In order to complete this project, we split our team into 2 main teams - the research team and the mall visit team.
Also, to better document our findings, we decided to put together a short video. You can watch it here >
CARRINE LOW
RACHEL CHUA
BRYAN WU
EDWIN CHAN
MALL VISIT
made a total of 5 visits to city plaza and the surrounding area
conducted interviews with shop owners and mall visitors
garnered as much information on the ground as possible
LUCAS TAN
RESEARCH
visited the national library archives thrice and scoured for sources
made countless calls
searched for credible sources online to find out more about the history and origins of City Plaza
GABRIELLE LEE
JESSLYN CHEN
RAPHAEL CHEONG
NG JEAN YEE
ALAN YUEN
CHALLENGES
One of the challenges our group faced was the lack of archives. It was hard to find articles about the past of City Plaza, especially in its early years. As it is, not many people know of City Plaza. Even the recent en-bloc plans were not covered extensively. We had to dig through newspaper archives till the 1960s as well as rely on accounts of shopkeepers to piece our project together.
We did, however, manage to get our hands on a 37 year-old souvenir magazine of City Plaza from the National Library Board after many calls and trips to the Lee Kong Chian Reference Library. We were only allowed to photocopy 10% of the magazine, hence, we scanned the most significant and interesting parts of the magazine to contribute to our story. You can download the PDF here:
CHALLENGES
Another challenge our group faced was the language barrier between us and the foreign workers as well as with shopkeepers. The foreign workers mainly spoke Bahasa Indonesian, which made it hard for us to get more detailed answers. Furthermore, a lot of the people we interviewed were reluctant to talk to us and also very uncomfortable with the cameras. However, we were able to overcome this by learning simple phrases in Bahasa (apa khabar, selamat pagi) and making jokes with them to make them feel at ease. We also reassured the interviewees that this was for a school project. Also, most of the stores were closed during our first visit to the mall. As such, we had to make three more visits in order to see the stores and better understand the contrast between the weekday and weekend crowds.
REFERENCES
Business Times. (1978, April 25). Now it's the $50m City Plaza for Geylang. Retrieved from Business Times: http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/biztimes19780425-1.2.50?ST=1&AT=filter&K=city+plaza&KA=city+plaza&DF=&DT=&Display=0&AO=true&NPT=&L=&CTA=&NID=&CT=ARTICLE&WC=&YR=1978&QT=city,plaza&oref=article
Business Times. (1979, June 19). City Plaza units for sale. Retrieved from Business Times: http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/biztimes19790619-1.2.12.2?ST=1&AT=filter&K=city+plaza&KA=city+plaza&DF=&DT=&Display=0&AO=true&NPT=&L=&CTA=&NID=&CT=ARTICLE&WC=&YR=1979&QT=city,plaza&oref=article
Business Times. (1979, May 19). And now the second and third floors . Retrieved from Business Times: http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/biztimes19790519-1.2.60.5.3?ST=1&AT=filter&K=city+plaza&KA=city+plaza&DF=&DT=&Display=0&AO=true&NPT=&L=&CTA=&NID=&CT=ARTICLE&WC=&YR=1979&QT=city,plaza&oref=article
Business Times. (1981, November 23). Opening of City Plaza. Retrieved from Business Times: http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/biztimes19811123-1.2.34
City Plaza. (1981, November 22). City Plaza Official Opening Souvenir Magazine. Singapore.
Sim, L. L. (1984). Planned Shopping Centres in Singapore. Singapore.
Sim, L. L. (1993). The Changing Face of Retail Development and Planning in Singapore. Singapore.
The Straits Times. (1978, August 2). City Developments rests its hope on City Plaza . Retrieved from The Straits Times: http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19780802-1.2.54.17?ST=1&AT=filter&K=city+plaza&KA=city+plaza&DF=&DT=&Display=0&AO=true&NPT=&L=&CTA=&NID=&CT=ARTICLE&WC=&YR=1978&QT=city,plaza&oref=article
The Straits Times. (1981, June 3). People's Emporium shifts to City Plaza in bid to modernise. Retrieved from The Straits Times: http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19810603-1.2.109.11.7
The Straits Times. (2017, July 27). City Plaza unit owners looking to sell en bloc . Retrieved from The Straits Times: http://www.straitstimes.com/business/city-plaza-unit-owners-looking-to-sell-en-bloc
The Straits Times. (1971, May 9). Fire destroys hotel: All guests saved . Retrieved from http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19710509-1.2.16.8?ST=1&AT=search&k=lion%20city%20hotel%20singapore%20fire&QT=lion,city,hotel,singapore,fire&oref=article:
Teo, A. (2017, December 17). City Plaza owners make collective sale attempt . Retrieved from EdgeProp: https://www.edgeprop.sg/property-news/city-plaza-owners-make-collective-sale-attempt
Urban Redevelopment Authority. (n.d.). Paya Lebar Central - A Vibrant Commercial Hub . Retrieved from Urban Redevelopment Authority : https://www.ura.gov.sg/Corporate/Planning/Growth-areas/Paya-Lebar-Central/A-vibrant-commercial-hub
Venturi, R. (1990). Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture. New York, N.Y.