PubliCity is an initiative that aims to involve the community to celebrate good public spaces and to enliven public spaces through good design and programmes. Public spaces are important components of our living environment. The creation and development of well-designed public spaces provide areas for people to gather for social activities and serve as leisure and recreational spaces. As part of urban planning and design, public spaces are carefully planned and distributed across the island. ‘PubliCity’ aims to create both new public spaces as well as rejuvenate existing ones. Public spaces play a critical role in our plans to create a good quality living environment. They serve as venues for communities to gather and interact, and help to strengthen social identity and foster community bonding. Through this project, we hope to invite the community to celebrate public spaces, and at the same time participate in giving ideas on how to make them better. PubliCity aims to develop public spaces that are loved and used by people. This is achieved by getting the community involved in the design and planning process that aims for repeated visits. Additionally they aim to include greenery in public spaces, this brings nature into urban areas and provides shade. Waterbodies can also be integrated to form a powerful combination. They also aim to make these urban spaces easily accessible and car-free zones to make the environment more vibrant. They aim to create comfort in these urban spaces with ample shade, sufficient seating, good lighting and a safe environment with universal design, with this people will be able to enjoy spending more time in public spaces. In addition ‘PubliCity’ believes remarkable public spaces often evoke a sense of delight for people. This sense of delight can come from a humorous sculpture or a scenic view. Good public spaces also allow people to share the space and enjoy the company of others. PubliCity invites the public to come up with creative design ideas for public spaces. The public can submit their design ideas for The Lawn @ Marina Bay, Spaces along Singapore River Promenade, the open space in Kampong Glam, and Woodlands Civic Plaza. As users of these public spaces, the community is in a good position to suggest improvements to these spaces. These design ideas will serve as inspiration and catalysts for future improvement project for these public spaces. Up to ten winners will each win $1,000 in cash.

Image: (c) Urban Redevelopment Authority Singapore (pending permission)