COLOCATION
Punggol Fields, slated for removal for HDB development.
Lower Seletar Reservoir. Its accompanying nature park will be expanded with a 16.5ha extension, as part of a new nature corridor that links the Central Catchment Nature Reserve to Khatib Bongsu Nature Park.
A view overlooking Buangkok Green HDB. The stream runs into Sengkang Riverside Green, and connects into Sungei Punggol that drains into the eastern Straits of Johor. In front of it is an old industrial estate in limbo.
TWO GARDENS
TWO GARDENS
Left: Ms. Kate Beh, who has managed Clementi Community Garden. She spends around 5-6 hours a day
managing the plants in her supervision. She shares the garden with several other residents.
Center: Dogfennel, planted in Clementi Community Garden to keep off pests.
Right: A woman (who refused to be named) who runs a guerilla garden space a stairway below from the community garden.
Following her retirement, she had applied for a spot in the government mandated garden, but was rejected from a space by authorities. In response, she
was forced to craft a space from roughlands, using abandoned materials from the garden above as construction materials.
managing the plants in her supervision. She shares the garden with several other residents.
Center: Dogfennel, planted in Clementi Community Garden to keep off pests.
Right: A woman (who refused to be named) who runs a guerilla garden space a stairway below from the community garden.
Following her retirement, she had applied for a spot in the government mandated garden, but was rejected from a space by authorities. In response, she
was forced to craft a space from roughlands, using abandoned materials from the garden above as construction materials.
Left: Urgent Care Centre at Kampung Admiralty. The facility contains three floors dedicated to elderly care, including specialised active ageing centers.
Right: Unnamed lady looking through her guerilla garden. “I wanted to do this as a form of exercise – stay active. If not, I would be sitting at home
and idling. I would go dumb. I would never want that,” she says about building her space.
Right: Unnamed lady looking through her guerilla garden. “I wanted to do this as a form of exercise – stay active. If not, I would be sitting at home
and idling. I would go dumb. I would never want that,” she says about building her space.
1. Unripened torch ginger flower. Also colloquially known as the rojak flower, its unopened buds can be used to add flavour to dishes,
including rojak and laksa. Most are given away. According to Ms. X, its market rate is $1 a flower.
2. Umbrella, which was taken from abandoned materials from residences and gardens upstairs.
The space, including its pavings and stairway, was built over the course of 4-5 years,
and was self-funded by her and her partner.
3. The produce on the farm is always either given away for free - or in the case of edible produce, cooked and eaten herself. She recollects families living opposite to her space
running their own improvised settlements, until their recent deaths from disease.
4. In search for her space, the woman had originally offered to excavate the space herself. The government, however,
rejected her appeal for reasons of safety. “They don’t even want free labour — they’d rather hire
someone that costs thousands!” she says.
5. A makeshift shelter in the guerilla garden. The woman took two years to build the structure from recycled material,
like much of the rest of her space. “It’s nothing impressive. I have to replace the wood
soon — it’s rotting,” she says of its roof.
Left: A mixture of repurposed canes and planks used to build the guerilla garden’s impromptu structure.
Middle: Stalk of sugar cane at the guerilla garden. “The only reason it grew so fat and big because it wasn’t disturbed.
It was given its room to grow,” she says about the lone stalk, which she had been growing for a year.
Beyond sugarcane, other species planted in the guerilla garden also include sugar-apple and mulberry.
Right: Sugar cane at a Maxwell Food Centre drink stall.
Middle: Stalk of sugar cane at the guerilla garden. “The only reason it grew so fat and big because it wasn’t disturbed.
It was given its room to grow,” she says about the lone stalk, which she had been growing for a year.
Beyond sugarcane, other species planted in the guerilla garden also include sugar-apple and mulberry.
Right: Sugar cane at a Maxwell Food Centre drink stall.
IN CONSTRUCTION
HDB development in front of Admiralty MRT Station. An expansion of Admiralty Place mall is under construction next to Kampung Admiralty.
1. Wall blocking Punggol Field, which is slated for clearance for a mixed-use HDB facility. Other efforts slated for the area include the Punggol Digital District,
a planned ‘smart district’ that will unite sectors of tech industry, academia, and community residences.
2. A construction crane at Punggol Field. Development of the area began in 2018, and is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2023.
3. Ferns overgrowing wall blocking off Punggol Field.
a planned ‘smart district’ that will unite sectors of tech industry, academia, and community residences.
2. A construction crane at Punggol Field. Development of the area began in 2018, and is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2023.
3. Ferns overgrowing wall blocking off Punggol Field.
1. Workers construct new greenhouses from ComCrop, Southeast Asia's first urban commercial rooftop farm.
Singapore is seeking to achieve a goal of ‘30 by 30ʼ: acquiring 30% of
Singaporeʼs nutritional needs locally and sustainably by 2030.
2. Comcropʼs new greenhouses are expected to produce up to 200 tons of food. The project costs 4 million dollars.
3. Mr. Wang, a Comcrop employee working in the greenhouse. To sustain Comcrop, a mix of volunteers and part-timers are needed.
Singapore is seeking to achieve a goal of ‘30 by 30ʼ: acquiring 30% of
Singaporeʼs nutritional needs locally and sustainably by 2030.
2. Comcropʼs new greenhouses are expected to produce up to 200 tons of food. The project costs 4 million dollars.
3. Mr. Wang, a Comcrop employee working in the greenhouse. To sustain Comcrop, a mix of volunteers and part-timers are needed.
1. Harvesting at ComCrop. Produce grown by ComCrop include basil, rosemary and mint.
2. Mr. Wang has been working for Comcrop for 2 years. Previously a manager in sportswear, he switched into agriculture seeing its future potential as a burgeoning industry in
Singapore, prompting him to take a government grant to study with a private education provider. However, he also comments on a lack of younger
colleagues, in part due to limited educational options domestically on agriculture-based subjects. Current programmes in Singaporean IHLs include Nanyang Technological Universityʼs Food
Science and Technology programme.
3. A adhesive plot used in greenhouses as an indicator for pest infestations. Despite ComCrop’s adoption of technology,
manual labour is still required to run the farm.
2. Mr. Wang has been working for Comcrop for 2 years. Previously a manager in sportswear, he switched into agriculture seeing its future potential as a burgeoning industry in
Singapore, prompting him to take a government grant to study with a private education provider. However, he also comments on a lack of younger
colleagues, in part due to limited educational options domestically on agriculture-based subjects. Current programmes in Singaporean IHLs include Nanyang Technological Universityʼs Food
Science and Technology programme.
3. A adhesive plot used in greenhouses as an indicator for pest infestations. Despite ComCrop’s adoption of technology,
manual labour is still required to run the farm.
1. Manda Foo, founder of Earth Adventures, a company focused on tours focused on farm and sustainability education.
“Achieving 30 by 30 is very possible - we just have a demand issue,” she says. The company is based at Kampung Kampus with Ground Up
Initiative in Kranji, and runs a 9ha land-based farm.
2. A plastic egg at Kampung Kampus. Local egg farms in Singapore supply 27% of Singapore’s total supply.
According to Foo, Singapore faces an egg oversupply of 5 million to 3 million, which disincentivise farmers from greater production.
Local farms also recently faced supply disruptions due to Newcastle disease,
which caused a temporary drop in hens’ egg production.
3. Darren Tan, Head of Education, Sales and Outreach at ComCrop. “We are not a technology company, and that helps us
very much. We are serious about growing,” he says about Comcrop’s aspirations.
“Achieving 30 by 30 is very possible - we just have a demand issue,” she says. The company is based at Kampung Kampus with Ground Up
Initiative in Kranji, and runs a 9ha land-based farm.
2. A plastic egg at Kampung Kampus. Local egg farms in Singapore supply 27% of Singapore’s total supply.
According to Foo, Singapore faces an egg oversupply of 5 million to 3 million, which disincentivise farmers from greater production.
Local farms also recently faced supply disruptions due to Newcastle disease,
which caused a temporary drop in hens’ egg production.
3. Darren Tan, Head of Education, Sales and Outreach at ComCrop. “We are not a technology company, and that helps us
very much. We are serious about growing,” he says about Comcrop’s aspirations.
TO THE TABLE
1. Ms. Zhang, from Maxwell Coconut & Sugarcane Juice at Maxwell Food Centre. All of the stall’s fruits are sourced from Malaysia, which have risen in price due to
global supply shocks. However, due to the sensitive nature of demand in hawker centers, she has refused to raise her prices even with rising rent and supply costs.
She competes against two other juice stalls in the centre, who both charge higher than her for sugar cane juice.
2. Maxwell Food Centre at 7pm. Sales have suffered due to the lack of tourists, who visit the food center as a destination. “We rely on having loyal customers,” she shares. Tourism recently returned to Singapore, following the loosening of pandemic border controls in late April.
3. Mr. Ong, a fishmonger at Clementi Market for over 20 years. Produce is sourced from Jurong Port every morning. Like Ms Zhang, global supply shocks
have also resulted in price increases, as well as increasing difficulty in acquiring quality product.
1. Salmon and cod fillets at Mr Ong’s fish stall, imported from Norway and Chile respectively.
According to Mr. Ong and his partner, the two products sell the best due to local demographics in Clementi as a heartlands district:
for soups, suited for the elderly and young children. Other fishes at the stall are sourced from various countries in Southeast Asia.
2. Komatsuna, sold and harvested by Comcrop. The farm directly sells to outlets such as NTUC FairPrice and RedMart under their own brand.
Due to impressions in the domestic market, they sell the vegetables branded as ‘Japanese Cai Xin.’
3. Kampong chicken sold at Clementi Market, imported from Malaysia. Singapore recently faced a shortage chicken due to domestic supply and price surges in
Malaysia, which lead to an export ban in May. In response, the store was forced to close. According to the seller of this stall, sales have slowed considerably since the ban.
Although previously accustomed to selling out their stock by the morning - displays were still full by 11am.
According to Mr. Ong and his partner, the two products sell the best due to local demographics in Clementi as a heartlands district:
for soups, suited for the elderly and young children. Other fishes at the stall are sourced from various countries in Southeast Asia.
2. Komatsuna, sold and harvested by Comcrop. The farm directly sells to outlets such as NTUC FairPrice and RedMart under their own brand.
Due to impressions in the domestic market, they sell the vegetables branded as ‘Japanese Cai Xin.’
3. Kampong chicken sold at Clementi Market, imported from Malaysia. Singapore recently faced a shortage chicken due to domestic supply and price surges in
Malaysia, which lead to an export ban in May. In response, the store was forced to close. According to the seller of this stall, sales have slowed considerably since the ban.
Although previously accustomed to selling out their stock by the morning - displays were still full by 11am.
- Shopping bag from Robinsons shopping mall at Maxwell Food Center.
- Women examine bittergourd on sale in a local Clementi wet market.
- Sign at Chuan Yew Furniture Wholesale Center in People’s Park Complex, Chinatown.
Chinatown branch of Scarlett, a Chinese supermarket chain that directly imports Mainland Chinese products at low price points.
The chain opened in October 2020, and now operates 13 outlets across Singapore.
Caption reads: ‘We promise, we operate with the lowest prices on the entire island.’
The chain opened in October 2020, and now operates 13 outlets across Singapore.
Caption reads: ‘We promise, we operate with the lowest prices on the entire island.’
1. Neighborhood grocery store at Punggol Field, HDB. The shop markets itself as stocking local produce.
2. A 24 hour Giant outlet at Punggol Northshore. Other supermarket chains in communities include Sheng Siong and NTUC Fairprice,
the latter of which is responsible for securing basic commodity prices in face of rising prices.
2. A 24 hour Giant outlet at Punggol Northshore. Other supermarket chains in communities include Sheng Siong and NTUC Fairprice,
the latter of which is responsible for securing basic commodity prices in face of rising prices.
1. Recycling bin at Punggol Field.
2. Refuse hopper for recyclables at Kampung Admiralty.
3. Truck for Qi Fu Disposal Packaging, spotted outside Clementi Town Food Center. In 2020, about 200,000 tonnes of plastic disposables were disposed of in Singapore, sufficient to fill 400 Olympic-sized swimming pools. To discourage excessive use of single-use packaging, the NEA introduced the Packaging Partnership Programme with large producers of packaged producers and manufacturers, to nudge them into reducing packaging use.
However, small hawkers are largely unaffected by the policy.
2. Refuse hopper for recyclables at Kampung Admiralty.
3. Truck for Qi Fu Disposal Packaging, spotted outside Clementi Town Food Center. In 2020, about 200,000 tonnes of plastic disposables were disposed of in Singapore, sufficient to fill 400 Olympic-sized swimming pools. To discourage excessive use of single-use packaging, the NEA introduced the Packaging Partnership Programme with large producers of packaged producers and manufacturers, to nudge them into reducing packaging use.
However, small hawkers are largely unaffected by the policy.
BALIK KAMPUNG? HOW?
A bus rushing by Woodleigh MRT station at night. Overnight bus routes by SMRT and SBS (named Night Riders or Nite Owls) provided connections between downtown and major housing estates after hours after normal bus services and the MRT ceased, and operated after midnight on Fridays, Saturdays and eves of public holidays. Night rider bus services were quietly terminated from June 2022, making private transport the only option for after-hours travel.
The services were suspended since April 2020 amid the pandemic.
The services were suspended since April 2020 amid the pandemic.
- Woodleigh MRT station at night.
2. A Blue.SG car charging in Chinatown. The company is the first electric carsharing service launched in Singapore, and operates 239 charging stations in Singapore.
3. Shell gas station at Buangkok. With increased global demand and pressures from banned Russian imports,
June fuel pump prices for premium 98-octane fuels broke $4 for the first time in Singapore history, at $4.04 (Shell).
Left: A food delivery rider at work in Punggol. In 2021, 2.5 million people used online food delivery in Singapore, an increase of 300,000 people from 2020.
By 2025, this amount is estimated to increase to around 3.6 million people.
Right: A rider collecting orders for WhyQ, a relatively new entrant into the food delivery market. Founded in 2014, the service focuses on
collecting orders for hawkers, a segment previously neglected by larger players such as Foodpanda or GrabFood. It markets itself through
low delivery fees, and does not charge its vendors commissions or on-boarding fees.
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1. Condominium blocks under construction in Clementi.
2. Evening time lights at Punggol Northshore. As part of HDB’s Green Towns Project, the Smart LED lights installed in new blocks
seeks to reduce energy used for lighting in HDB blocks by up to 60%.
3. Banner addressing infrastructure upgrades in Woodlands. Featuring PAP MP, Mariam Jaafar.
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By 2025, this amount is estimated to increase to around 3.6 million people.
Right: A rider collecting orders for WhyQ, a relatively new entrant into the food delivery market. Founded in 2014, the service focuses on
collecting orders for hawkers, a segment previously neglected by larger players such as Foodpanda or GrabFood. It markets itself through
low delivery fees, and does not charge its vendors commissions or on-boarding fees.
1. Condominium blocks under construction in Clementi.
2. Evening time lights at Punggol Northshore. As part of HDB’s Green Towns Project, the Smart LED lights installed in new blocks
seeks to reduce energy used for lighting in HDB blocks by up to 60%.
3. Banner addressing infrastructure upgrades in Woodlands. Featuring PAP MP, Mariam Jaafar.
2. 1. The facade of Kampung Admiralty, as viewed from a neighboring HDB block. Completed in 2017, the mixed-use facility is designed as a vertical kampung to house 100 flats for the elderly, alongside retail and specialised medical support for its demographics. The building won World Building of the Year in 2018.
2. Northshore Plaza at Punggol’s Northshore District, designed as one of HDB’s pioneering green towns. It will serve over 200,000 residents.
2. Northshore Plaza at Punggol’s Northshore District, designed as one of HDB’s pioneering green towns. It will serve over 200,000 residents.
1. A house at Kampong Lorong Buangkok, the last remaining rural kampong in Singapore. The vicinity is still home to 25 families, and has existed since 1956. Although the government holds the right to the space, the land is privately owned. Residents have resisted the sale of the land.
2. Rooftop garden at level 7 of Kampung Admiralty. Community gardening and farming activities are regularly held to engage the elderly as part of Kampung Admiralty’s active ageing programs. “Keep Our Kampung Spirit Alive,” the sign reads.
2. Rooftop garden at level 7 of Kampung Admiralty. Community gardening and farming activities are regularly held to engage the elderly as part of Kampung Admiralty’s active ageing programs. “Keep Our Kampung Spirit Alive,” the sign reads.
Mr Lim has worked in the renovation industry for over 20 years. His office is situated in mixed-use factory space next to Kampong Lorong Buangkok. which his company shares with construction and earthenware manufacturing industries. The land which they are on is slated for redevelopment - however, as the land is also privately owned by a wealthy landlord, who lives in Lorong Kampong Buangkok, plans for the space have been perpetually delayed.
In the mean time, his lease has been renewed every 5 years. His company has had to scale down, due to the lack of talent available in his industry and rising costs. When asked where he would relocate if the government was to retake the land, he responds with a smile and shrug.
In the mean time, his lease has been renewed every 5 years. His company has had to scale down, due to the lack of talent available in his industry and rising costs. When asked where he would relocate if the government was to retake the land, he responds with a smile and shrug.
“I can keep going for
8-9 years, I’d love
to. But if they
finally decide to
come in, I’ll just
have to call it a
day,” he shares.
8-9 years, I’d love
to. But if they
finally decide to
come in, I’ll just
have to call it a
day,” he shares.
1. The frontier of Ground-up Initiative / Kampung Kampus. Their area, alongside Yishun’s ORTO Park, will be cleared next year for redevelopment as housing
following the conclusion of their 9-year lease.
2. An impromptu paved road to HDB blocks in Buangkok.
following the conclusion of their 9-year lease.
2. An impromptu paved road to HDB blocks in Buangkok.
Naturally ventilated corridoor at Punggol Northshore.
- Remnants from the abandoned KTM railway in Clementi Forest. The area is now developed into the Rail Corridor.
- A covered sign near Old Bukit Timah Railway Station, as part of refurbishment efforts.
- Albizia trees in Clementi Forest, common marks of secondary forests in Singapore. These trees can
often grow up to can reach more than 40m, and often sprout spontaneously across distances without
human intervention. They are sometimes perceived and cut down as storm-vulnerable trees. - A tree stalk in the walkways of a Punggol Field HDB block.
- A tree in the streams of Clementi Forest.