Doing so could also help to rebalance the trade mix, said Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) Associate Professor of Practice Calvin Chua.
“(HDB) would probably be able to better control the trade mix and curate the tenants, because if it’s left to the free market then it’s very hard to control and especially for places like Tanjong Pagar, it’s got to do with rent and proximity to the urban core,” said the urban strategist, who is also the founder of design firm Spatial Anatomy.
“If you compare to newer HDB malls that are kind of managed by HDB, they are able to drive a certain trade mix and also certain kind of services that are more catered to the community,” said Mr Chua.
“If we allow the free market to exist for these older HDB malls, I think we kind of miss the chance to really build or design an environment that really would benefit the community and liveability of that place.”
Ultimately, Mr Chua said much comes down to changing perceptions.
“It’s one thing to get rid of the undesirable shops, but I think if we focus on the possibilities, we can gradually shift the needle and change the perception of that HDB neighbourhood, but it takes a much longer period of time for that transformation to happen,” he said.
