.. etc etc lots of food outlet potential..

Wisma Geylang Community Centre and Malay heritage space. This is one of the Serai fancier community spaces out there.

Wisma Geylang Wisma Geylang Serai (WGS) is the community civic and cultural Serai centre in the heart of Geylang Serai precinct. A multi-agency development that celebrates the heritage of Geylang Serai communities, and encourages social interactions and community bonding among different communities of all ages and races. It consists of eateries, a place for you to relax and watch the big screen programme on the ground level. You can also find a few business kiosk selling different kinds of item. Can also hold an event here.

Right now there is an event happening on the 4th floor. The event is 'SeniKita'. An event that showcases the arts of the Malay Community here. It is happening now till 2nd Jan 2022. It also has a small garden on the 4th floor as shown in the picture below.

Wisma Geylang Nice place with several eateries. Designed to bring out the Malay Serai cultural heritage. Was bustling with activity. Vaccination Centre too.

Wisma Geylang Malay heritage ct Serai Wisma Geylang Heritage place.will come again spending more time.

Serai Wisma Geylang This is. New community club with Malay heritage architecture. It is Serai beautiful Wisma Geylang It's our national heritage rich in Malay culture. Anyone who visits Serai Singapore need to make an effort to visit this location. It is modernised to accommodate a library and some restaurants that serve local food. Not to be missed.

Wisma Geylang New heritage site. Communities to have bonding and create events Serai Wisma Geylang Love the spaciousness of the place, which makes the place cooling Serai and windy. The design is also rich with Malay heritage. We also enjoyed the little roof garden cum galleries on level 4.

Wisma Geylang Nice place, history and some heritage on Malay Muslim.

Serai 130

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

Wisma Geylang Wisma Geylang is a heritage place there are some restaurants here Serai and also Marrybrown a fast food chain restaurant.. The toilets r in ok condition but they closed early during season time. Only 1 nursary room but most of the time cleaners will lock the doors so that they dont hv to do extra cleaning i guess..

Wisma Geylang Okay the place was nice and the heritage gallery was very lovely Serai Wisma Geylang Wisma Geylang Serai Heritage Galley. Very proud of my Malay Serai heritage. The place was very informative about geylang serai market Wisma Geylang Wisma Geylang Serai Heritage Galley. Very proud of my Malay Serai heritage. The place was very informative about geylang serai market Wisma Geylang Newly built, a stand-alone CC, with a heritage gallery Serai Wisma Geylang They have shops and restaurants here. They also often hold cultural Serai activities. You can learn more about Geylang Serai at the heritage gallery on the 1st floor. It is free and has interesting items on display, which comes with explanations in malay and English. It is linked to the Geylang Serai market via a bridge on the 2nd floor.

Wisma Geylang Heritage of malay Serai Wisma Geylang New landmark for Malay Heritage.Eateries & fast food can be found Serai though a bit pricey as compared to surrounding.Maybe it's air cond & newer. Occasionally bazar stalls will be there to attract passer by.

Convenient location just opposite market & Joo Chiat Complex.

Hillview Community Club

“Elizabeth Drive along Hillview Avenue is where what used to be Princess Elizabeth Estate, an old public housing estate built in 1951 to commemorate the wedding of Princes Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth II) to Prince Philip (Duke of Edinburgh). The current Hillview Community Club is built on the grounds of this estate, where Princess Elizabeth Estate Community Center (CC) used to be… This special connection to Queen Elizabeth lives on today at Hillview CC where a little gallery (Hillview Heritage Alley on the 4th floor of the Hillview CC) showcases the history of the estate and its vicinity.” - Ms Low Yen Ling, Member of Parliament, on Instagram

Kampong Ubi Daily Business Hours 0900H to 2200H, closed on Public Holiday.

Community This CC equipped with gym facility, Pizza Hut, Ping Pong room and Centre displaying Kg. Ubi Malay Heritage Gallery. Near by MRT and the friendly staff will greet you with a beautiful smile when you're there to seek for assistance.

131

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

Kampong Ubi The usual offerings offered by community centres/clubs. Facilities Community available include the gym, a multipurpose hall with two badminton Centre courts, a Malay Heritage Gallery, and a Pizza Hut. The gallery is unique but the place is rather rundown and dirty compared with nearby community centres/clubs. The badminton courts' flooring was particularly sticky and dirty. A question of poor maintenance? A pity to let communal facilities go to waste!

Kreta Ayer Heritage building around Community Centre Kolam Ayer A unique community club at a very heritage location Community Club Tiong Bahru This Cc was located in the center of the heritage Tiong Bahru Estate, Community nicely hidden in a way. It is a modern building. Staff were helpful Centre Tiong Bahru Old neighbourhood with a rich heritage trial Community Centre Tiong Bahru updated building in a heritage zone. there is also a good childcare Community centre housed within, equipped with a trampoline. And conveniently Centre located beside Tiong Bahru Market Tiong Bahru Upgraded community center in hippy Tong Bahru area, has some Community nice facilities and classes available for the community and a child Centre care centre. There's some information about how the place was developed since before independence and worth a visit as part of heritage trail.

Tiong Bahru Nice community centre with heritage value Community Centre Tiong Bahru Sufficient activities to keep the community engage. there is a Community learning center within the compound. I really enjoy the older Centre building structure and glad is part of the heritage trail.

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Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

APPENDIX I: List of text comments with the mention of the word “History” Fernvale Limited choices and some stores are managed pretty new hands.

Community Spacious though. Supposedly small dry food store for intended for Club / many small operators was grab by handful operators, each occupying 3 Hawker stores not one. HDBs should control such it else mum and pop stalls Centre & are history monopolised by "corporates " soon. A trend like Ntuc Market owned all Kopitiam chain to mange price but subcontracted to same operator earlier ended square ones, high prices.

Fuchun Community Club

They have a long history, from Marsiling constituency and now Woodgrove constituency during the carving out of the GRC

Wisma A place full of history and culture. Very airy and good to hang out.

Geylang Serai Ample parking lots as well.

Wisma Great place to relax and read about the history of the malay village Geylang Serai Wisma Nice place, history and some heritage on Malay Muslim.

Geylang Serai Hillview Community Club

“Elizabeth Drive along Hillview Avenue is where what used to be Princess Elizabeth Estate, an old public housing estate built in 1951 to commemorate the wedding of Princes Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth II) to Prince Philip (Duke of Edinburgh). The current Hillview Community Club is built on the grounds of this estate, where Princess Elizabeth Estate Community Center (CC) used to be… This special connection to Queen Elizabeth lives on today at Hillview CC where a little gallery (Hillview Heritage Alley on the 4th floor of the Hillview CC) showcases the history of the estate and its vicinity.” - Ms Low Yen Ling, Member of Parliament, on Instagram

Punggol 21 Nice place with an area with history Community Club Queenstown Community Centre

Great history pictures

Sembawang Community Club

A place of history and human flavour, the aroma of the eighties...

Tiong Bahru A very historic place to know more on Singapore history Community Centre Tiong Bahru Tiong Bahru Community Centre was Singapore's earliest community Community centre, with its history traced all the way back to 1948. Played Centre basketball here at their newly renovated court. Great court. Good flood lights. Clean toilets. Convenient vending machine.

133

Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

Toa Payoh TP West CC is one of the vaccination centres, therefore I was assigned West to receive the jab there. I'm embarassed to say that I was late because I Community don't know the location. Though I was late, the first station Club Ambassador was friendly and directed me to the next check-in, screened, took a seat and waited for my number to be announced. It started, procedure checks i.e. with NRIC, Medical history checked (though already did it on registration), after this to be at waiting area for injection. Name called, and shown to cubicle No. 1. The Doctor gave a short explanation and prepared to inject. "I'm fearful of injection," I was telling him. Behind the mask , I can imagine he smiled and said, "I'm also afraid of injection, OK done!" "Done! Wow, I don't feel a thing." I was so pleased. Doctor prompted that there might be side effect so to rest for 30 mins at Resting bay. Here, there is this Ambassador (lady) with husky voice,walking up and down checking on us. Because of social distancing some couples do not get to occupy the seat next to each other. Strictly 30mins rest no moving about. So when one elder lady asked to pass the water bottle to her husband who sat right infront, the Ambassadors were obliging and helpful to hand to the right person. At the last stop, the Ambassador checks if there is any side effects, i.e. giddy , nauseating, short of breath, feverish ..... if no, she writes an appointment card for second vaccination at the same CC. I'm ok, so exit. Thanks to all who are being involved in this nationwide concerned. Please take care and special thanks to the Doctor who has given me a painless jab.

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Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

APPENDIX J: List of text comments with the mention of the word “Identity” MacPherson Collected the TraceTogether token at about 5 PM on Sunday. There was Community only a short queue. Collected the tokens for other family members with Club scanned copies of their identity documents. For each token, fill-in a slip of paper, indicating a short name, which will be written on the token.

Also, note on the slip, the contact number of the person who will be carrying the token. The token is activated upon collection. Simply scan the QR code on the token at the entrance of each entry point.

Potong Pasir Rustic and charming little community center. Has a post office, KFC, Community gym and the usual CC facilities and services. Staff are helpful and kind.

Club Somehow lacks a certain character and identity that would otherwise represent the Potong Pasir feel and charm.

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Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

APPENDIX K: List of text comments with the mention of the word “Architecture” Bukit Batok Beautiful architecture with exciting activities. Contains the best Community food in South East Asia.

Club Buona Vista Came here to admire local architecture and this is an interesting Community building. Clock tower and all. Undergoing some upgrading now Club and hopefully would have more presence as a community club proper in time to come.

Eunos Community Club

Eunos CC stands out because of its striking Minangkabau-influenced architecture that stands out proudly from its surroundings. It has a sheltered basketball court, a multi-purpose hall that doubles up as badminton courts and other offerings of a community club. A notable fact is that it is also home to the reputable Eunos Chinese Opera Group (aka ECHO Group). Nice!

Fernvale State of art complex having multiple utilities for public. Ambiance Community is great, newly opened neat clean, spacious. Very airy architecture Club / Hawker and easy to move around. You can find multiple options for food, Centre & chonese, continental, malay, indian, muslims specific under one Market roof. Can bring family kids. Very serene vicinity and easy to commute there.

Chua Chu Kang Love the architecture and very carefree place.

Community Club Chua Chu Kang Excellent community center but could use some upgrading. The Community indoor basketball court is new and huge but other facilities are quite Club old. Interesting architecture!

Wisma Geylang Very nice open airy architecture. Gives nice feeling.

Serai Wisma Geylang Brilliant architecture.

Serai Wisma Geylang great architecture!

Serai Wisma Geylang Good architecture Serai Wisma Geylang Revisit the old days at this kampung style architecture with some Serai great sculptures to take photo with.

Wisma Geylang This is. New community club with Malay heritage architecture. It is Serai beautiful

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Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

Wisma Geylang Nice architecture. Clean and cozy environment. Nive staff.

Serai Wisma Geylang Good architecture.

Serai Wisma Geylang A new building with interesting modern Malay architecture that Serai feel airy & bright. There's fast-food Marry Brown on the ground floor.

Wisma Geylang Shops are a little quiet, saved by the events held at the ground floor.

Serai Lovely architecture thou.

Nanyang Community Club

In short, every district around in Singapore, will have at least 1 community club. Some may have unique architecture. A few too small in size and did not serve it purpose.

Nanyang Community Club

U will.enjoy the area... Good food, unique architecture

Nee Soon East !!! The courts are well kept and caters to the community leisure and Community workout. The architecture also drew my attention. Nice touch Club within a neighborhood Nee Soon East Vibrant architecture.

Community Club Tampines West Nice architecture.. good range of F&B places Community Club Tanglin Community Club

Unique architecture for a Singapore CC, focussed primarily on martial arts activities. Opening hours of counter services differ from facilities as shown. Unfortunately a tree fell and damaged part of its structure and you can see repairs currently underway.

Otherwise very pleasant vibe about this CC, and one of very few CCs in Singapore to have its own parking facilities!

Tanglin Community Club

Great community club to go to. Many activities and lessons available such as martial arts, guzheng classes and ceramic art class which I attend is extremely popular. This community club is located in a historical building, and the interesting architecture is not like any old community club. There is a badminton court and basketball court too

Tanglin Community Club

Prestigious Community club with colonial architecture! Besides the usual classes and facilitates, there is a pool table. Friendly welcoming warm attentive cosy comfy ambience for romantic intimates groups students Expats & families.

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Lim Jia Rong (A0167071H)

Tanglin Community Club

Definitely a community club with a difference! The architecture reminds me of colonial buildings of past, with a must have white facade and a pool table! The sheltered quadrangle for table tennis, table soccer, etc is a boon for users of the club, and onsite parking is a breeze. Loving the elegant spiral staircase with lovely metal bannisters and wooden handrails, and the impressive tower clock.

Beautiful!

Tanglin Community Club

Friendly counter staff. Building architecture is unique. A variety of activities available. Able to park within the compound.

Tiong Bahru Nice and quiet and clean!!! Clean toilets and vending machines Community near the court. The floor is nice and the nets seem like they are Centre regularly maintained, though when I was there in December it was a little torn. Excellent food all around. Classic Singapore architecture and clean roads! Lovely!!

Yuhua Community Club

Nice architecture

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