A visit to the Singapore City Gallery reveals how much vision, thought and planning goes into sculpting Singapore’s future and preserving our built heritage. The free gallery at URA Centre covers three floors and provides a window into the city planning process.
Singapore City Gallery at URA Building: A Vision for Tomorrow
Entering the Singapore City Gallery’s Permanent Exhibition at Level Two, we were immediately immersed into a 360-degree multimedia room filled with ever-changing visuals of Singapore.
Interactive screens sited around the room introduced us to the aspirations that the urban renewal process balances and accounts for.
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Exploring the Permanent Collection at Singapore City Gallery
A short flight of stairs brought us up to Level Three where the permanent collection continues.
On one side of corridor, the milestones of Singapore’s development from the early colonial days to more recent times are charted out on a panels.
On the other side of the corridor, we peered out over the ledge for a birds eye view of the architectural model of the CBD, one floor below.
Along the corridor, there is a panel where we were able to learn more about some of the eco-friendly initiatives being undertaken around the island.
Uncovering the City
“Small Island, Big Plans” probably describes Singapore approach to urban planning. Very little is left to chance. The future is plotted out decades in advance. This has been the approach since the Jackson Plan was formulated the early 1820s; urban planning, to varying degrees, has always been a part of Singapore’s DNA.
With land scarcity in Singapore, space needs to be used wisely. Planning is essential to ensure that the city works well for those who live in it.
At the Singapore City Gallery, we got to understand more about the infrastructural networks that run under the city through a short interactive multimedia show.
Interactive displays invite exploration of how the city works. Some of these have now got “no-touch” features; placing the hand over them activates them.
We enjoyed how they encouraged exploration and they provided a fun way to learn about the nitty gritty of urban planning and also provided a way to get engaged with the task of city building.
Singapore’s Built Heritage
The past is not forgotten either. Those who are interested in how Singapore’s built heritage is being preserved can learn more through interactive exhibits.
There are also miniature scale models of shophouses, a distinctive feature of Singapore’s built heritage.
We could even explore specific precincts in greater detail.
There is also a gallery that is devoted to plans for Singapore to be a car-lite society.
CBD Model at the Singapore City Gallery
Returning back down to the second floor gave us a chance to admire the Singapore’s CBD model we had spotted earlier upclose.
It is easy to spend some time here, looking out for different parts of the city in miniature.
A section is also dedicated to Singapore’s ambition of becoming a “smart city”.
Pause for a moment to take in is the drawing of Singapore’s skyline, done by British architectural artist Stephen Wiltshire, who is an autistic savant, in 2014. It is jaw-dropping to see the level of detail he managed to draw from memory over five days.
Mapping the Future
We ended off our visit to the Singapore City Gallery on Level One where there were temporary exhibits and a map of the entire Singapore.
By this time, we had gained a new appreciation for the immense effort and planning required to create a city that truly works.
For those who are still curious and want to learn more, there is also a map gallery on Level Two.
You can also choose to sign up for a guided tour of the Singapore City Gallery on selected dates.
There is also a self-guided gallery quest. Use a mobile app and completed a series of gamified tasks across the various exhibits to learn more about urban planning and Singapore’s transformation into one of the most liveable cities in Asia. Get more details about this Singapore City Gallery self-guided quest.
Singapore City Gallery
Where: 45 Maxwell Road The URA Centre, Singapore 069118
Open on Mondays to Saturdays, 9 am to 5 pm
Closed on Sundays and Public Holidays
Admission is free
Website: Singapore City Gallery
