Singapore’s CBD Becomes Vibrant Again

SINGAPORE – Various statistics show that the buzz has returned to Singapore’s central business district (CBD) precincts, like Tanjong Pagar, Raffles Place, City Hall, Cecil and Marina Bay, reported The Business Times on Wednesday afternoon (22 June, SGT).

For instance, Raffles Place Alliance said that the average percentage of the office community that returned to Raffles Place properties reached 59 percent in the week ended 20 May 2022.

This figure is based on observation from the majority of Raffles Place Alliance members’ office properties in Singapore’s CBD. Notably, the alliance was formed in 2019 as part of the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s (URA) pilot Business Improvement District (BID) programme. Its members include CapitaLand, City Developments Ltd (CDL), Keppel REIT, and OUE Commercial REIT.

Moreover, data from Google’s COVID-19 Community Mobility Report revealed that footfall at workplaces across the city-state reached 89.3 percent on 15 June 2022, as a proportion versus pre-pandemic levels.

Lunchtime and happy-hour crowds have also become a more usual sight again in Singapore’s CBD, after the government eased most of its COVID-related measures from 26 April 2022. At the same time, the morning commute has become significantly busier as workplace fill up gradually, while hotels welcome more tourists and business travellers.

In fact, data from Singapore’s Land Transport Authority (LTA) showed that the volume of commuters exiting MRT stations in the CBD during the weekday morning peak period hit 58 percent in the last week of May 2022, as a percentage versus pre-pandemic levels. This is up from 51 percent during the last week of April 2022.

Furthermore, total morning peak ridership on public transport in Singapore in the last week of May 2022 reached 79 percent, as a percentage versus pre-pandemic levels. This is up from 76 percent in the last week of April 2022.