Singapore’s land area has grown in size since independence as we began building land on what was previously just the sea. Land reclamation has been Singapore’s key infrastructure strategy to prepare itself for future trends in the global economy. Landfills, ports, housing, and the Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resort are some of the pragmatic uses of the reclaimed land.
The East Coast Reclamation scheme began in 1965 as a strategy for nation-building at that time. Before that, people lived in squalid conditions in ‘kampongs’ (villages). With modernity in sight, the Marine Parade estate was built entirely on the reclaimed land and the relocation of kampong-dwellers took place. This was part of the Singapore government’s strategy to rehouse its population, provide better housing with more sanitary and quality living spaces.
However, it took some getting used to for the resettled kampong dwellers to live in HDB flats without worries. Some felt that they had their previous lives erased; places where they grew up in no longer exist. Communities like the fishermen were uprooted and resettled.
Read the full article on Failed Architecture: In Conquering the Sea, Singapore Erases Its History
Analysis:
The land reclamation strategy could be considered a success, by the state’s definition, for what it was intended to do. Small coastal territories like Singapore, and Hong Kong, use land reclamation strategies to increase their usable land area. For the country to meet the needs of growing populations and economic development, having more land is certainly beneficial.
While some may think that having more land means reducing the pressure to repurpose existing land use, this article reminds us that sacrifices had to be made by communities affected by the reclamation process.
There are also environmental consequences of land reclamation. Marine habitats have been lost due to the development and Singapore has suffered the loss of coral reefs, mangroves, and marine biodiversity.
Questions for further personal evaluation:
- Do you think the benefits of land reclamation outweigh the costs?
- Which other countries also use land reclamation methods and what are the consequences?
Useful vocabulary:
- ‘symbiotic’: denoting a mutually beneficial relationship between different people or groups
- squalid’: (of a place) extremely dirty and unpleasant