We Built This City: Public Participation in Land Use Decisions in Singapore

• Main Author: LEE, Jack Tsen-Ta
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2015
• Subjects: constitutional law; compulsory acquisition law; Edward Soja; heritage law; planning law; Singapore; spatial justice; transient use of public spaces; Asian Studies; Land Use Law; Urban Studies and Planning
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/sol_research/1527; https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/sol_research/article/3479/viewcontent/2015_10_2__AsJCL_213_234_WeBuiltThisCity_postprint.pdf
• Institution: Singapore Management University

This article considers the extent to which the legal framework for making land use decisions in Singapore allows for public participation. It examines the issue from two angles: the creation and preservation of the built environment, and the transient use of public space. The first angle is discussed primarily from a heritage law viewpoint, focusing on planning law, compulsory acquisition law, and the legal regime for creating national monuments. As for the second angle, the article looks at how the use of common spaces for assemblies and processions is regulated. The foregoing are examined in the context of Edward Soja’s assertion in Seeking Spatial Justice (2010) that the equitable distribution of resources, services and access in cities is an important right.