Goal Is To Let People Work Anywhere: URA
SINGAPORE – The Urban Redevelopment Authority said that one key pillar of its latest long-term plan review is to enable employees here to work from “anywhere and everywhere,” according to a press release published on Monday afternoon (6 June, SGT).
One strategy to achieve this is to build up Singapore’s islandwide polycentres and rejuvenate the city centre.
“We will continue to rejuvenate the city centre into a more vibrant and people-friendly neighbourhood by injecting mixed uses such as amenities and homes, and introducing more lifestyle and recreational options.”
“We will do the same for our polycentres, to support changes in the economy and nature of work. For example, while some companies may want to still locate their headquarters in the city centre, they could increasingly be supported by workspaces in our polycentres, where workers work closer to their homes,” stated the URA.
Notably, the city centre refers to the central business district (CBD), while the polycentres are also known as regional centres. Examples of the latter include the Jurong Lake District (JLD), which is envisioned to be the biggest business district outside the city centre, and its proximity to Tuas Port as well as manufacturing and R&D nodes in the West Region allows offices to be conveniently situated closer to other operations.
Within the Changi region, aviation-related sectors will be housed around Changi Airport, and will also support a mix of uses such as Business Parks, as well as tourism and recreational uses. The Northern Gateway will be home to new innovative sectors such as agri-tech and food, digital technology and cybersecurity, with enhanced connection to Johor Bahru via the Rapid Transit System link at Woodlands North.
“In both our city centre and polycentres, we will also plan for more attractive and flexible workspaces to support innovation and new needs for businesses and workers in the future economy.”
“For instance, we will explore a ‘vertical zoning’ concept in our industrial estates which integrates different but complementary uses within a single development – clean industrial activities can occupy the lower floors and co-working spaces the mid-floors, which then creates a buffer for residences on the upper floors.”
To offer flexibility for new business models and foster more vibrant industrial project, the government is also exploring suitable locations for Business-White Zones to accommodate non-industrial uses such as coworking spaces, retail, and food & beverage outlets. For these, the Kolam Ayer and Yishun industrial estates are potential areas, when they are redeveloped.
“As we continue to monitor the longer-term impact of flexible work arrangements on office space demand, we plan to introduce some sites in selected areas in the nearer term, for commercial and office uses on shorter lease tenures. This will enable our land uses to be refreshed in shorter cycles to support businesses in adapting their operations more nimbly to fast-changing economic trends,” added the URA.
The above information were disclosed during the launch of URA’s “Space For Our Dreams” exhibition for the Long-Term Plan Review.
