Spaces, places and faces : a qualitative study on an integrated hub fostering a sense of community in Singapore

• Main Authors: Chua, Lydia Wei Ling, Li, Clarice Li Ziyu
• Other Authors: Felicity Chan
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2018
• Subjects: DRNTU::Social sciences::Sociology::Communities, classes and races
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/73669
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Creating a sense of community has long been a goal of many institutions and urban planners. In this paper, the site of an integrated hub would be explored in analysing how it fosters a sense of community among the residents in the neighbourhood. In doing so, this paper will first set the study context by introducing the neighbourhood and Our Tampines Hub. Following, conceptual frameworks which would guide the study will be discussed and the analysis of empirical findings will be presented. Through this, this paper suggests that the integrated hub as a public space has been designed and programmed with certain community bonding intentions in mind. However, this sentiment might not be fully translated to the residents who utilise the space. While this may be the current situation, it was found that programmes and events in the Hub could help to increase interactions among residents and potentially foster a sense of community in the future. By providing insights into the space and the sentiments of residents, the findings will, hopefully, guide the future plans of Tampines Hub and developments of future integrated hubs.