Nowadays, people hardly communicate with one another in the neighborhood because of the HDB building design as it let people feel more isolated as the building is high building apartment and Singaporean have a long working hour. People who end their day will straight away go to the lift and got up to their apartment, not a single hello to their neighborhood people even when they pass by each other. Most Singapore have change to be more private, they want to maintain their privacy.
Most of Singapore say that the “current situation is good enough now, they preferred to maintain their privacy and was unnecessary to socialize with neighbour.” the research is by Singapore Kindness Movement (SKM). In the olden day, the older generation use to live in a kampong which the building is on ground level and with that everyone can easily chart with one another and help out each other. In Singapore we have one thing that call kampong spirit, kampong spirit is about a sense of social cohesion in a community where there is understanding and compromise among neighbors, even as preferences differ from household to household. Nowadays, people don’t have this kampong spirit anymore but people have been missing the kampong spirit feel and they wish to have it back.
“Many Singaporean long for the sense of community and resilience we shared in the kampong, say famed author Josephine”.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
This paper would not have been developed without the guidance of Mr Casey Boo, my module lecture of Design Report who given me the good advices. I would also like to extent my thanks to NAFA’s library with the research they have as well as the advices given by friends.
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION
Communication As year pass, Singaporean has become less social, they don’t communicate that much with their neighbour anymore. Singaporean is becoming less social with their neighbour because of environment change like, the building have change from kampong style to HDB, from ground level building to high apartment building and long working hour. As the year goes by most Singaporean have change from open to more private, people have been mixing less with the neighbours because they want to maintain their privacy and putting less emphasis on greater neighbourliness. From the survey by Singapore Kindness Movement (SKM) show that Singaporean is becoming less social.
Permanent residents and non-residents, only 23 per cent say they exchanged greeting with their neighbour more than three time a week, down from 29 per cent in last year’s survey. In term of striking up casual conversation, only 11 per cent did so more than three time a week, falling from 17 per cent in the previous year. Kampong spirit is a choice, you just have to open your heart. Don’t clam shut your feeling as if your neighbours don’t not matter at all because you never know when you need their help? Be proactive, be the first to communicate, start a conversation just say hello and smile. The chosen site will be at Beach Road and it will be at a Block 1 a HDB building that is nearer to the Kampong Glam Community Club. I chose Beach Road is because there have shop-house filled with cultural shop that are still applying traditional techniques in their products and there are also art & graphic shop.
Those shop will help me a lot in my project as I can create workshop for the residents there and as for why I choose Block 1 is because that where the people live and as for elderly they don’t need to travel so far. The purpose of this project is to improve on their social communication and get everyone together. So that they don’t have to stay at home and can communicate with their neighbours, with innovative community are brought into the design whereby a space for them to interact through activities, workshop and communicate with other neighbour. Which help to build bond and trust with their neighbours.
CHAPTER 2 Research and Study
BEACH ROAD
Beach Road is bounded by North Bridge Road, Tan Quee Lan Street and Seah Street. It was historically designated a part of European Town. Once lined with beautiful villas, Beach Road today marks the boundary of Kampong Glam, and is well known for its two national monuments – Raffles Hotel and Hajjah Fatimah Mosque on its western side, as well as specialty shops, cinemas, food outlets and more. Today, Beach Road runs through three areas which is located within the planning areas of Kallang, Rochor and the Downtown Core in Singapore. The road starts at its junction with Crawford Street in Kallang in the north, run in a generally southerly direction, enter the Downtown Core at its junction with Ophir Road, and end at its junction with Stamford Road.
As its name implies, Beach Road used to run along southern coast, before land reclamation took place in the Kallang Basin area. Fig 2.1: Google Map on Beach Road.
BEACH ROAD HISTORY
In the Jackson Plan (Raffles Town Plan), which was based on Stamford Raffles’s vision of Singapore laid out in 1822, much of Beach Road was part of the land parcel set aside for European community. As a result, the earliest building on the road were European style building. Land reclamation, the original shoreline was right by Beach Road until the 1840s when land reclamation began. The stretch of beach was composed of sand, mud and swamp, after reclamation, Beach Road ceased to be a coastal road. After the area ceased to be a fashionable residential enclave in the 1880s following further land reclamation, the Hainanese community then settled in the Beach Road area, forming an enclave.
BEACH ROAD SITE ENVIRONMENT
In Beach Road, mostly are shop-house, office building, hotel and HDB. The shop-house are mostly F;B outlet, art ; graphic store and hotels. In the area of Beach Road there are also mosque, St John Singapore, Food Centre, Kampong Glam Park and Kampong Glam Community Club. You can easily get to Beach Road, just take the MRT circle line to Nicoll Highway or to Esplanade and if you like you can also take bus there. There are bus 56, 57, 100, 107, 107m, 961, 961c and 980. All this buses you can find it around the city area.
BEACH ROAD CULTURE
Along Beach Road there are a lot of different culture from European and Thailand. The earlier building on the road were European style because the road were designed as part of European Town, along the road was a row of 20 houses with large gardens and mostly inhabited by European. The Singapore Club, an exclusive club reserved for expatriates of European companies. In Beach Road there are Thai culture in it as there are Thai shopping mall in that area call Golden Mile Complex, in the mall all of the thing they sell are from Thailand and people who work there are mostly Thai.
INTERVIEW ABOUT THE SITE
Objective of the interview With this interview I can find out in-depth and personally, their thoughts regarding about the site and the communication in this neighbourhood and how often they communicate with their neighbours on a daily basis. Target Audience Young Adult to Elderlies at Beach Road Block 1 HDB Interview Questionnaire: How may I address you? May I ask how old are you? How long have you been living here? Are you currently employ and what’s your career? Do you have kids if yes, do you live with them? What are some of the things you like about this neighbourhood? What are some of the things you dislike about this neighbourhood? What is your best memory of this area? What are some of the changes you have seen in this neighbourhood? Do you and your friends have place where you like to hang out in this area? Where is it ; why? What do you think can be included here? Do you talk to your neighbour on a daily basis? If yes, most of the time how long to you guys chart? Do you hang out with your neighbour often? Do you think that communicate/ talk and trust your neighbour is a good thing? Do you help your neighbours before?
INTERVIEW ABOUT THE SITE
Lim May I ask how old are you? 61 Year Old How long have you been living here? I don’t remember but I think almost my hold life Are you currently employ and what’s your career? No I already retire, I’m getting old. Do you have kids if yes, do you live with them? Yes two of them both very big already, no they live with their own family but every Sunday they come over to have dinner. What are some of the things you like about this neighbourhood? Some of the neighbour are good, sometime they even cook dinner for me. What are some of the things you dislike about this neighbourhood? And some are just noisy. What is your best memory of this neighbourhood? The area use to be quiet and not much of people.
What are some of the changes you have seen in this area? A lot of new thing like, so many tourism at the nearby area and office building. Do you and your friends have place where you like to hang out in this area? Where is it & why? We just hang around the block & the park area. Because all my friend are in this area and I get to talk to some of my neighbours. What do you think can be included here? Nothing much, maybe cold & relax place to hang out with my friend since Singapore so hot.
Do you talk to your neighbour on a daily basis? If yes, most of the time how long to you guys chart? Yes, every morning when we go down to have breakfast and we chart very long. Do you hang out with your neighbour often? Yes, mostly morning and afternoon Do you think that communicate/ talk and trust your neighbour is a good thing? Of course, so that I got someone to talk to and someday they may help. Do you help your neighbours before? Long time ago
How may I address you? Mr. Ng May I ask how old are you? 34 Year Old How long have you been living here? 16 year Are you currently employ and what’s your career? Yes, I work in Sim lim and repair pc and selling part. Do you have kids if yes, do you live with them? Yes, one son still very young and of course I live with my family.
What are some of the things you like about this neighbourhood? Some of the elderly here are very nice, they love to talk to the neighbours What are some of the things you dislike about this neighbourhood? Just some of the place in this neighborhoods is so run down. What is your best memory of this neighbourhood? When my wife and I move into this area, the best. What are some of the changes you have seen in this area? Not sure just a lot of renovation going on. Do you and your friends have place where you like to hang out in this area? Where is it ; why? No, most of my friend don’t stay near here so we normally go city area to hang out. What do you think can be included here? I don’t know? The food here is nice and the people too, ah maybe build an indoor exercises area? Do you talk to your neighbour on a daily basis? If yes, most of the time how long to you guys chart? Depend, normally we only greet each other in the morning then went to work and we hardly talk to one another. Do you hang out with your neighbour often? No, once I done with my work I just go straight home but my kid do play game with the neighbour’s kid.
Do you think that communicate/ talk and trust your neighbour is a good thing? Yes, if I have the time I will talk to my neighbour more often and if they trust I, and I trust them we can help out each other. Do you help your neighbours before? Yes, when they need help with computer.
The Good Neighbours Project (GNP) is an initiative organized by the Housing & Development Board (HDB), partnered with the Singapore Kindness Movement (SKM) and POSB, and supported by the People’s Association (PA). They hope to encourage resident to initiate projects and activities to engage and bond with their neighbours. Fig.
I think that the Good Neighbours Project is a good thing for Singaporean as a lot of Singaporean don’t often talk or get involve with their neighbours. This project is an opportunity for people in their block to get together in this project and activates. This project allow the communities to bond, trust and know their neighbours. The GNP have been doing a lot of project in Singapore such as this image show the curry & music kampong and the most recent project is getting the neighbourhoods to learn how to make roses out of pandan leaves.
CONCLUSION
From the context of the research have justify many ways to improve and let people engage with their neighbours. That the environment of the interior and the activities for the community plays an important role in letting people to engage with other people, providing them with an environment that they can build their trust and bond with other neighbours.
Children also play important role that allows the parent of the children to engage with one another, the children can play with their neighbour’s kid, they can even become friend/ childhood friend and they can build their trust and bond at the young age. Meanwhile, simple activates such as doing art project around the neighbourhood or interactive activities such as group games would let them build their trust and bond. Outdoor activities with nature environment will increase a sense of earth tone vibe which help us to relax and be more effectiveness on the task. It also help to bond more when we do more physical activities like sports or hiking. Indoor environment and activities will also help to build bond and trust in a cold and relaxing environment when doing art project or other activities.
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