Friday, June 27, 2003

中峇鲁20座战前住屋将保留

中部发展总蓝图
中峇鲁20座战前住屋将保留
谢仲贤 吴汉钧 (2003-06-27)
  

中峇鲁20座战前住屋将被保留,成为我们历史遗产的一部分。

吴水和外孙蒋憬贤都是在中峇鲁长大,现在他们的住屋获得保留,自然感到高兴。

这是政府首次保留一个完整的住宅区,受保留的住屋不可以被拆除,翻修时也不可以改动外观。不过,住户可进行内部装修,只要那不影响建筑外观设计。

市区重建局前天开始陆续寄信给住户,通知他们这项决定。

获保留的住屋有779个单位,大部分是两层到五层楼高的三房和四房式住屋。它们楼下的70家商店和中峇鲁路及欧南路的36间店屋也获得保留。
四代都住中峇鲁

在中峇鲁营业40年的吴水(65岁)前天接到通知后很高兴,因为蕴藏着他大半生回忆的住宅区将不会被拆除。

吴水一家四代都住中峇鲁,父亲已经过世,孩子和孙子都在中峇鲁出世。40多年前,他买下这里的商店自己当老板。

他说:“这里的居民相处很融洽,感情很好,不像组屋区的居民那么疏离。很多老街坊搬出去之后,不习惯又再搬回来。这么好的地方,应该被保留。”

住在底层单位的周国良(40岁)则说,他再也不必担心政府会逼迁了。他说:“现在不用担心需要搬了,我从小在这里住到现在,如果要搬到政府组屋会很不习惯。”

不过,一些居民担心住屋受保留后,中峇鲁不能享受翻新的好处。佘燕卿(63岁)说:“最好是重建这个地区,分配新的单位给我们,因为这里的房子又小又热,住得很不舒服。”

然而,很多居民都不知道,这些住屋不管保留与否,都不能像政府组屋那样获得翻新或重建。英殖民政府 首批公共住屋

这批住屋是在上个世纪30年代由改良信托局建造,1965年后,政府把单位卖给原住户,让他们拥有自己的房子。因此,住屋已经不属于政府所有,“身份”等同于私人房屋。以后,屋主买卖和出租单位时跟现在一样,不会受到限制。

中峇鲁住屋是英殖民政府兴建的第一批公共住屋,它们根据当时英国新镇模式建造,设计别具一格。建筑外墙没有太多装饰,主要利用楼梯和露台等实用建设来表达美感。

值得一提的是,这些住屋即使经历了战火,也还是相当完整地保存下来,没有受到严重的破坏。


除了战前住屋,市建局也在探讨是否要保留中峇鲁的战后住屋。

《联合早报》

Thursday, June 26, 2003

Singapore's Oldest & Most Charming neighbourhood


Built the 1930s, Tiong Bahru Estate is one of the oldest housing estates in Singapore. It was the first project undertaken by the Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT), a government body administered by the British colonial authority, to provide for mass public housing in Singapore. The estate consists of about 30 apartment blocks with a total of over 900 units. The apartment blocks are made up of two to five-storey flats and the units are assorted three to five-room apartments.

The construction style of the estate is a mix of art deco and local Straits settlement shop-house architecture. The flats feature rounded balconies, flat rooftops, spiral staircases, light wells and underground storage and shelters. One notable feature of Tiong Bahru estate is that all its streets are named after Chinese pioneers of the 19th and early 20th centuries (Lim Liak, Kim Pong, Guan Chuan, Chay Yan etc.).

It is apparent that a lot of effort was put into designing the estate with a series of flats that are visually aesthetic. Thus the flats in Tiong Bahru estate contrasted markedly with those of the much later post-war mass housing programs undertaken by SIT’s successor, the Housing and Development Board. In contrast with the aesthetic art deco theme of the Tiong Bahru flats, the flats built by the Housing Board in the 1950s and 1960s are starkly utilitarian in appearance and design; where flats are almost identical in their two-dimensional "matchbox" style.

Not many people can afford to live in Tiong Bahru Estate during the pre-World War 2 years. It was the choice place of living for the upper income class and also the place where the rich and powerful kept their mistresses. For this reason, the estate used to be known as "Mei Ren Wuo" ("den of beauties" in Chinese).

The population in Tiong Bahru estate tripled after the Second World War, and it gradually loses its exalted status as an exclusive upper class housing estate.

However, it retains its close-knit Kampung (small village in Malay) spirit and became a bustling and lively little town where everyone knows and looks out for each other.
Tiong Bahru was once renowned for its bird-singing aviaries. Bird lovers gather with their songbirds every morning to catch up with fellow bird lovers over coffee and tea amid the crisp, melodious chirps of Prinias, Robins, and Shrikes. Tiong Bahru is also very famous for the quality and range of the local food fare.

In particular, Tiong Bahru market boasts some of the best hawker stalls in Singapore that tops the country’s eatery charts regularly. It is not uncommon for people living in other parts of Singapore to come all the way to Tiong Bahru to enjoy a simple meal of BBQ pork rice, stir-fried prawn noodles, and other local culinary delights. In a city-state abound with food courts, hawker centers and other eateries, this bears testament to the delectability and popularity of the food in Tiong Bahru.

Lately, Tiong Bahru has been going through a renewal of sorts. Young people have been flocking to this estate ever since HDB relaxed the rules which prohibit singles from buying small flats near the city. These new residents loves neighbourhoods with heritage and history. Nevermind they sit amongst AH Peks at some old corner coffeeshop slurping kopi-o from saucers while indulging in idle chat.. Or living amongst Aunties who roll their market trolleys by, avoiding the dripping water from clothes on the tek-koh (bamboo pole) hung above. To these young people, it is called character. And it's one reason why this quaint neighbourhood estate now has a High "HIP" quotient.