Missing Landscapes...

What do you get when you put an economic power house with not much land to spare for its ceaseless expansion?

High property prices matched with the buying power of global tigers...

"En bloc! En bloc !!" you say ?

True dat.

As our country nears yet another year of celebrating its Independence, if we look back in another 40-50 years time, we'll have this void in our heritage.

Buildings and structures define a society at its different stages of social and economic growth.

The Great Wall of China, the Pyramids of Giza, the Pantheon of Greece etc even the Stature of Liberty are examples of eras gone by; defining the trials, tribulations and upheavals the respective regions and their societies faced. Traditions and cultures were thus defined and transcended till this day.

For a nation like Singapore, we are both blessed and cursed by the the need to constantly renew and redevelop everything that speaks in the name of keeping the country's cash registers ringing and the coffers filled.

Buildings that defined our years of nation building and social setting, are gradually being torn down in the name of putting up new structures in their places.

Soon, we will see this awkward void in our physical history when we look back years from now.

We'll see the Colonial and Migrant influences of the 1700-early 1900s such as the City Hall area , the China Town/Little India/Kampung Glam area and the Singapore River side area. And then you'll see futuristic, commercially driven buildings we are busy erecting today to reflect our 'global position'.

This means what we have now and in the future are buildings that not necessarily reflect who we truly are but what we want the world at large to see us.

Then of course, back to the gist,this country will have little significant buildings that depicts the 60s-early 90s Singapore.

Nothing is new enough. Every things is old enough.

We tear down buildings that could have been upper class housing developments, posh hostels and high-end malls in other countries. But to us, at least to the authorities and money-faces developers, they are merely hindrance to bigger profits and fatter pay cheques and bonuses.

So, from now til 2050 perhaps, we're left with odd-looking, and even odder sounding, awe-LESS inspiring buildings.

Oh, but take heart, b'cos once their novelty shapes wear out, we'll tear it down again. :=P