SINGAPORE – Having workspaces near home, short-term lease sites and a more vibrant central business district (CBD) are among the strategies that can shape Singapore’s future as a place to work.
These ideas were brought up on Saturday (April 9) by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) in a discussion with 200 members of the public on guiding Singapore’s long-term land use and infrastructure development.
They include proposals on the future of work and the future of mobility in Singapore, such as creating a car-lite environment and being flexible with spaces like having urban farms and using underground and sea spaces.
URA will work with agencies to refine these strategies and progressively translate them into more detailed plans to guide Singapore’s physical development over the next few decades, it said.
Second Minister for National Development Indranee Rajah, who chaired the virtual dialogue alongside URA chief executive Lim Eng Hwee, said: “Long-term planning is part of Singapore’s DNA. By mapping out land and infrastructure requirements in advance, we can better steward our scarce land resources and cater to diverse needs.
“We also continuously review and adjust our plans along the way to capture new opportunities and address new challenges. Most importantly, being far-sighted helps our city develop sustainably, so we can realise the aspirations of not just our current generation but also future ones.”
Conducted once every 10 years, the review aims to gather views to guide land use plans over the next 50 years and beyond. The year-long review, which has four phases, is expected to be completed this year.
In the review, URA said it would expand decentralisation efforts to inject more workspaces near homes, with greater flexibility and mixed uses.
These job nodes throughout Singapore should be vibrant and attractive for companies and employees, even outside work hours.
This means that in the future, it could be possible for more types of work areas to be integrated with a mix of residential and commercial uses.
Co-working spaces can also be integrated within the community to cater to the new hybrid work and flexible working trends, URA added.
It also intends to introduce commercial sites with shorter leases.
“This will provide businesses with more flexibility, allowing spaces to support evolving business operations. This will help our city adapt to fast-changing economic trends,” said Ms Indranee. “Shorter leases will allow us to respond to future uncertainties more nimbly.”
