New homes for Holland V, Marina South and Kampong Bugis

SINGAPORE - The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) announced the opening of its Draft Master Plan 2013 exhibition on Wednesday, with a focus on building green, healthy and connected townships.

The Draft Master Plan comes after five years of public engagement.

Through the Draft Master Plan 2013, the URA aims to make Singapore a better home for our people through:

•Providing a quality living environment with a variety of housing options
•Bringing quality jobs closer to home and growing the financial and business hub in the city
•Expanding green and recreational spaces for all
•Building an endearing home
•Enhancing our transport connectivity and accessibility
•Enlivening our public space

Here are some of the highlights of the Draft Master Plan 2013:

A quality living environment

The URA will be looking into providing quality living environment at not just new housing areas in Bidadari, and Tampines North, mature estates such as Sembawang, Yishun, Hougang, and Choa Chu Kang will be rejuvenated with new homes to allow families to stay closer to each other.

With Marina South and Kampung Bugis identified as the next major growth areas, URA is exploring an underground network of car parks in Marina South, while Kampong Bugis will pilot an eco-friendly, car-reduced concept to reduce the reliance on cars as a form of transport.

Holland Village will also be extended to include a new underground parking station.

More jobs near home

Under the Draft Master Plan, Singaporeans will be able to work closer to home to reduce commuting time and ease congestion during peak hours.

Regional employment centres such as Jurong Lake District, Tampines Regional Centre, and Paya Lebar Central will continue to grow.

There will also be new growth areas in the Woodlands Regional Centre, Punggol Learning Corridor and Creative Cluster.

New industrial sites at CleanTech Park, Wenya, Jurong West and Tuas in the west, and Seletar West and Lorong Halus in the north-east, will also offer new job opportunities.

Expanded park connector network, more nature spaces

The expansion of the park connector network, Round Island Route and Rail Corridor will enable 90 per cent of residents to live within 400 m of a park.

A similar link to the Eco-Link@BKE above the Bukit Timah Expressway is being planned at the future Tengah town to connect the Western Water Catchment and the Bukit Timah and Central Catchment Nature Reserves. NParks will be introducing more than 60 km of nature ways by 2015.

Cherished places, an endearing home

Over 70 buildings such as the Queenstown Library, Alexandra Hospital, the former Commonwealth Avenue Wet Market, and selected bungalows and former military buildings in Seletar, will be conserved as part of the Master Plan.

Holland Village, Jalan Kayu and Serangoon Garden will be designated as identity nodes.

More community spaces are also being planned at Punggol, Bedok and Yishun.

Enhancing transport and connectivity

By 2030, the rail network will be doubled from the current 178km to around 360km.

Seven new integrated transport hubs linking bus interchanges with MRT stations and commercial developments, as well as a network of covered walkways to transport nodes, will be built over the next 10 years. More hubs are being planned.

Besides public transport, URA will also be developing a cyclist-friendly, safe and well-connected network of cycling paths under the National Cycling Plan.

The National Cycling Plan will grow the network from 230 km to over 700 km of cycling routes island-wide , with all HDB towns having their own intra-town networks.

Public spaces, better living

The public will be invited to help shape Singapore's public spaces through various programmes, which will be announced at a later date.

grongloh@sph.com.sg

On Monday, National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan blogged about the upcoming URA Master Plan.

Read Mr Khaw's full blog post here:

"Last month, we had a surprise visitor. Mr Henry Wardlaw of Sydney, through his daughter, telephoned URA for a short visit to our City Gallery. This is no ordinary visitor.

"Mr Wardlaw, now 91, headed a United Nations (UN) consultancy team to Singapore which in the late 60s was responsible for drawing up the first Singapore Concept Plan. Changi Airport Terminal One, the PIE and our first MRT lines were first conceptualised in this Concept Plan. This Concept Plan set the foundation of Singapore's physical development for the next 20 years.

"Mr Wardlaw was a key player in the UN team.

"We were thrilled and took the opportunity to have Mr Wardlaw interact with our young URA planners. Writing in the URA's guestbook, he said:

"I have seen an amazing and well organised transformation of the city since our work here was finished in 1971. The transition that has take place over the past 42 years is a credit to everyone concerned. All the very best for your future."

"We have come a long way since. He recalled the disorganised streets he saw when he first arrived here. "I wanted to go home" he recalled. This time round, he was "overwhelmed and astonished" at how much Singapore had undergone.

"Over the years, Concept Plan 1971 has been reviewed and updated several times to meet changing needs and global circumstances. But the underlying philosophy of making Singapore an endearing home and a clean, green, liveable city remains unchanged.

"Very soon, we will unveil details of the next Master Plan for Singapore, to continue the pursuit of this vision."