Star Trek's vision of the future is compelling: peace and harmony amongst the races; compassionate fellas making big decisions; the seat of government a high-tech, garden city. Singapore resembles those remarks!
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Sometimes you need to take a step back and look at the big picture; put things in perspective; consider the context. During my seven months in Singapore, I have been making my way around the island, getting to know the many neighborhoods, unique sights, and attractions. I have also recently discovered the “panorama” setting on my camera. :) Behold some sweeping views of the Little Red Dot: When I decided to pursue landscape architecture as a profession, an attraction to the career was the possibility of travel to interesting and exotic locations. This past week proved to be a good example of how that notion has been unfolding. On Monday and Tuesday, this boy from suburban Maryland began his work week in Singapore at a senior management retreat held at the Capella Hotel & Resort on Sentosa Island (http://www.capellahotels.com/singapore/). In addition to team building and strategizing about company improvements, the two-day meeting afforded a wonderful opportunity to tour one of our company’s outstanding, past, local projects. I discovered that the project is an artful balance between “star-chitect” Foster + Partners’ renovated colonial British military officer’s mess hall and Belt Collins’ landscape design - which is strongly characterized by sensitive grading of the steeply sloping site and preservation of many existing tropical forest trees. On Wednesday and Thursday, it was off to Zhuhai, China (via Hong Kong International Airport and a short ferry boat ride) to present a landscape master plan for an exciting waterfront mixed-use project planned for Weihai in Shandong Province. I stayed at an interesting place - the Zobon Art Hotel (http://www.zobonarthotel.com/) and visited an underground shopping center where you can buy every kind of "knock off" product imaginable. Friday I was back in Singapore for an end of the day workshop meeting with our architectural partner regarding a ski resort in Central Asia.
How was your week? ;-) Don't let anyone kid you - it's hot and steamy in Singapore. But like it's reliable transit system, the weather is also very predicable. Temperatures meander between 80 F during the "cool" part of the day/night and 90 F when the sun pops out. Showers are a daily occurrence, and average humidity is 84.2% (National Environment Agency). These facts make sight seeing a bit of a challenge - unless you adopt a nocturnal strategy. Not only does the temperature drop when the sun goes down, but so does the humidity. Mornings are often a sticky 90% or more, but mid-afternoon typically dips to around 60% (when it isn't raining). So things get cooler and more comfortable as the day wears on, but what does heat up is Singapore's high tech, nighttime light-scape (...suddenly, afternoon naps make even more sense). One notable hot spot is surrounding Marina Bay. One side of the Marina Bay Sands mega-building is covered by a delightful, reflective metal screen. When the many, small, dangling, square metal paddles catch the frequent breezes, the reflection of the surrounding city lights is reminiscent of wind waves on water. The effect can be quite mesmerizing. There is also a daily light show, projected from the Marina Bay Sands building. Folks gather on the promenade along the water to witness the lasers, water displays, and other light effects. I don't recommend that you start sleeping upside down, but daytime drowsing, lots of tropical fruit, and nights filled with exploring isn't only rewarding for Singapore's bats.
When I realized that I might be moving to Singapore, my research revealed the existence of a purported "shopping mecca" called Orchard Road. The Lonely Planet Pocket SINGAPORE Guidebook describes the strip as an "Olympic-sized training ground" for "Singapore's national sport" - shopping. Being someone who suffers from Shopping Mall-Narcolepsy (self diagnosis), I knew that Orchard Road would be a lower sightseeing priority for me than, say, Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple. Last night, however, I was "called up" to join the shopping national team by my flatmates. A few highlights:
We had hoped to see the switch turned on for the annual Holiday Lights extravaganza, but it turned out that we were a week early - even so, the lighting was still impressive. Below, I present to you a few images of what you are missing if you can't make it here for the Holidays. If you like crowds and shopping malls, man, you are gonna love this place. PS: I hope to update this in a week or two when the rest of the lights are on, and shining even brighter. I recently moved out of my hotel room in Chinatown, and into a shared flat in a place called Senkang. Senkang is a recently developing, planned community being constructed by the government of Singapore. Although a “New Town” and transit-oriented development (TOD), I call the area an “urb-burb” because: 1) it is located about as far as possible outside of Singapore’s central business district [second to last subway stop on the Purple Line] and 2) in a place decidedly more “urban” [in terms of density] than most American suburban locations this far from downtown. Consider my new neighborhood's "WalkScore" rating of 50 out of 100: (http://www.walkscore.com/score/301D-anchorvale-drive-singapore). "This address is Somewhat Walkable — some errands can be accomplished on foot. Walk to coffee nearby at Anchorvale 303 and to the grocery store at Seng Seng Chiang Chop. Local restaurants inside the Compass Point Shopping Mall include McDonald's, Sakae Sushi, Burger King, Soup Restaurant, Subway, Pizza Hut, Icing Room, and KFC. Close by schools include Nan Chiau High School." In other words... dense suburbs. Compare this to my old neighborhood - Cully in NE Portland, which I thought was pretty suburban - it earns a Walk Score of 55 out of 100 (http://www.walkscore.com/score/ne-57th-ave-and-ne-emerson-st-portland-or-97218). "This address is Somewhat Walkable so some amenities near Northeast 57th Avenue & Northeast Emerson Street are within walking distance. Walk to coffee nearby at Miss Zumstein Bakery, Coffee Shop, Cakes & Desserts and to the grocery store at Angel Food & Fun. Local restaurants include Era's Tiny Dinner, Old School BBQ, Taqueria Delicias Mexicanas, Prescott Cafe, Sugar Shack, A Little Bit of Smoke, Sub Shop, and Old Salt Marketplace. Close by schools include Trinity Lutheran School." Cully also gets a decent BikeScore - with my old street getting an 84 out of 100, or "Very Bike-able" (http://www.walkscore.com/OR/Portland/Cully#bikescore). Senkang does not yet have a "BikeScore" but most folks I see pedaling two-wheelers are riding on the sidewalk. There is much good news about my move: I get along well with my flat-mates (Karaoke, anyone?), I can use the kitchen (it is common practice here to bar “room renters” from kitchen use - cruel, I know…), my room is affordable by Singapore standards (S$800/month), has been recently updated (new furnishings, paint, air conditioning, appliances, etc.), and is a short walk to a frequent service, high-capacity rail transit station (which, in 25 minutes, whisks me directly to a station a short walk from my place of employment). The area immediately surrounding the station does serve most of my daily needs, since it includes a variety of restaurants, markets, retail, and health services. If only the block faces were not 800 feet long... and those elevated pedestrian crossings make my urban design sensibilities squirm! Once upon a time… my “Presidential Scholar” daughter took a Planning and Public Policy class at the University of Oregon. Imagine the pride that I, her urban designer father, felt thinking that the years of chatting about the benefits of mixing uses, the wisdom of urban growth boundaries, and the joy of “complete streets” had inspired her to explore the profession. Well... she hated it. When I heard Singapore had an entire museum devoted to planning, the thought crossed my mind “if someone who grew up in a home where planning discussions were part of everyday life ended up hating a class on the subject, how might an entire museum devoted to “Singapore’s planning journey” actually hold the general public’s interest?” I had to go find out for myself. Located in the Urban Redevelopment Authority building on the edge of Chinatown, the Singapore City Gallery (www.singaporecitygallery.sg) is “10 thematic areas and more than 50 audiovisual and interactive exhibits spanning three floors and over 2,400 square metres”. It allows you to “immerse yourself in beautiful Singapore, through a 270-degree panoramic sights and sounds show. Travel through time in Singapore’s history to see how we overcame our challenges. Grapple with planning trade-offs in a dynamic 8-player game. Be an urban designer – create your own memorable city skyline.” I have been through it twice – once quickly on my lunch break, and once on a Saturday. My experience was that it is like walking through a planning textbook, but more interesting in that the pages are three dimensional, there are interactive audiovisual displays, and impressive, sizable, to-scale, realistic models of the city. I learned that some of the water I am drinking was recently sewage – now that gets you thinking! So, if this story has you on the edge of your seat, you should come check it out. If, however, it sounds like eating rocks then to live happily ever after you should go check out the many other sights, sounds, and experiences that the city-state has to offer. The End ;-) |