United Nations Public Service Awards Case Studies

Like many other Commonwealth countries, Singapore has had a Master Plan since the 1950s, drawn up by the British Government, with a statutory requirement for it to be reviewed every 5 years. However, the earlier Master Plans from the 1950s to the 1980s were largely drawn up to reflect existing and committed uses of land, with little visioning of future possibilities. Hence, zoning changes to accommodate new uses had to be assessed on a case-by-case basis, which was time-consuming, inefficient, and in a piecemeal manner. Also, the public sector and landowners were unable to establish what individual land parcels were allowed to be developed for, as the Master Plan did not reflect details such as specific zonings for most areas.

In 1993, efforts began to transform the Master Plan into a forward-looking plan that would guide the development of Singapore over the next 15 to 20 years. Over a six-year period, Singapore was carved up into 55 planning areas covering the entire main island and all offshore islands. Detailed studies were done on every parcel of land within each of the 55 planning areas to analyse existing land uses, including gaps and opportunities like the need for road and infrastructure improvements. This effort also included strategies to ensure optimal use of Singapore’s limited land, such as introducing new zoning of land for commercial and industrial uses to cater to economic growth as well as zoning for housing to accommodate a growing population and retaining a variety of housing forms.

The first comprehensive Master Plan was completed in 1998, and was reviewed in 2003, with the latest review completed in Dec 2008.

What is the initiative about? (the solution)
The Master Plan makes public land use intentions, with the following key benefits: Private landowners The Master Plan provides certainty for the owners in terms of the allowable land use and intensities. It sets out the vision and planned infrastructure improvements for the areas. This assists the owners in making investment decisions, whether in buying a piece of land or in redeveloping their land. Government The Master Plan indicates the allowable land use and intensities. This facilitates processing of development applications and giving planning approvals for both private and public sector projects. It serves as a guide to coordinate provision of infrastructure by various government agencies. General public The Master Plan, as a public document reviewed every 5 years, enhances transparency and accountability of Singapore’s planning process. The public consultation carried out as part of this process provides a regular avenue for the public to view and provide feedback on the Master Plan, allowing the public to be involved in the development of Singapore. For example, for the Master Plan 2008 public consultation exercise, over 220,000 people were engaged via the public exhibition and website.

Who proposed the solution, who implemented it and who were the stakeholders?
The original Master Plan was formulated between 1952 and 1955 under the British Government and adopted in 1958. The early reviews of the Master Plan were carried out by the then Planning Department. In 1989, the Planning Development merged with the Urban Renewal Authority to form the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA). The review of the Master Plan has since come under the purview of the URA. URA undertook the revamp of the Master Plan into a new forward-looking plan. The Master Plan process, led by the URA, involves more than 10 government ministries (e.g. Ministry of National Development, Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Law, Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources, Ministry of Community Development, Youth, and Sports, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Trade and Industry, etc.) and 15 statutory boards (e.g. Housing Development Board, Jurong Town Corporation, Land Transport Authority, Singapore Land Authority, Public Utilities Board, National Parks Board, National Arts Council, National Heritage Board, Singapore Tourism Board, etc). The Master Plan also involves a wide range of stakeholders at the consultation phase, including professional groups such as Singapore Institute of Planners, Singapore Institute of Architects, and NGOs such as Nature Society Singapore, various business groups from the private sector, Advisers and local community representatives, and the general public, including academics, researchers, and students. The latest review of the Master Plan (Master Plan 2008) attracted more than 220,000 visitors to the exhibition and website who viewed and gave feedback to the Plan.

Describe how and when the initiative was implemented by answering these questions
a. What were the strategies used to implement the initiative? In no more than 500 words, provide a summary of the main objectives and strategies of the initiative, how they were established and by whom.
In the first comprehensive review of the Master Plan in 1998, URA set out specific strategies to map out the vision for Singapore. These strategies were set out earlier in the Concept Plan 1991 which mapped out the broad planning strategies that support economic and population growth. The Master Plan is guided by the Concept Plan strategies. 1)Organise the urban structure of the island The island was divided into 55 planning areas and for each, a Development Guide Plan (DGP) was prepared, catering for a population of about 150,000 to be served by a hierarchy of commercial centres, a network of expressways, rail lines, amenities and greenery. The 55 DGPs formed the Master Plan 1998. 2)Determine land use parameters Land use parameters, such as zoning, plot ratio, and building height controls, were determined. For each, typologies were drawn up to provide detail and transparency for land owners. For example, residential zoning comprised low, medium, and high density developments. The 1998 comprehensive review prescribed land use parameters for every parcel of land in Singapore. 3)Upgrade the quality of living environment One key strategy of the review was to enhance the living environment. To implement this, the Master Plan 1998 included a Green and Blue Plan indicating locations for park, open space, recreation facilities, and waterbodies islandwide. Subsequent Master Plans, including the latest review in 2008, built on the fundamentals set in the 1998 Master Plan and strategies set out in the Concept Plan 2001, using the following principles: 1)To take a long-term view The Master Plan incorporates land use intentions for the medium to long term, i.e. 10 to 15 years or longer. This allows the Plan to effectively guide development while safeguarding land and ensuring that necessary infrastructure is laid out prior to development. 2)To take a pro-business approach We ensure that the Master Plan is kept relevant to the business community. New land use zonings, such as the White zoning that allows a flexible mix of uses on the site to meet business needs, were also introduced as part of the Master Plan Review. In 2008, a key focus of the Master Plan was to promote economic growth, through new commercial centres at Jurong Lake District, Paya Lebar Central, Kallang Riverside, and Marina South. These are the major mixed use districts located in the midst of very large population catchment, at very accessible locations, well-served by rapid transit rail and bus network. 3)To enhance quality of life Master Plan reviews also placed importance on quality living. In the Master Plan 2003, a Parks & Waterbodies and Identity Plan was drawn up, building on the earlier 1998 Green and Blue Plan. This was further developed into the Islandwide Leisure Plan for the Master Plan 2008. In this way, the Master Plan actively plans for a better live-work-play environment in Singapore. 4)To actively engage the public in the form of public consultation At every review, the Master Plan is exhibited for public feedback so that the public views can be incorporated into the Plan. In the latest Master Plan Review in 2008, more than 220,000 viewed the Plan and about 300 written feedback was received. These were carefully considered and incorporated into the Plan where relevant.

b. What were the key development and implementation steps and the chronology? No more than 500 words
1952 – 1955: Formulation of Singapore’s first Master Plan under the British colonial government 1958: Master Plan 1958 (first Master Plan) 1958 – 1989: 5 yearly reviews of the Master Plan by the then Planning Department 1989: Merger of the then Planning Department with Urban Redevelopment Authority to form the new URA 1991: Concept Plan 1991 1993 – 1998: First comprehensive review and formulation of a forward-looking Master Plan 1998: Master Plan 1998 (Focus on comprehensive planning of 55 planning areas and supporting amenities and infrastructure) Key developments - Enhancement of the city centre including transformation of Singapore River (development of Boat Quay, Clarke Quay, and Robertson Quay) - Decentralised commercial centres in the form of Regional Centres, Sub-Regional Centres and fringe centres - Development of key infrastructure including expansion of the mass rapid transit system and expressway network - Commence development of new towns in Punggol and Sengkang 2001: Concept Plan 2001 2003: Master Plan 2003 (Focus on changing aspirations, adapting to new business needs, identity and greenery) Key developments - Development of variety of housing choices - Implementation of new business zones (White zone and Business zones) - Development of the park connector network, increased water-based activities in inland waterbodies, and active park space - Safeguarding of Nature Reserves and Nature Areas - Recognition and enhancement of areas with Identity and Heritage 2006: Mid Term Concept Plan Review 2008: Master Plan 2008 (Focus on economic growth and quality of living) Key developments - Planning of new districts e.g. Marina Bay, Jurong Lake District, Paya Lebar Central, Kallang Riverside - Planning and development of the Leisure Plan

c. What were the main obstacles encountered? How were they overcome? No more than 500 words
In doing the comprehensive review of the Master Plan in 1998 as well as subsequent reviews, the key obstacles encountered were: 1) Transforming the Master Plan into a forward-looking and guiding plan The change in role of the Master Plan, from simply reflecting existing and committed use of land into a forward-looking plan that guides future development, was a revolutionary transformation. The comprehensive review in 1998 set in place a guiding plan, as well as a framework and process that allowed the public and government agencies to rely on the Master Plan as a guiding document for land use decisions. This transformation involved a mindset change not just within URA but in multiple government agencies across the public service, as, for the first time, it required agencies to project future needs and to safeguard land for future development. A Master Plan Committee (MPC) framework was set up to facilitate the process of reviewing and agreeing on the changes that would be made to the Master Plan. Through this framework, URA was able to work with agencies to make this change happen in a smooth and integrated manner. 2) Obtaining buy-in from the public The transformation of the Master Plan into a forward-looking plan gave rise to the need for a robust public consultation process, to ensure that the general public had a say in the future plan for Singapore. The public consultation process that started in a major way for the Master Plan 1998 has evolved to suit the content and to effectively reach out to the public with each Review. For the Master Plan 1998, 55 Development Guide Plans were published in booklets to give the public a comprehensive overview of the new Master Plan. The public was invited to evaluate our draft plans and even propose counter-proposals to our plans. Dialogue sessions were held for the first time to allow public to give feedback. For the Master Plan 2003, the focus was on quality of life. URA went one step further to go out in a public exhibition for the Parks & Waterbodies Plan and Identity Plan, to actively seek feedback from the public on these plans. Focus groups comprising members of the public were formed to deliberate on these plans in greater detail. The latest Master Plan in 2008 was exhibited to the public in a large-scale exhibition, including focus groups with stakeholders, business communities, and interest groups to deliberate on new proposals. The Master Plan 2008 also had special focus on utilising latest technologies to facilitate public consultation. Creative features such as high-quality models and videos, interactive websites, a Master Plan DVD, etc., were developed to better engage the public and to communicate our plans to an even larger audience.

d. What resources were used for the initiative and what were its key benefits? In no more than 500 words, specify what were the financial, technical and human resources’ costs associated with this initiative. Describe how resources were mobilized
For the latest Master Plan 2008 review, over 300 URA staff, staff from more than 10 ministries and 15 statutory boards, as well as members of the private sector, NGOs, students, etc, were engaged over a period of 2 years. They were involved in a series of consultations, e.g. under the Master Plan Committee Framework, focus group dialogue sessions, workshops, and during the public exhibition. As part of the Master Plan 2008 review, URA also developed supplementary collaterals including a set of brochures, a Master Plan 2008 DVD, and Master Plan website. These were planned and completed in conjunction with the launch of the public exhibition so that they could be distributed to the public to supplement the exhibition. The Master Plan 2008 exhibition, together with all related collaterals, was carried out at an expense of approximately S$1mil.

Is the initiative sustainable and transferable?
The Master Plan has been reviewed every 5 years as a statutory requirement, with the latest review completed in Dec 08. The Master Plan is widely disseminated throughout the public service at the national level. To increase accessibility to the Master Plan, we have made it available on a shared intra-agency database, on the public internet, and in hard copy. Agencies rely on the Master Plan to guide their planning and development decisions, and actively take part in the reviews to update the Master Plan. For example, LTA’s road and rail alignments are planned to support the land uses determined in the Master Plan. At the international level, there is significant interest in our Master Plan, with many countries visiting URA to learn about our Master Plan process. URA also receives requests from foreign government officials to conduct training courses both for high-level officials as well as their planning staff to learn about Singapore’s planning. In recognition of Singapore’s planning experience and expertise, URA has also been part of master planning teams in overseas projects, notably two projects in China at Suzhou Industrial Park and Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city, which were high-level collaborations between the Singapore and Chinese governments. As such, Singapore’s Master Plan process has also been replicated internationally.

What are the impact of your initiative and the lessons learned?
1)Established framework integrating upstream planning and downstream implementation The Master Plan framework together with Development Control regulations and Government Land Sales allowed the strategies and proposals in the Master Plan to be progressively realised. In this way, the Master Plan has been able to significantly transform Singapore into the world-class living and business environment that it is today. 2)Excellent coordination between agencies The Master Plan process including the Master Plan Committee framework allowed smooth coordination between the numerous agencies involved in the review of the Plan. This contributes to the timeliness of each of our Master Plan review which needs to be updated on a five-yearly cycle. 3)Making sure public consultation remains relevant In order to obtain meaningful public feedback, the Master Plan consultation process has to be refined and updated so as to reach out to as large an audience as possible. The exhibition held for the latest review in 2008 made good use of interactive media and attractive videos, appealing to the growing Internet and technology-savvy audience. 4)Regular review and refinement of the Master Plan The Master Plan is regularly reviewed, even between the five-yearly major reviews, as and when new proposals are approved. This helps the Plan to stay relevant and meaningful to both the private and public sector. Impact Our forward-looking Master Plan, as well as our ability to facilitate the implementation of the Master Plan via the private and public sectors, has enabled us to transform Singapore into one of the 25 most liveable cities in the world, according to 2008 Monocle ranking of liveable cities of the world. Singapore has also earned a place at the 32nd position in Mercer’s 2008 quality of living survey, which covers 215 cities. The Master Plan has successfully guided the development of Singapore since it was first comprehensively reviewed in 1998. Over the last 10 years since the comprehensive review, the Master Plan has guided and enabled the development of 170,000 new homes, new commercial centres including expansion of the CBD into the Marina Bay area, more than 1000ha of industrial land, 890ha of parks and 70km of park connectors, as well as 4 Nature Reserves and 18 Nature Areas. The Master Plan also expanded the transportation network with an additional 55km of rail and 290km of roads over the 10 year period. In terms of heritage and identity, 15 identity nodes were selected for enhancement and 6,800 buildings have been conserved in total around the island. In this way, we can see that the Master Plan and its review process has significantly transformed the landscape of Singapore, building a quality live, work and play environment for all to enjoy.


Institution Name:		Urban Redevelopment Authority
Institution Type:		Government Agency
Contact Person:		Mieko Otsuki
Title:		Ag Deputy Director
Telephone/ Fax:		+65 6329 3517
Institution's / Project's Website:		+65 6226 3546
E-mail:		mieko_otsuki@ura.gov.sg
Address:		45 Maxwell Road, The URA Centre
Postal Code:		069118
City:		Singapore
State/Province:		Singapore
Country:		Singapore

The Problem

Solution and Key Benefits

Actors and Stakeholders

(a) Strategies

(b) Implementation

(c) Overcoming Obstacles

(d) Use of Resources

Sustainability and Transferability

Lessons Learned

Contact Information