04 January 2009

Last Village ~ Singapore Plans to Pave the Past...

Fascinating story by Seth Mydans in the NYTimes titled Urban Singapore Prepares to Gobble Up Its Last Village, Kampong Buangkok...
"With just 28 houses in an area the size of three football fields, it is Singapore’s last rural hamlet, a forgotten straggler in the rush to modernize this high-rise, high-tech city-state. But apparently not for much longer. Kampong Buangkok is designated by the government for demolition and redevelopment, possibly in the near future. When it is gone, one of the world’s most extreme national makeovers will be complete."
Purely on preservationist grounds it's worth keeping some aspects of historic life, including this village and probably dozens of other key buildings and UNESCO-quality sites. Simply paving over the past seems so uncultured and uncivilized. On the other hand, I can understand and admire the push towards progress and modernity that Singapore perhaps best exemplifies. I wonder if there is not a third way, or at least key lessons that can be drawn from these Kampong dwellers. Be sure to visit the article and view the embedded video with interviews of Kampong Buangkok residents. These villagers talk about the place being...
"very quiet", enjoying "living in nature, among the trees. If I lived in a flat it would be difficult to have trees", having a sense of community and "caring about everybody" instead of being isolated and impersonal.
Why can't we have these qualities in greenscrapers and even the densest parts of vital cities?

No comments: