Urban design: Engaging community

Architects around the world have experimented successfully in the last few years to reimagine urban spaces that strike a balance between monetising real estate and engaging the community meaningfully.

- Chantal Sajan Senior Correspondent

For instance, in Copenhagen in 2019, architects dreamt up a sloping roof for a waste incinerator building in the middle of the capital city of Denmark that pulled double duty as a playground.

Urban designers from architectural practice Bjarke Ingels Group conceived the space as CopenHill, a 400m ski run, climbing wall and running path for residents, on the roof of a 41,000 sq m waste-to-energy incinerator.

By turning critical infrastructure into a civic playground, the project presented a different way of looking at the built environment - one that values social capital as much as rental yield.

In Singapore, experts also say monetising footfall may not be the only way to look at real estate in 2026 and beyond.

Stakeholders such as property owners are shifting away from transactional spaces to “social living rooms” - public engagement micro-hubs designed to reach out to residents in a neighbourhood.

Ground zero for this mindset shift is playing out in ground-floor retail strips in the Housing Board (HDB) heartland, which used to be appraised for their dollar value per square foot. These spaces are usually rented out to beauty salons, tuition centres and small grocery stores.

DP Architects, founded in 1967, recently completed the design for a carpentry studio at Block 108 Bukit Purmei Road that reaches out to the community.

MAKER STUDIO AS SOCIAL SPACE

Officially launched in 2024, the facility is described by the architectural firm and social service agency Montfort Care as created to reach out to male seniors, who are statistically more at risk of social isolation and less drawn to typical centre activities.