Singapore Makes Room for Memories and Heritage Amid the Jostle for Space

Identity corridors help conserve the culture of a place in the midst of urban transformation.

- Woo Jun Jie

In Victoria Street, the 16-storey National Library Building provides a sweeping view of the surrounding civic district. What often surprises visitors taking in the panorama is the large number of red-roofed shophouses in the area.

That these historic shophouses continue to exist in modern-day Singapore is a result of efforts to conserve historically significant buildings and, more importantly, the historical and cultural meanings associated with these spaces.

Such efforts are part of a more sensitive approach to urban planning that balances heritage conservation and urban development, reflected in the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) Draft Masterplan 2025 unveiled in June. The URA announced a thematic framework that will improve the way it assesses buildings' significance—broadening the scope to consider what they mean in Singapore's story, and to Singaporeans.

Perhaps, some lessons were drawn from the controversy over the old National Library building in Stamford Road, which was demolished in 2005 to make way for the Fort Canning Tunnel. The red-brick building had been described by officials back then as having no special architectural value. But this ignored intangible aspects—the loss of a place that held special memories in the collective Singapore mind. The result was a public outcry.

This is understandable. Buildings and public spaces are imbued with memories and meaning for citizens who use these spaces.

At the same time, given its small size, Singapore also needs to set aside land for housing, industry, commerce and green spaces.

The reality is that not all of these needs can be fulfilled at the same time. Singapore often needs to weigh the intrinsic value of an existing site against the potential benefits of redevelopment. Sometimes, sentiment prevails.