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What to Mitigate?

The diminishing cultural heritage and identity in the process of developing the place into a tourist destination needs to be addressed in order to reinstate Chinatown as Kreta Ayer. A multilayered district that accommodated various traditions and religion has now shrunk into a commerce district that is overrated for trading and celebrating stereotypical Chinese culture.

General Issues

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Departure from Initial Residential Function (Segregation)

  • The competitive real estate market drove away the community and its trade and the place gradually lost its character. 

  • The community spirit and the authenticity of Kreta Ayer has been sacrificed for monetary gains.

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Withering of Defining Community (Gentrification)

  • The priority change from being a community town to becoming a tourist destination resulted in the locals relocating to public housing and near by districts.

  • The change in real estate values changed the nature of commerce in the area.

  • The combination of government policies, along with demography change and the aspirations of developers triggered gentrification.

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Constructed Narrative of the Historical Precinct (Gentrification)

  • Is the place home to the locals ? is it home to the Chinese immigrants? the answer is no. 

  • It is a place that is trying to keep up with the transition from being a home to a tourist place that connects investors and developers better than it connects the locals. 

What and how do we want to address the issues?

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Macro

  • Need to address and emphasize the intangible heritage that belongs to the national monuments located in Chinatown rather than viewing it as a place of interest to improve tourism.

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Micro

Back Lanes

  • Sparsely found community spaces and public places need attention for improvement, redevelopment and connection to the wider region of the town.

  • It is crucial to improve and make space for capacity buildings in historic districts.

  • The unsanitary service spaces and underutilized parking spaces can be turned into functional green routes that connect the inner core to the surrounding movement network.

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