Heritage Websites as a Useful Addition to the Planning Toolkit in Singapore

Section One: Heritage Websites As Heritage Planning Tools

The integration of information and communications technologies (ICTs) into the urban planning process is a long-standing and continuing trend. Two types of ICTs–software-based and web-based—have been incorporated into the field of urban planning. Geographic Information System (GIS)-based planning support systems and Building Information Modelling are notable examples of the former. On the other hand, web-based ICTs are characterized by the Internet as the access vehicle and encompass social media and mobile ICTs. Another form of web-based ICTs that has the potential to be integrated into urban planning is heritage websites, which refer to “digital platforms that document heritage architecture … [and are developed by] the government and public enthusiasts” (Widodo et al., 2017).

This paper examines the extent to which heritage websites serve as a useful addition to the planners’ toolkit to engage in heritage planning, defined as “the application of heritage conservation within the context of planning” (Kalman, 2014). The understanding of heritage conservation has evolved over the years. Originating from nineteenth-century Western contexts, heritage conservation was initially “synonymous with preservation”¹ (Blackburn & Tan, 2015), as espoused in early conservation charters (i.e., the 1964 Venice Charter). The 1970s saw the notion of heritage conservation expanded to include management of change, namely sensitive restoration/replacement of historic fabric, particularly in Asia and Africa (Yeo, 2018). The consideration of intangible cultural heritage elements associated with built heritage was subsequently added to the scope of heritage conservation via the Burra Charter drafted in 1979.

Heritage conservation is a vital consideration in strategic spatial planning at the city or national scale because it is not only an instrument of urban regeneration (Pendlebury, 2002) and sustainable development (Dastgerdi & De Luca, 2018) but also contributes to the distinctive character of a country or city, thereby engendering a sense of belonging (Past, Present, and Future, 2019). This paper argues that the information on these websites can help planners better understand the significance of built heritage, which, in turn, facilitates successful conservation of these places (Clark, 2001). This paper goes even further to call on planners to utilize existing heritage websites in a structured way and potentially develop these websites into an essential component of the heritage planning toolkit.

This paper aims to examine Singapore’s incorporation of heritage websites into its planning processes by: (a) understanding the patterns and purposes of heritage website use among public servants in public planning offices and (b) uncovering how the information on these websites addresses Singapore’s heritage conservation principle. In doing so, this paper directly answers Van Der Hoeven’s (2018)call for more research on how the content of heritage websites “can be used in applications that give . . . urban planners access to historic information about specific locations” (emphasis added) (p. 142).