The Raffles Town Plan focused on the area which is now Downtown Singapore, spanning Telok Ayer bay to the Kallang River area, particularly around the Singapore River. Through the Town Planning Committee, Sir Stamford Raffles, laid out plans with great foresight for the new Singapore town. The plans were based on the vision that Singapore "will become a place of considerable magnitude and importance" and as such, "an economical and proper allotment of the ground intended to form the site of the principal town is an object of first importance".
Concept
The town plan was developed out of learning lessons from previous colonial towns such as Georgetown in Penang. Here the communes of Indian and Chinese immigrants were integrated into the formal town plan, unlike the colonial plans in India which left them to develop separately thus resulting in poor sanitation and haphazard growth. However, Raffles also picked up traits common in Indian colonial towns such as Calcutta where a fort dominated the plan. Thus the Raffles town plan incorporated Fort Canning which was built upon the ancient fortifications of Singapore. To give the impression of prosperity, greenery was emphasised, a feature also shared with Calcutta. In Singapore, greenary was added through parklands and gardens such as the Padang and the Botanical Gardens.
History
As early as June 1819, Raffles had given clear instructions to Farquhar on the allocation of land in the town. Raffles returned three years later only to find that Farquhar had not followed Raffles instructions to the letter. Infuriated, Raffles set up the Town Planning Committee made up of Captain Davis, George Bonham, a civil servant and A. L. Johnston, a leading merchant. He also recruited the surveyor Lieutenant Philip Jackson who would draw up the earliest known map of the first Singapore town plan. Raffles emphasised communal harmony, efficiency and good sanitation as important ingredients for the growing town.
Outline
In a letter dated 28 February 1823, the Acting Secretary L. N. Hull gave the following outline for the town plan for each segment of society:
Government: Raffles emphasised that the space bounded by the ancient fortification and the Singapore River was to be set aside as a cantonment, with land dedicated to troops, officers and the government, excluding all individuals with the exception of the Temenggong.
Merchants: He set aside land opposite the Singapore River for commercial and merchantile purposes
European: The European town stretched from the seafront east of the cantonment to the southwest bank of the Singapore River. This area included accommodation for other merchants as well.
Chinese: Besides the southwest end of the European settlement along the Singapore River, the Chinese settlement centred around the existing Chinese Kampong was planned.
Malays: Emphasising accommodation for Bugis settlers and Arab merchants, the area around the residence of the Sultan known then as Kampong Glam was to be developed. The Malays were already residing around the Temmengong near Panglima Prang.
Indians: Tentatively, land for the Chuliahs were set aside up the Singapore River.
Raffles also gave instructions for establishing the Telok Ayer market, a church, and clear demarcation between races and professions.
Author
Bonny Tan
References
Buckley, C. B. (1984). An anecdotal history of old times in Singapore (pp. 75-87). Singapore: Oxford University Press.
(Call no.: SING 959.57 BUC)
Moore, D., & Moore, J. (1969). The first 150 years of Singapore (Chaps. 4 & 8). Singapore: Donald Moore Press.
(Call no.: SING 959.57 MOO)
Lim, J. (1991, March 20). Town and country. The Straits Times, Life! pp. 1-2.
The information in this article is valid as at 2002 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.
