People vs Place: The Conservation Dilemma

This impending demise of GMC's Thai community evokes parallels with lessons I learnt during our Save Dakota Crescent campaign. In the earlier days, we believed strongly that the existing community of residents should not be displaced. In the interviews that Dramaboxconducted with the residents, we heard many heartwarming anecdotes of neighbourliness -  of how residents would call their neighbours from their open balconies to answer their doors, or how the smell of food permeates the corridors from kitchens next door, or how balcony doors were painted to make their units recognizable from below. These anecdotes proved to us that "people make the place," and not the other way around.

However, we learnt that things were not so straightforward. Physical issues like accessibility and maintenance were hard to avoid - lifts that do not serve every floor often break down, causing inconvenience to the building's aging occupants. Also, the poor upkeep of the structures meant that they were dangerous to live in. A massive upgrade of the estate would prove difficult without moving the residents en masse, and the political impact of doing so is immense. With the Mountbatten MRT station nearby, there was little economic sense to retain these 7-storey buildings at the expense of higher density housing that would yield a higher real estate value.  We therefore shifted our conservation agenda to align with real needs of the residents. Doing so helped us to solicit support from the MP and Grassroots leaders, opening an avenue for us to propose the estate's conservation with the authorities concerned.

Notwithstanding the political difficulties of aligning heritage conservation with legitimate contemporary needs, we learnt first-hand the importance of preserving a a collective memory that fosters a sense of belonging and identity.  Through the many tours that Dakota Adventures led through the site, we received a general sentiment that Dakota Crescent resembled other places in Singapore built around the same time - like Queenstown's Princess Estate and Balestier's St Michael Estate - but have since been demolished.  Collective memory may be intangible, even elusive, but it is important for Singaporeans who have witnessed the rapid disappearance of many recognizable icons like the National Library at Stamford Road, the National Stadium and National Theatre.

Is it worth the trouble in keeping an empty shell devoid of its original function, only to be gentrified and inaccessible by all Singaporeans? My answer for GMC is still yes, but the way in which we deal with communities could be better addressed. My hope is for us to return to the first principles of heritage conservation, and that has to mean putting is to put communities first. That way, we could truly make this place a better world through conservation.