URBAN CONSERVATION AND
REGENERATION OF
MASTERPLANNING
The master plan expresses our three main strategies for the Kreta Ayer area:
1. Kiosk and transient structure redesign in the main streets to make them organic;
2. The activation of the back alleys with landscape interventions and the full-time period design of transient structures;
3. Functional optimisation of the unproductive parts of the shophouses to create an anchor point for a 24-hour economy.
With regard to the third point on functional optimisation, we have proposed a specific optimisation plan using Pagoda Street as an example and sample.
During the fieldwork, it was found that the Chinese restaurants clustered around the MRT station and on the corner of the street contribute to showcasing the "Chinatown character" to outsiders (local Chinese diners and foreign tourists). Another tourist business that dominates Pagoda Street is the gift shop, which sells Chinese jewellery and clothing, as well as other 'inclusive' souvenirs.
However, our field data shows that the first and first floors of both types of shophouses are not used effectively: restaurants tend to use the top floors for vip rooms and storage (which are actually under-utilised), while the higher floors of gift shops are often left empty. On top of this, many functions such as yoga studios and gyms are less inclusive of customers and are not only not relevant to local residents, but also do not contribute to the brand image of Chinatown's tourism industry.
This strategy seeks to introduce three main types of businesses: daily dining on the corner and back alley, a space that operates as a kopitiam during the day and as a bar at night, while this business can expand its function to back alleys at night; hotel accommodation, mainly on the top floor, which can effectively anchor tourists and outsiders as the new cosmopolitan residents of the area. The cosmopolitan residents, as well as the temporary overnight stay for the night-time economy, and the 24-hour minimart on the ground floor will enable the 'new residents' to have access to retail services around the clock. Overall, this strategy focuses on transforming the less utilised top floors of the shophouses (which are also areas of less economic value) into new businesses that are conducive to the 24-hour economy.