Saturday, April 18, 2009

Singapore - Urban Design 4 - Little India


Here I am, drinking my Lassi in the Tekka Market of the Little India precinct in Singapore. Time out from the City Development conference. Actually I was escaping a tropical downpour. A fantastic electrical storm outside. Lightning about every 30 seconds and the most violent claps of thunder. The market roof was metal. Every crash the whole place shook, and everyone banged their tables...!

The careful retention of two storey terraces - homes above and shops below - was delightful. Lively and authentic. Little India is a central attraction for Singapore's tourist economy...

And the shops were as you would expect, and hope for. An eye feast. Made me yearn for Auckland to give more attention to the multi-cultural city we have, and make more of it.

Just as the storm struck, everybody looked around for a place to go and sit or stand it out. Was all very quick. Great street scapes. Protected by strong town plans I am sure. This environment is an asset for Singapore, and strongly features in maps for tourists like me. I didn't spend much money, but I took a heap of photos.


There was something about this street corner that I liked. It's the signs, the colour, the wall finishings, and the vibrancy of traffic. Sometimes cars and their movement - provided there are lights and pedestrian crossings to slow it down - add to tne energy of a street.

But there are other corners where there are no cars. Quiet corners to sit and chat. With gods nearby. Stree furniture and window shutters and cinema hoardings to decorate the scene. None of this happens by accident. All by design. There is much attention to detail here.

I liked this little village square. People here are looking at the plasma TV screens hung just inside the cafe fronts. You can just see the screen above the pair in white shirts walking out. And soon the time will come to go to church....







No comments:

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Singapore - Urban Design 4 - Little India


Here I am, drinking my Lassi in the Tekka Market of the Little India precinct in Singapore. Time out from the City Development conference. Actually I was escaping a tropical downpour. A fantastic electrical storm outside. Lightning about every 30 seconds and the most violent claps of thunder. The market roof was metal. Every crash the whole place shook, and everyone banged their tables...!

The careful retention of two storey terraces - homes above and shops below - was delightful. Lively and authentic. Little India is a central attraction for Singapore's tourist economy...

And the shops were as you would expect, and hope for. An eye feast. Made me yearn for Auckland to give more attention to the multi-cultural city we have, and make more of it.

Just as the storm struck, everybody looked around for a place to go and sit or stand it out. Was all very quick. Great street scapes. Protected by strong town plans I am sure. This environment is an asset for Singapore, and strongly features in maps for tourists like me. I didn't spend much money, but I took a heap of photos.


There was something about this street corner that I liked. It's the signs, the colour, the wall finishings, and the vibrancy of traffic. Sometimes cars and their movement - provided there are lights and pedestrian crossings to slow it down - add to tne energy of a street.

But there are other corners where there are no cars. Quiet corners to sit and chat. With gods nearby. Stree furniture and window shutters and cinema hoardings to decorate the scene. None of this happens by accident. All by design. There is much attention to detail here.

I liked this little village square. People here are looking at the plasma TV screens hung just inside the cafe fronts. You can just see the screen above the pair in white shirts walking out. And soon the time will come to go to church....







No comments: