Back in the late 1980s the URA put its money where its mouth was by restoring no less than 32 shophouses in a deliberate attempt to convince the private sector just how attractive these conversion projects could become. The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) – the entity in charge of town planning – has officially declared many of the city’s remaining shophouses deserving of protection as “historical sources of delight and nostalgia”.
As a people from a mix of cultural backgrounds, a sense of belonging is particularly important to us.” “When shophouses are cleared to make way for high-rise developments we lose a certain sense of belonging. The Heritage Shop has become a Singaporean institution that counts the Emir of Qatar among its recent customers. Uncle Vintage, as he’s better known to his Kampong Glam neighbours, is sitting among an unimaginably eclectic jumble of antique and collectible treasures that spills out into covered walkway outside his shop on Sultan Road. “Shophouses give us a sense of the culture in an area,” says Patrick Phoa. Many Singaporeans are now working together to ensure that these roots will never be allowed to decay. Perhaps even more so than the great colonial institutions, the humble shophouses are the roots from which the far-reaching branches of Singapore’s multi-cultural business network has sprang throughout the world. Singapore’s glitteringly modern skyline has become instantly recognisable, but look closer and you can still find a city that has evolved through the years. A neon-lit uptown boulevard gives way to a labyrinth of alleys where fringed Chinese lanterns and wrought-iron lamps throw eerie shadows into tunnel-like walkways. Shrapnel shards of pastel paintwork reflect haphazardly in the glass panels of a Singapore office block. 29 June, 2015 Many Singaporean entrepreneurs are turning their backs on the high-rise glitz and glamour of the business district and returning to their downtown roots, where a revival of the nation’s colourful architectural heritage is taking place.
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