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Arup’s vision at URA’s ‘Space for Our Dreams’ exhibition

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Trish Sunga Trish Sunga Australasia Press Office,Sydney
13 June 2022

Arup has partnered with Singapore’s Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) to bring to life a new public exhibition for the city’s Long-Term Plan Review (LTPR). Launched on 6 June by the Minister for National Development Mr Desmond Lee, ‘Space For Our Dreams’ showcases planning concepts and strategies for the next 50 years and beyond.

The visionary exhibition aims to guide the transformation of the city’s future physical landscape with a review of land use and transportation strategies that takes place every 10 years. Concepts are presented under seven pillars of Singapore’s future urban environment – Live, Work, Play, Move, Cherish, Steward and Sustain – developed based on future trends and challenges, as well as the aspirations, ideas and feedback shared by Singaporeans.

Several people looking at a display in an exhibtion Several people looking at a display in an exhibtion
Space of Our Dreams exhibition at The URA Centre Atrium

A selection of our work is showcased across the ‘Live’, ‘Work’ and ‘Move’ pillars, and aligns with Arup’s core aims to accelerate decarbonisation and build sustainable futures. One highlight is our study with the URA on how autonomous vehicle (AV) hubs can bring together different amenities while supporting future travel needs to create more convenient and sustainable towns. This comes as an extension of our work on showcase at the URA’s ‘Reimagining Urban Mobility with Autonomous Vehicles’ exhibition earlier this year.

“By shifting the design focus from the AV technology to a people-first approach for integrated land-use and transport planning, we have been able to unlock a host of social and environmental benefits in our future towns,” said Michael Chadney, project lead for the AV study. Putting people and communities first has enabled our team to harness opportunities that AVs bring to help create vibrant mobility and community hubs while at the same time progressing Singapore’s aspirations for a healthier population and ‘City in Nature’ vision.

Two men standing in front of a media wall at an event in Singapore Two men standing in front of a media wall at an event in Singapore
From Arup: Tan Yoong Heng, Singapore Leader and Michael Chadney, Transport Planning at Space for Our Dreams

The URA also includes Arup’s visualisations of 15-minute neighbourhoods in a post-pandemic world and improving walkability and active mobility from our respective reports ‘Beyond the Curve’ and ‘Cities Alive: Towards a Walking World’. 

Projects we have delivered with other government authorities and partners are on exhibit: North-South Corridor with the Land Transport Authority, future-ready workspaces with JTC, and air taxi ‘vertiports’ in conjunction with Volocopter, Graft Architects and Bayards Aluminum Construction. 

The success of Singapore’s urban and economic transformation is testament to bold, long-term planning, and the city continues to chart its future, envision new possibilities, cater for emerging needs, and anticipate unknowns in the next 50 years through the LTPR. 

“We only have one city and we must make the most of it now while planning for the future. There are significant challenges ahead of us and we have started preparing for the trends coming our way. If we continue to work well together – bounded by trust, adopting a mindset of stewardship, and taking collective action – I am confident we can achieve our vision for a better Singapore,” said Mr Desmond Lee, Minister for National Development and Minister-in-charge of Social Services Integration.

‘Space for Our Dreams’ is held at The URA Centre Atrium from now until 4 August 2022, and admission to the exhibition is free. Those who would like to view an online version of the exhibition can also do so here.

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