Present Days
Singapore underwent a drastic transformation in the 1980s under the direction of the State and City Plan (SCP), implemented in 1971 to guide Singapore’s physical development. This led to the establishment of better infrastructure including Mass Rapid Transport (MRT) and public housing.
This ended the vast majority of homelessness and squatters, eliminated the ethnic enclaves and poor living conditions of Kampong houses. By the 1990s, 88% of the residents had their own homes, and the number has stabilized at 90%, one of the highest home-ownership rates in the world. However, rapid urbanization comes with a price.
Modern Challenges
With more than 80% of the Singapore residents living in HDB flats today, dense home layouts have caused people to protect their privacy more. According to a joint study by the National University of Singapore and the Housing Development Board in 2014, residents’ interactions tend to be incidental and minimal today since they do not meet often. Unlike the olden days in the Kampong, where neighbours valued their close relationships, shared resources with each other and left their doors open to guests, today people are increasingly independent. As a result, it has become the norm that residents make that extra effort to reach out to their neighbours.
Thus, leading us to the question, “Have we lost our kampong or community spirit today?”
Try out this interactive map and find some hidden Kampong gems and spirits in Singapore!
Hidden Gems (Physical Infrastructure)
One of Kampong Buangkok house exterior. 2017. Photograph. Item from 8 day’s website.
Exterior of a house in Kampong Lorong Buangkok. The Kampong now stands alone amongst the rising HDB Flats surrounding the area.
Exterior of Bedok Food Centre. 2020. Photograph. Item from Roots.sg collection of National Heritage Board.
The interior of this food centre reminds us of the communal life back in the Bedok Kampong Days due to its arrangement around the centre courtyard.
Thong Teck Sian Tong Lian Sin Sia Temple. Photograph. Item from Roots.sg collection of National Heritage Board.
This Buddhist-Taoist Temple has the practice of compassion by providing assistance and service such as free funeral services and medical consultation to the poor and needy.
Ahmad Kassim preparing drinks for visitors. 2020. Photograph. Item from Roots.sg collection of National Heritage Board.
Set up underneath a canopy, Ahmad Kassim’s drink stall allows students to rejuvenate from their Pulau Ubin travels with a cold drink, as they learn about rural kampong life.
Ahmad Kassim Drink Stall. 2020. Photograph. Item from Roots.sg collection of National Heritage Board.
Ahmad Kassim uses a part of his Kampong house at Pulau Ubin to teach batik painting and malay cooking as he shares about his Kampong living experiences with visiting students.
Entrance of Masjid Petempatan Melayu Sembawang. 2020. Photograph. Item from Roots.sg collection of National Heritage Board.
One of the remaining Malay kampong mosques in Singapore, this mosque is catered to the Muslims living in the Malay settlement of Petempatan Melayu Sembang since its establishment in 1963.
Wide angle view of Masjid Petempatan Melayu Sembawang. 2020. Photograph. Item from Roots.sg collection of National Heritage Board.
The mosque was almost demolished in the 1980s, until it was granted a Temporary Occupation Lease (TOL) which retained the mosque till today. It was last upgraded in 2007.
Kampong Lorong Buangkok - last kampong village in mainland Singapore
The Kampong Spirit Lives On!
Indeed it does! Embedded in our Singaporean way of life, there has been an increase in initiatives which aim to keep the kampong spirit alive in our HBD estates.
For instance, the neighbours at the Punggol estate maintained close bonds by showing up with food to accompany someone who might be eating alone and providing simple handyman services and buying groceries for one another. Moreover, food charities such as Free Food For All have also deployed community fridges at Yishun, and other areas, which offer low income families who are food insecure with a variety of free food.
Not only that, as high rise buildings have become the most common type of architecture in Singapore, several kampong houses have been preserved. Enabling the older generation to reminisce about their own kampong days and with their grandchildren and teach them about the traditional kampong spirit so that they can pay it forward!
Locals keeping Kampong Spirit Alive Today
Distribution of Free Masks. 2020. Photograph. Item from Collike Facebook Page.
Started out with a resident at Punggol field, the ‘Pay It Forward’ initiative sees people putting supplies such as free masks and hand sanitisers in the lifts during the pandemic.
Community Fridges. 2020. Photograph. Item from Free Food For All charity organisation website.
Residents at Yishun are able to store excess food in the community fridges, which is open 24 hours and aims to benefit low income families who are food insecure.
Donation Shelves. 2020. Photograph. Item from The Jumaat Initiative Facebook Page.
Initiated by a group of volunteers at the Yishun estate, the donation shelves provide emergency food aid for lower income families during the pandemic when more families become food insecure.
Discovery Harvest. 2020. Photograph. Item from Bollywood Veggies website.
Organised by Bollywood Veggies, Discovery Harvest is an activity that enables youths to experience the Kampong way of living, whereby they learn to plant and harvest their own vegetables together.
Outdoor Culinary Challenge. 2020. Photograph. Item from Bollywood Veggies website.
A team exercise which provides an opportunity for youths to prepare a heritage dish of their choice in a traditional outdoor cooking method back in the Kampong days.
Tua Jia Kar. 2020. Photograph. Item from Roots.sg collection of National Heritage Board.
Tua Jia Kar (“foot of the big well”) is a commemorative replica of a large well that once supplied clean water to kampong residents of the Upper Serangoon Somapah Village.
Fuyong Estate. Photograph. Item from Roots.sg collection of National Heritage Board.
This estate provided affordable modern housing to rehouse Singaporeans living in overcrowded spaces downtown or in rural kampongs. Some building foundations of the old kampong can still be seen today.
Punggol estate residents displaying kampong spirit
The neighbours at Punggol estate developed a sense of camaraderie through simple acts such as buying groceries for each other, sharing food and participating in neighbours’ gatherings.
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