“Toa Payoh's tapering past”

July 2011

History of the Satellite Town

Toa Payoh - a place located within the central areas of Singapore. Looking at its current appearance, one would not expect that Toa Payoh was once a notorious squatter district in. In fact, ‘Payoh’ originates from the Malay word for swamp, ‘paya’. It was only until 1964 that the urban redevelopment of the place began by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA). About 40.5 hectares of the land was cleared and by 1970, Toa Payoh New Town, the second satellite town in Singapore was built.

Now, being known for the various bustling businesses and new residential estates, it is familiar to all Singaporeans. The town is self-contained, with a town centre to meet all shopping and entertainment needs of the residents. Schools and industrial developments were also made available within the town to provide residents with education and jobs close to their homes. Majority of the HDB flats here are recently built or renovated, giving the whole place a modern appearance, one befitting the impression that many have of Singapore - a modern and urbanised city.



Urbanisation – Good or bad?

However, this seemingly beautiful image of Toa Payoh, painted by its redevelopment, is only the surface of what the town really is. Behind this image lay the countless relocated families, leaving their homes behind as the prices of their flats increased tremendously after its renovations. Not only their houses, but their entire neighbourhood - be it 'mama’ shops, hawker centers or playgrounds - have been replaced and made new. The property tax that residents pay, the rental that shop owners fork out monthly, the price of the usual chicken rice has shot up over the years. Over time, those of lower income are gradually displaced to other parts of the country.

All the above is just the tip of the iceberg. What about the broken communities as neighbours move away and lose contact with each other? What about the emotional attachment of the older generation towards theirs homes where they have lived for decades, where many precious childhood memories were formed?


Urbanisation in this district, once an area full of squatters, has definitely changed Toa Payoh for the better. With the modern flats being built one after another, each one taller and classier than the previous, this place is the ideal home and neighbourhood for Singaporeans. The URA has undoubtedly made the right choices and planned well for the better economic growth and welfare for the residents.

However, urbanisation and the redevelopment of this district should stop, now. Enough has been done to transform Toa Payoh from squatters to satellite town, from run-down to developed. A balance has to be struck between the old and the new, and I advocate for the protection of the older HDB flats in this district, particularly Blocks 54 to 66 and the other HDB flats near Lorong 5.

Those flats are relatively old and worn out as compared to those built over the past few years, such as Block 145 and those nearer to the Toa Payoh MRT Station and HDB Hub. The old flats have faded coats of paint and they do not have as many storeys. They look extremely unappealing in comparison, to the extent that they look out of place beside those more luxurious ones. The shops found in this area sell food and household items at cheaper prices – one can find a bowl of Wan Ton Mee at $2.50 here rather than those that cost more than $4 closer to the town centre. The residents who live there are mostly made up of lower income families and families with senior citizens; people who can only afford to live in such an environment.


What can be done now?

I propose for URA to keep these flats the way they are. Renovating or replacing them with newer, more appealing and modern flats would only ‘cause gentrification in Toa Payoh, forcing the families here to be displaced from their homes. The emotional harm and distress caused to them is just not worth it despite the economic growth that will result. Moreover, the gentrification would further reduce the identity of this neighbourhood – most of the residents who have originally lived in Toa Payoh would have moved away, replaced by those of higher income. This would change the demographic and dynamics of this place, losing the very essence of Toa Payoh.

Other measures can also be implemented to make the flats look more appealing and to improve their aesthetic rather than replacing the current HDBs with new ones. Here are some suggestions:

1) The old flats can be repainted with a new coat of paint to hide the current faded one. The government should also subsidise a portion of the cost of repainting works to lessen the financial burden of the residents there.

2) In addition, rental prices of the shops should be carefully monitored and controlled in order to prevent the possible scenario in which the stall-owners have to pay more than they earn should the rental prices continue to shoot up.


What changes would this bring about?

With such measures in place, the welfare of the residents living near Lorong 5 will be well taken care of. Though the flats may not be in the best condition, they would look better than they do now, and they will still be comfortable enough for the residents to live in. Most importantly, this provides them with an affordable home. Survival will also be ensured for the shops near void decks of the flats, and this would in turn provide stall-owners with a profitable job and other residents with household products and food at a lower cost.

These measures, though small, would bring about great impact though preventing the possible unwished-for impacts caused by urban redevelopment, such as gentrification and the reduction of Toa Payoh’s identity.


In conclusion,

To sum it all up, urban redevelopment has undoubtedly benefitted Toa Payoh, but enough has been done; the older flats and families of lower income have to be protected and not displaced. The identity of Toa Payoh and its people are slowly being eroded away with urbanisation, but it is not too late. Measures can still be put into place to protect and to prevent the undesired outcomes.