Community Participatory Projects

Community Participatory Projects offer opportunities for residents to be involved in the design and building of community spaces in the heartlands.

Over the years, HDB has worked with communities across several towns on various co-creation projects. Click on the links below to find out more!

Completed Projects

Ongoing Projects

Bedok

The Siglap East’s Walls of Inspiration and Food Fiesta was one of the two winning ideas from the HDB Build-a-thon challenge in 2014. During this challenge, participants engaged residents from Siglap East (Bedok) to propose ideas on building better neighbourhoods. HDB then worked with the community to bring this winning idea to fruition.
These two projects were supported by:

  • National Arts Council Singapore
  • People's Association
  • Siglap East Residents' Committee
  • East Coast-Fengshan Town Council
  • Public Service Division, Prime Minister's Office
  • Project Tomorrow

 

National of Arts Council Singapore People's AssociationRC Logo  East Coast - Fengshan Town Council Public Service Division, Prime Minister's Office Project Tomorrow 

Siglap East's Walls of Inspiration

Residents of Siglap East designed and created six murals on the walls of their void decks, to spark conversations and encourage neighbourly interactions.

In 2015, residents of Siglap East came together to design and create six wall murals, with the intent to transform void deck walls into conversation nodes where neighbours can connect over shared interests. Each wall mural would have a theme, with an interactive board for residents to share information and feedback on their interests relating to its theme.

Through resident consultations, six themes were identified for the mural walls, namely: Sports, Art, Flora & Fauna, Ethnic, Food, and Travel.

Sports Wall
Residents sketched their favourite sports on ceramic tiles before signing their initials on them. Over 1,000 tiles were created and mounted on the wall across 5 workshops.

Community Participatory Projects - Sports Wall

Art Wall
Residents expressed their creativity and neighbourhood identity by painting elements that symbolise Siglap East on the Art Wall.

Community Participatory Projects Art Wall

Ethnic Wall
To celebrate diversity in the Siglap East estate, residents were invited to bring personal items representing the various ethnic backgrounds, like musical instruments and childhood games, to a workshop where their neighbours sketched these items. The community’s sketches were then incorporated into the wall design.

Community Participatory Projects Ethnic Wall

Flora and Fauna Wall
Residents were invited to produce sketches of their favourite flowers, which were later incorporated into a mural design that spread over 3 void deck pillars. The murals, created using paint and markers, feature the local flora and fauna in Singapore.

Community Participatory Projects Flora and Fauna Wall

Food Wall
Siglap East residents and Temasek Primary School students painted their favourite local delicacies on wooden plates. These wooden plates were then mounted on the wall, beautifully complemented by paintings done up by artists, and art teachers from Temasek Primary School.

Community Participatory Projects Food Wall

Travel Wall
Travel stories were collected from the community as residents shared anecdotes of their most memorable overseas trips and favourite travel destinations. Residents then came together in a workshop and painted the iconic landmarks of these destinations on wooden plates designed to resemble postcards. These “postcards” were mounted next to mural paintings of global travel landmarks.

Community Participatory Projects Travel Wall

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Food Fiesta

Residents of Siglap East organised a Food Fiesta, to interact and bond over sharing and learning how to make traditional food together.

It’s sedap in Siglap! One interesting fact about Siglap East is that there are many mango trees around the neighbourhood, which is now a common identity that the community relates to. Residents also often meet at the residents’ corner of Blk 171, where the food wall is, to share food.

Expanding on the idea of using mangoes and food as a motivation to bring communities together, residents organised a Food Fiesta in October 2015, in conjunction with the unveiling of the completed Food Wall. Grassroots Adviser Dr. Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman graced the event and joined over 100 residents in celebrating their contributions towards the Siglap East’s Walls of Inspiration project.

Residents also demonstrated how they would use the Food Wall to interact with their neighbours and posed proudly with the wooden plates that were painted by them.

To encourage greater inter-ethnic understanding and a deeper appreciation of each other’s culture, residents taught fellow neighbours how to wrap vegetarian dumplings, weave ketupat cases, and blend mango lassi. Games, fruits, and popiah-making sessions were also prepared by the grassroots leaders for the Siglap East community.


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Sembawang

Build-A-Playground @ Canberra

The idea of a community-built playground was the other winning idea arising from the HDB Build-a-thon challenge in 2014. HDB, together with PA/ Grassroots and partnering schools, engaged Canberra residents to realise Singapore’s first community-built playground.

Over 2,000 Canberra residents joined us in conceptualising, designing, and assembling the first community-built playground in Singapore. Completed on 7 January 2018, the chosen treehouse-kelong inspired playground theme reflects the heritage of Sembawang – an area once dotted with fishing villages in its past. Take a look at our video to find out more!

We are now extending the Build-A-Playground initiative to more HDB towns. Residents from Choa Chu Kang, Toa Payoh, Pasir Ris, and Woodlands can soon look forward to designing and building your own playgrounds too. 

 
This project is organised in support of the Sustainable Singapore Blueprint, and in tandem with our community partners:
  • Sembawang Town Council
  • People's Association
  • Canberra Zone 1 Residents' Committee
  • Sembawang Secondary School

 

Sembawang Town Council People's Association RC Logo   

Tampines

Hello Neighbour! @ Tampines Central

In 2013, HDB, together with the National University of Singapore, engaged Tampines residents to design their very own Social Linkway and Neighbourhood Incubator that encourages community bonding.

HDB collaborated with the National University of Singapore to study how neighbourhoods can be better designed to encourage community bonding. Two new design ideas were put to test in Tampines: the Social Linkway and the Neighbourhood Incubator under the Hello Neighbour! @ Tampines Central project.

The Social Linkway integrates commonly-used walkways with community nodes, such as community cafes and gardens, to promote social interaction. The Neighbourhood Incubator seeks to turn void deck spaces into a convenient one-stop hub for residents to participate in community activities and workshops.

The project saw some 1,000 Tampines residents and stakeholders coming together to design their very own Social Linkway and Neighbourhood Incubator. They participated enthusiastically at pop-up booths, over interactive boards displayed in the neighbourhood and design workshops. Beyond that, residents also joined hands to implement some of their own ideas e.g. painting wall murals to strengthen the neighbourhood’s identity and starting a community garden.

This project is supported by:

  • National University of Singapore
  • National Arts Council Singapore
  • Tampines Town Council
  • People's Association
  • Tampines Ville Residents' Committee
  • Tampines Palmwalk Residents' Committee
  • Tampines Parkview Residents' Committee

 

National University of SingaporeTampines town council logoPeople's AssociationRC Logo

 

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Kallang-Whampoa

Whampoa Park

In 2021, HDB, together with PA/ Grassroots, engaged the Whampoa community to design their new neighbourhood park.

Over 450 individuals from the Whampoa community stepped forth to give ideas for their new neighbourhood park, to be built between Whampoa Community Club and St Michael’s Bus Terminal.

With site constraints and a wide range of needs/interests from the community, the participants had a tough yet fruitful discussion to collectively prioritise the facilities they wish to see in the new park.

Named by the community as Whampoa Park, the new park will house a pets’ park, a therapeutic garden with elderly fitness corners for seniors, a 400-metre jogging track and an adult fitness corner for the fitness enthusiasts, playgrounds for our children, and a 1,000 square metre lawn space to accommodate flexible uses such as picnics, movie screenings and disc golf. As suggested by residents, some existing boulders at the site, which are familiar icons to residents, will also be retained to add to the new park’s identity.

Park works are expected to commence by 2H2022. Beyond the designs, the community can look forward to participating in various activities to help complete the park, at different stages, from 2024 onwards. This could include tree planting, furnishing the pets’ park, and creating a heritage trail within the park. Look out for more updates in this space!

This project is supported by:

  • Jalan Besar Town Council
  • People's Association
  • Whampoa Lorong Limau Residents' Committee
  • Whampoa View Residents' Committee
  • Whampoa Garden Residents' Committee
  • Whampoa Drive Residents' Committee
  • Whampoa Rajah Court Residents’ Committee

and in support of the Singapore Together movement where we work hand-in-hand with the people of Singapore to create better homes and engaged communities.

Jalan Besar Town Council Logo People's Association Canberra Zone 1 Residents' Committee   

In Support of:

SG Together Logo

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Pasir Ris

Remaking Our Heartland 3 Pasir Ris: Community Mall & Neighbourhood Parks Upgrading

Engagements in progress, stay tuned!

Engagements with the Pasir Ris community for 4 neighbourhood parks and social nodes under the Remaking Our Heartland programme are currently ongoing.

We look forward to working closely with residents on the design and implementation of these spaces!

Watch this space for updates!

This project is supported by:

  • Pasir Ris - Punggol Town Council
  • People's Association
  • Pasir Ris Zone 1 Residents' Network
  • Pasir Ris Zone 3 Residents' Network
  • Pasir Ris Zone 11 Residents' Network
  • Green Oval Park Residents' Network
  • Brontosaur Park Residents' Network
  • Hillview @ Elias Residents' Network
  • Pasir Ris Atlantis Residents' Network

and in support of the Singapore Together movement where we work hand-in-hand with the people of Singapore to create better homes and engaged communities.

Pasir Ris-Punggol Town Council Logo  People's Association Residents Network Logo    

In Support of:

SG Together Logo

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Toa Payoh

Remaking Our Heartland 3 Toa Payoh: Social Linkways & Neighbourhood Parks Upgrading

From 2019 to 2021, HDB, together with PA/ Grassroots and partnering schools, engaged the Toa Payoh community on the upgrading works for 2 neighbourhood parks, 2 playgrounds, and 5 social nodes.

We are encouraged to see over 3,600 individuals from the Toa Payoh community coming forward to share their ideas, concerns and feedback for the upgrading works under the Remaking Our Heartland programme.

With site constraints and a wide range of needs/interests from the community, the participants had a tough time prioritising and reaching a consensus on the design proposals below.

Site works are expected to commence progressively from mid-2022. The Toa Payoh community can look forward to completing the gardens, putting up art installations and taking part in the final installation of the playgrounds between 2023 to 2025.

This project is supported by:

  • Bishan - Toa Payoh Town Council
  • People's Association
  • Toa Payoh Central Zone 1 Residents' Network
  • Toa Payoh Central Zone 4 Residents' Network
  • Toa Payoh East Zone 1 Residents' Network
  • Toa Payoh East Zone 2 Residents' Network
  • Toa Payoh Heights Residents' Network
  • The Peak Residents’ Network
  • First Toa Payoh Primary School
  • Pei Chun Public School
  • Kheng Cheng School
  • My First Skool
  • PCF Sparkletots

and in support of the Singapore Together movement where we work hand-in-hand with the people of Singapore to create better homes and engaged communities.

Bishan Toa Payoh Town Council  People's Association Residents Network Logo   First Toa Payoh Primary LogoPei Chun Public School LogoKheng Cheng Primary Logo My First Skool Logo Sparkletots Logo

In Support of:

SG Together Logo

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Woodlands

Remaking Our Heartland 3 Woodlands: Neighbourhood Parks Upgrading

Engagements in progress, stay tuned!

Engagements with the Woodlands community for 4 neighbourhood parks under the Remaking Our Heartland programme are currently ongoing.

We look forward to working closely with our residents on the design of the parks!

Watch this space for updates!

This project is supported by:

  • Sembawang Town Council
  • Marsiling-Yew Tee Town Council
  • People's Association
  • Woodlands Citizens’ Consultative Committee
  • Admiralty Zone 7 Residents’ Network
  • Woodlands Zone 4 Residents’ Network
  • Woodlands Zone 7 Residents’ Network
  • Woodlands Zone 8 Residents’ Network
  • Woodlands Zone 9 Residents’ Network
  • Sembawang West Zone D Residents’ Network
  • Sembawang West Zone F Residents’ Network
  • Sembawang West Zone H Residents’ Network
  • Sembawang West Zone J Residents’ Network
  • Northoaks-Woodsvale Residents’ Network
  • Woodgrove Zone 1 Residents’ Committee
  • Woodgrove Zone 2 Residents’ Committee
  • Woodgrove Zone 3 Residents’ Committee
  • Woodgrove Zone 5 Residents’ Committee
  • Woodgrove Zone 6 Residents’ Committee
  • Marsiling Zone 1 Residents’ Network
  • Marsiling Zone 7 Residents’ Network
  • Marsiling Estate Taskforce

and in support of the Singapore Together movement where we work hand-in-hand with the people of Singapore to create better homes and engaged communities.

Sembawang Town CouncilMarsiling-Yew Tee Town Council Logo People's Association Consultative Committee Logo RC Logo Residents Network Logo   

In Support of:

SG Together Logo