Workspaces Near Homes, Commercial Sites With Shorter Leases Among Strategies Being Considered By Gov’t
SINGAPORE – Among the strategies to improve Singapore’s future as a place for work are having workspaces and offices closer to residential areas, commercial sites with shorter leases, and injecting vibrancy into the city-state’s central business district (CBD), reported The Straits Times on Saturday afternoon (9 April, SGT).
These ideas were presented on Saturday by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) in a discussion with 200 members of the public on guiding the long-term land use and infrastructure development of Singapore.
In the review, the government agency said it would ramp up decentralisation efforts to add more workspaces closer to homes, with greater flexibility and mixed uses. These job nodes throughout the city-state should be vibrant and appealing for firms and their staff, even outside of office hours.
This means that in the future, it could be possible for more types of work areas to be incorporated with a mix of residential and commercial uses.
Coworking spaces can also be integrated within communal spaces, amidst the new hybrid and flexible work trends, noted URA, adding that it’s looking into the idea of introducing 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. Shorter leases will allow us to respond to future uncertainties more nimbly,” said Second Minister for National Development Indranee Rajah, who chaired the virtual dialogue alongside URA’s CEO Lim Eng Hwee.
Nonetheless, Indranee believes that Singapore’s CBD still has a key role to play in sustaining Singapore’s economic competitiveness, but it has to adapt to changing times.
“Hence, we will continue to rejuvenate the city centre and our CBD by injecting more mixed uses, including arts and culture programming. At the same time, we will provide a greater variety of housing options to ensure it remains vibrant outside office hours.”
Conducted once every decade, the review aims to gather the public’s feedback to guide land use plans over the next 50 years and beyond. The year-long review, which has 4 stages, is expected to be completed this year.
About 15,000 Singaporeans have participated in the engagement efforts since URA launched the initiative in July 2021. Members of the public can sign up for the next dialogue session next Saturday on this portal.
