Mention “Bugis”, and a few different thoughts come to mind. Maybe it’s the vitality of Bugis Junction, the numerous arts institutions cum museums, or perhaps for a select few, the old, seamy Bugis Street. Whatever this may be, it is undeniable that the surprisingly eclectic variety of architecture, coupled with a rich heritage, makes this place unique like no other in Singapore.
Officially, “Bras Basah-Bugis” denotes a 95-ha district bounded by Selegie Road, Rochor Road, Beach Road and Fort Canning Hill. In the early years of founding after 1819, Kampong Bugis and Bras Basah bustled with riverside trade and had communities of Malay and Indian immigrants respectively. As the 19th Century moved on, well-established British schools such as Raffes Institution and St. Joseph’s Institution made the place reputed for housing “da shu guan” (big schools). More than a century later, the infamous Bugis Street had become a major tourist attraction for Westerners. Following a major redevelopment plan by the government that lasted 20 years and is still ongoing till this date, many old buildings were demolished, yet certain sites of cultural heritage were preserved. The landscape of Bras Basah-Bugis is no stranger to change, but has the local identity managed to evolve and retain itself?
Changing the identity of a place
Firstly, we need to examine the reasons behind these dramatic changes. Most of them were masterminded by the government in the pursuit of modernisation. The most significant factor is probably the pre-existing rich architectural heritage of the area. Over the course of the past two centuries, the influx of immigrants of varied origins brought with them their traditions, and the area now has diverse architecture and a whopping 12 places of worship, such as the Armenian Aspotolic Church of St. Gregory the Illuminator, the first Christian church in Singapore. The eclectic mix of colonial buildings, Chinese shophouses and various places of worship reflect a rich, multi-faceted cultural identity of the place. Hence, an interesting phenomenon exists in Bras Basah-Bugis where the government builds on the existing distinctive culture to promote the area as an “Arts, Culture, Learning and Entertainment” district, while adding on new uses to complement it. It should also be noted that this is not the case for the entire area—while Bras Basah had a more wholesome past invoking thoughts of Tao Nan School and Raffles Institution, Bugis was a red-light district, hence the changes in the latter are much more pronounced and with thepurpose of modernising the area and reinvent Singapore as a world-class city, rather than conservation. Thus, there is also a distinctively economic reason behind the changes made in the area. Due to the potential of the district as atourist attraction and culture hub, the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s masterplan includes improving transport in the area, setting up art institutions, removing Bugis Street, demolishing many old shophouses, and building entertainment facilities through Government Land Sales. All these deliberately evoked changes have greatly impacted the identity and culture of Bras Basah-Bugis.
Here, Identity changes with Location
Take a stroll down the area, starting from Bugis Junction, past Bras Basah Complex, then the Singapore Art Museum on Waterloo Street, finally ending at Albert Mall. You will notice that the place identity is quite distinct at each street. This has a direct link to their community identities.
The entire stretch of Victoria Street is lined with newly-constructed buildings. These include commercial shopping malls, buildings and the new National Library. This is a total revamp of the old buildings, and each building was built with a specific purpose by the government to influence the identity of the place as a commercial hub. For example, in 2004, the URA for the first sold a site specifically for entertainment uses. The result is Iluma, a shopping mall with a “distinctive, illuminative and interactive facade” with a range of entertainment facilities such as multiplex cinemas and a public stage, all tailored to “inject more energy into the already vibrant street life”. A network of MRT stations were planned in the 1970s to increase the accessibility of the area, greatly increasing the flow of people through the place. Both the new National Library and the Singapore Management University were deliberately built in the vicinity toincrease the vitality and youthful learning energy of the place. This has definitely enhanced the lively and bustling vibe of the place and established its place identity as an entertainment hub for young professionals. However, this has come at a cost—the commercialisation and systematic rebuilding of the place has been at the cost of the local community’s identity. Now, the area has little residents, the people that come and go makes it nigh on impossible to establish a communal identity. This blogger interviewed several old bookshop owners at Bras Basah Complex—all of whom have been residents for several decades. The general opinion is that they feel no sense of belonging to the place; staying here is purely for an economic reason. “I used to know [shopkeepers] at the shophouses along Bras Basah Road, but after the government forced us out, most of the old shopkeepers have [moved away]”, says Mr Syed Mubarak wistfully. With commercialisation, the old and unique identity of the street of bookshop shophouses is lost, and so unfortunately, is the communal identity.
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| The newly-constructed Singapore Management University campus injects the vibrancy of youthful students into the area; "Learning hub" place identity |
Moving on to the Waterloo Street Art Belt, both the architecture and identity of the place has shifted. Without the hustle and bustle of the commercial district, the abundance of arts institutions, like the Singapore Arts Museum, and religious places, like St. John’s Cathedral, gives the place a strong cultural and artistic place identity. (PHOTO) This identity is created by the government, which has chosen to preserve old buildings to preserve heritage and use them to showcase the arts. Place identity affects community identity. Waterloo Center’s residents (PHOTO) are testament to that. Part of the Moulmein-Kallang GRC, the unique position of this HDB estate has given it an identity like no other in Singapore. The residents enjoy a strong cultural atmosphere, yet still manage to retain communal identity. This can be attributed to several reasons. Firstly, most of the residents are of the older generation and are familiar with the local community. Being a HDB estate (albeit a small one), there are common spaces such as a coffee shop and a mini-garden where residents interact. Also, this place has been mostly untouched by the government over the years of reinventing the district. That is not to say that the culture of the place has been completely unaltered. In the past, most of the shops were auto-repair shops run by the older generation. As time flowed, some of these shops evolved to become offices due to the convenient accessibility of the place by MRT. Others, influenced by the artsy atmosphere, have been replaced by religious and artistic shops. As Mr Kumar, resident office worker, puts it, “everything here is unplanned” and he himself was attracted by the connectivity of the location. The enhancement of cultural identity of Waterloo may be deliberate, but it has also naturally influenced the identity of the resident community.
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| Church Of Saints Peter and Paul; Religious place identity |
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| Singapore Art Museum; ex-St. Joseph's Institution; Artistic place identity |
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| Kopitiam at the void deck of Waterloo Center; common space for residents |
Just across the street at Waterloo Street, shopping malls and the ever-busy temples draw in a much larger crowd, similar in volume to the town center in Bugis. However, the crowd here is very different. Shops here are not big-name brands like the ones in Bugis Junction, and they cater to the locals. The Sri Krishnan Temple and Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple are both old religious buildings with rich heritage. They reflect the local Chinese and Indian communities of the past, and have continued to be an integral part of the place and community identities. Both the place and community identities are very religious—shops in Fortune Center sell Buddhist relics, and many of the old residents set up stalls selling joss sticks and lotus flowers to the worshippers. Even the shops in the void deck of the flats are largely Buddhist; a huge contrast to the shops of Waterloo Center. Hence, architecture is intrinsically linked to the identity of a place. “I have lived here since 1980. It has not changed,” says resident Mr Khaw, “but it is getting noisier.” No wonder, as the Singapore Tourism Board has been touting the area as a heritage attraction since the 1990s. While this has allowed the local architectural heritage to remain (PHOTO), tourism in the place has somewhat diluted its identity. Now, Hotel Ibis is situated just nearby, while a fancy, artificial signpost, accompanied by an information board, can be found in front of the temple. Fortunately, despite the flow of Western tourists (who seem intrigued by the Buddha statue), the place retains a strong community identity, as the residents are all of an older generation and the government regularly promotes community activities during various festivals.
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| Visitors and locals alike flock the Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple; Most of these stall-owners are old residents; Religious place and community identity |
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| Bemused Western tourists in front of the Golden Buddha statue; Shops in the mall are distinctly religious; Religious and tourist hotspot place identity |
So, in summary, what affects identity?
From the Bras Basah-Bugis case study, it can be concluded that common spaces and preservation of heritage enhances community identity, which is much stronger when fostered naturally over time. On the other hand, modifying the area for economic reasons that may not be agreeable to the locals can greatly dilute, and even destroy, community identity.
Place identity can be easily created through proper planning of building by the government, while existing place identity can be further enhanced by adding features with the same character to the place.
As a whole, Bras Basah-Bugis is a place with a strong, distinct and very unique culture. its overall place identity is one of an entertainment, arts and culture hub. Yet, the precinct is fractured—the three areas each have their own place and community identity. While they are strong, in the case of the two estates on Waterloo Street, there is still room for improvement to enhance the overall sense of community identity.
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| Further proof of Bras Basah-Bugis' youthful, creative and artistic identity? |
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| Proof: A jumble of cultural heritage, residence and tourist facilities (Hotel Ibis, as shown); Tourism dilutes identity! |
Enhancing identity and commonality
The government can organise a combined event across the entire district to promote identity as a whole. Common space, such as a park, can be created in the area, to provide common ground for interaction of the people while also enhancing the aesthetic appeal of the place as a tourist hotspot. Place and community identity can be better preserved by designating whatever old architecture left as heritage sites. Even if the old architecture is destroyed, heritage can be somewhat brought back to ‘revive’ the old identity of the place through more activities such as the National Heritage Board’s Heritage along Footpaths project.
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