week 1.
Design Studio (lecture)
Mr Alvin Ho
​
Problem:
Singapore is often viewed as a CBD, shopping and attraction centric tourist destination. This paints the impression that we are all about the high life with barely any emphasis on the people and life as a Singaporean.
Opportunity:
To shift the focus of tourism from the CBD to heartland areas, giving tourists a taste of true Singaporean culture through the eyes of residents across Singapore.
“Echoes of Our Heartlands is a tribute, an itinerary field guide for anyone who seeks to educate themselves on life in Singapore away from its landmarks, shopping and its CBDs. It serves as documentation on HDBs, void decks, hawkers, unique amenities and the people that shape them. This project aims to be a magnification of life within typical neighbourhoods, a handbook uncovering evidence of sentiment, culture and community within spaces of both the new and old. This would also bring to light community driven void deck initiatives, government related projects and interventions aimed at fostering place ownership or community interdependence within various neighbourhood estates. This is a project publication that would have to be developed based on extensive research and onsite visits to various parts of Singapore, taking notes, documenting, photographing various aspects exclusive to Singapore in correlation to its heartlands."
​
Before the consultation, I came across a Time Out article titled "The Stories Behind the Oldest Housing Estates in Singapore" while researching estates of interest. I was looking for places rich in culture, arts, and heritage, so I initially selected Tiong Bahru, Bedok, Toa Payoh, and Marine Parade. When drafting my proposal, my concept was to add depth to Singapore’s tourism by encouraging visitors to experience the country through the lens of locals. Rather than limiting their exploration to the CBD and popular tourist spots, I wanted to highlight the heartlands as immersive and authentic destinations
​
This formed the foundation of my project from Week 1. The first consultation session was an insightful introduction to how Alvin approaches his classes. As one half of Atelier HOKO, his thinking is deeply rooted in personal experience and extensive research, which is evident in his Science of the Secondary book series. It felt like he was more interested in having a casual, open-ended conversation about our ideas rather than focusing on the specific research we had already compiled on our Miro boards. Instead of dissecting our findings, he asked fundamental questions—ones that truly matter in shaping the research, such as…​
​​
- Who is the target audience?
- Look at STB and what they lack or what they have currently
- Singapore is kind of all about Luxury
- Singapore is like the Tokyo of SEA (rich shopping)
- What is the angle of Singapore’s tourism?
- Am I talking to the ones that are into LV or what kind of people do I address?
- How does tourism work in Singapore?
- What kind of tourists come here?
- Go to popular tourism districts, areas in CBD and find out the kind of activities they are interested in perhaps?
- Research on various estate zones? (west, east, central)
​
These questions became essential in steering my project in a more defined direction. I appreciated that they weren’t meant to challenge my overall concept but rather to refine and deepen my understanding of it. This gave me a sense of reassurance, highlighting that asking the right questions would ultimately shape the project into something meaningful and engaging. To my surprise, Alvin remarked that my project already had a clear direction and encouraged me to explore intriguing aspects within my topic to add depth and richness. In response, I realized that I wanted to focus on estates of historical and cultural significance capturing the memories, heritage, and history that define Singapore’s heartlands
​
I was also advised to examine how Singapore functions as a tourism-driven country, particularly how most tourists tend to stay within the central CBD area. This led me to consider exploring estates from the East, West, and Central regions to provide a more comprehensive perspective. Given that my project heavily depends on estates across Singapore, I needed to first conduct online research before visiting these locations in person. To streamline this process, I used a map to pinpoint various estates, allowing me to analyze their historical and cultural significance and identify the unique characteristics each one offers.
13.01.25
week 2.
Design Studio (lecture)
Mr Alvin Ho
​
​After Week 1’s consultation, I started mapping out estates across Singapore and narrowed down a list to focus on, though it was still quite a lot. From there, I looked into what each estate had to offer through secondary research, what I found were articles from activities and F&B options to unique things to do. At the same time, I wanted to understand tourism within the CBD, so I did some on-site research to observe what tourists do and the kinds of visitors Singapore attracts. I also observed the tourists in these hotspots, be it their dressing, ethnicity etc. I visited places like Chijmes, Raffles City, Capitol, Funan, Little India, Golden Landmark Complex, Sultan Mosque/Haji Lane, Bugis, Chinatown, MBS, and Orchard Road. Since malls play such a big role in Singapore’s tourism scene, I explored both the shopping centres and the surrounding areas, walking through each district to get a better sense of how tourists experience the city experience and understand what they are interested in or why they go to certain places.
​
Through this week's consultation, Alvin gave me some feedback on the next step for things that I should be researching. This includes more research on STB and how I should be stepping away from typical tourism offerings while thinking of more unique ways people can experience Singapore. What I've found is Singapore Tourism Board does not include culture in their website of categories or aspects for understanding heartland tourism.
​
From week 1 there was talk about how I should define a target audience for myself to better create a curated aspect of this project. Through this consultation, we talked about how it can be focused on a younger target audience as it requires people to travel around quite a bit. There should also be specifically defined places of interest like f&bs or dragon playground type of thing. He also exclaimed about how most of the time people would want to go to a place because of a takeaway experience or souvenir that you cannot find elsewhere. We also discussed ideas on stories, heritage, histories or different kinds of categories. Other notes were also about redefining these areas to better showcase the tourism aspects.
​Some questions I wanted to ask myself:
​​
1. Young target audience
-what are they interested in?
-what are they like?
-what is the age range?
-further define them
​​
2. What categories?
-what is so special in that area? can only be found at that place?
-can it be a souvenir of some sort from that place?
-why would people travel for what?
​
3 . Content of significance
-what is the substance that my publication can fill or whatever?
​​​
​​​​
20.01.25
week 3.
Design Studio (lecture)
Mr Alvin Ho
​Before this consultation, I did on-site research in Toa Payoh using a bike throughout the week and took pictures of a few places that I thought were interesting or unique in the heartlands, to sum up toa Payoh. But of course, my first instinct was to research on either heritage or unique amenities in Toa Payoh for me to visit and see if I can find any unique offerings along the way. I observed everything around me from the estate HDBs to the small details around the estate. I travelled to the sensory garden in Toa Payoh , went to the market took images of the hawker as well as ate at a supposedly good duck noodle stall. I also noted how I moved around the estate and put myself in the shoes of a tourist in how I would freely navigate or be attracted to see certain things within the area. I visited the dragon playground and took many pictures as my last place of interest. My observation also led me to conclude that I had not seen any tourists in the estate.
​​
I also decided to research various categories of tourism in Singapore so that I may find something new and unique that can be part of the project. ​It helped me to think of categorisation so that I can easily research new things. These aspects included: ​
​
- Fitness Tourism
- Scientific and Technology Tourism
- Educational Camps and Workshops
- Geographical and Geotourism
- Community void deck tourism
- Culinary and Food Tourism
- Religious and Spiritual Tourism
- Film and Media Tourism
- Adventure and Outdoor Tourism
- Architectural Tourism
- Nature and Eco-Tourism
​
I'm not sure if this is all that there is to the content or scope of research, but I have also been thinking about what else I could focus on. My strategy got me to ponder about how I can incorporate or assess these categories of tourism and establish a curated experience.
​​
Through my consultation with Alvin, he gave me feedback on how my project should not emphasize heartland attractions that would be obvious to Singaporeans themselves and to be careful to understand the contrast between nostalgia and local tourism. Examples I gave such as the Dragon Playground in Toa Payoh or the last Buangkok Kampong he told me are too obvious and they also aren't something very interesting to travel all the way just to see. I should filter the way I include the places I intend to select and define a target audience for these places. His advice was to dig deep into Toa Payoh and find things that are normal but very good. I should also think about the geographical context and what people can get out of that place as a unique experience or souvenir.
​​
03.02.25
week 4.
Design Studio (lecture)
Mr Alvin Ho
The focus before this week's consultation was to find unique novelties that would be interesting for people to want to visit. Alvin gave me a good start by pointing me toward Just Ants, an ant shop in Yishun where people can buy ants as pets. This allowed me to establish a unique angle on my project, allowing me to explore the different regions and estates of Singapore to provide an entire island experience. He also talked to me about the ways that my project could use different landmarks as a point of reference to create a sense of familiarity for tourists around the place. Adding on to that I suggested even using them as touchpoints whereby this project could be found as a way to allow tourists to engage with the project. ​​He advised for me to not keep going too hard on finding the different spots around Singapore and rather focus on the presentation of the project and how viewers would see it.
This is important especially when it concerns wayfinding and mapping out points of interests be it ways to get around or the places themselves. How I will go about doing this is still under consideration. The main notes and takeaways were as follows:
​
1.using tourist spots or popular hotspots as points of interest to branch out toward these smaller spots
2. think about the presentation of this project (is the book too thick? is it easily digestable?)
3. branding Singapore as small and easy to navigate
4. think about the style and appropriate design concept for this project
5. for now, the focus should be on the way i present the mapping of Singapore, highlighting various things and legends (main hotspots, PCN network, etc)
6. what other content is there that is relevant for this?​
​
Overall the consultation seemed to have given me different options to explore and not just stick to publication as the finale. It would be good if there is a certain way to present this that is perhaps not just about it being a single project but as a unique series.
10.02.25
week 5.
Design Studio (lecture)
Mr Alvin Ho
Throughout the week I researched and brainstormed about the type of presentation I wanted as the concept for the project and also the shops or unique heartland experiences that I have picked out. I tried to think of various novelties and even read about things that may or may not be so special about them. This allowed me to find unique offerings across Singapore, however, the trouble now is pinning them down in locations that enable the person to find out if there are more in the area. In terms of the categorising I thought to myself, there are several ways that I could be doing this, one of them could involve a specific estate or region and the other could just be scattered across Singapore with various landmarks. As it was online week, there wasn't much to take away from the session even as we were one week away from WIP. Alvin just reiterated his point about how I should present this project and how important it should be for the viewer. He even told me to imagine no budget for this project and go all out with the concept and proposal, going as far to say that I should just send to STB to put it out there. Whether or not they reply or like it doesn't matter, so long as the concept is there. I showed him a little draft of my plan for the WIP week which I did on a piece of A4 paper for the viewer to take away, he didn't have much to say other than to acknowledge my explanation and plan for the WIP. So I took that as a positive takeaway, at least there isn't much doubt in my mind yet. Overall the consultation led me to make sure I keep in mind the ease of understanding that my project should give, but he also gave me an additional factor to consider about how it can be easily changed and constantly updated.
​
17.02.25
week 6 wip.
Feedback and Documentation wip
I did a Google survey regarding places of interest and understanding surveyors on the places they live in the heartlands, printed on an A4 infographic brochure presentation pamphlet.
​
Jieyu, Levi, Xiao Chang, Derric, Quentin, others etc
Throughout the week of WIP, different lecturers and peers mostly gave positive feedback for my project in terms of its purpose and understanding its potential/scalability. Most found it to be relatable and even agreed with the direction of tourism beyond the civic district or major points of tourist attractions.
Jieyu
He had quite a bit to ask about my project about its scalability regarding new places popping up and how people can contribute, whether it should include an element of digital media and how or when this project will take place. But he understands the project scope and the direction for it to be explored and seen as part of tourism. Ultimately he is interested in seeing the result of the project and how it will be executed in the end. ​
​
Levi
Levi's insight was an interesting one, as he was the closest to receiving negative feedback. However, it wasn't negative in a sense as much as it is just insightful. He told me that there have been initiatives by the government to promote heartland tourism in the past, so I talked to him for a while about it. Although he wasn't convinced, he told me that an angle I could take is home businesses as a unique aspect that has yet to be explored in tourism. But in my opinion, I believe he doesn't fully understand my intent with this project so I hope that I can convince him otherwise by the end with the idea and concept.
​
Xiao Chang
When I explained my concept and ideation to her, she was able to understand and relate to the idea of the project as she also agreed with the lack of focus tourism has regarding the heartlands. But she did tell me to think specifically if this is for tourists who are planning to come here or the ones who are already here, and also a possible digital element to it which is the same as what Jieyu feedbacked to me. She also seemed quite interested in the outcome of the project and was positively invested in the idea and concept.
​
Quentin
Quentin's feedback for me was quite straightforward in terms of the direction as he believed it is relatable. And he also believes that this project can also apply to locals because not everyone knows of these places as well. Similarly he is interested to see how this project will progress into.
​
Derric
After consulting Derric for more than 40 minutes, I had a new potential for my project as he gave me some ideas that could be executed in terms of the project direction as a whole. He helped me to narrow down my thinking by getting to the root of the cause of the problem tourists may face. I was also told to consider the kind of tourist I want to target at which point of their journey to Singapore, whether before coming our when they are here. How can I make it easy to understand through the project's execution? told me rather than focusing on cataloguing only I could emphasise the journey experience in ways people could experience with this tourism project. I should look at case studies regarding tourism of the past and find ways to make it interesting from that point of view, rejuvenating the journey as one to experience in a wholesome manner. I was advised to change my problem and opportunity statement as well so I could create a better framing for my project and guide viewers to better understand the focus of the project. After the consultation, Derric assured me that my project would be interesting if I could execute it well. It is truly the process of presentation that is key to the success of this project, as Alvin mentioned many times before but in more detail.
​​
24.02.24
week 7.
Feedback wip
Mr Alvin Ho
In week 7 I was mostly brainstorming about ideas to add to the project in terms of the necessity to change or to enhance, I researched a lot on nuances and tried to find aspects that could help redefine or shape tourism experiences. I also continued working on the problem statement and opportunity so I could get to a better framing of the project on why it should exist. Through this framing of the statements, I could perhaps envision an overarching outcome of design that leads to the execution of the project itself.
​
Through the consultation with Alvin, I was able to discuss the flow of the project with him, and he prompted me to think about the organic aspect of movement and navigation in people. This was linked to the case study article he gave me titled "Theory of the Derive" by Guy Debord, in that article Guy talks about how cities should be designed in a way that embodies a natural movement rather than a rigidness to them. Where people should be following natural instincts and have an urge to touch upon their emotions and explore places by themselves, this idea goes against the notion of purposefulness in places and rather allows people establish their own way of thinking thus giving more empowerment to the exploration. This catalogue of places as a zine should step away from the checklist format of just visiting but inform the viewer in a more engaging manner that also allows them to experience things for themselves. He also told me that I should research on guided tours and fixed itineraries so as to move away from what I should not be doing. The key angle to this project is also about getting lost intentionally, so how may I assist the reader or viewer in this way, that is the question. He emphasised again on the success for this project is through the way it is presented and how the reader or viewer will be able to take in this info. The framing, and what people can gain from this presentation will allow me to speak to the audience more intentionally and purposefully if I do it right. He also told me how I should study the visualisation of map designs whereby readers must understand what is going on. I asked about wayfinding, and he mentioned about how its more of a supportive factor in this project if I choose to include it.
​​
​
​
24.02.24
week 9.
Feedback wip
Mr Alvin Ho
During week 9 my focus was on site visits with the places of interest that I wanted to follow up on. While going about the first and second site visitations I realised that it would make more sense to do content that focused on a single region rather than many estates scattered throughout Singapore. This was due to how I had to consider different aspects of the visitations, including the distance of travelling from one spot to another. I figured it would be better to explore the estate naturally on my own rather than purposefully looking for unique places to visit all the time. It would put me in the shoes of the reader and the target audience if I had just explored the estate naturally from the place of interest that I had planned to note down. Throughout these site visits, I noticed I was in constant deviation and exploration mode after I visited my places of interest, this led me to think about how else I can treat or enhance the viewer while on the move.
​​
​
​
24.02.24