Aussie firm leads study to refresh Orchard Road
$1.3 million study will help produce blueprint for area for next 15 to 20 years
A $1.3 million study is under way to come up with ways to breathe new life into Orchard Road. Leading the charge is an Australian urban planning consultancy.
Work began in April, and the proposals by the company Cistri in the six-month study will lead to the blueprint for Singapore's premier shopping district for the next 15 to 20 years.
This blueprint will support the precinct's continued relevance as a vibrant lifestyle destination, said the Urban Redevelopment Authority and Singapore Tourism Board in a joint statement to The Straits Times.
The proposal from Cistri, the international arm of Australian property advisory group Urbis, beat 10 other competitors, among them Nanyang Technological University and the Boston Consulting Group.
The company is leading a team that includes local players such as DP Architects and DataSpark, a company that analyses peoples' movement patterns.
The statutory boards said: "The team, with a wide range of expertise in economic, retail, urban planning and real estate, had submitted a strong overall project plan, in terms of the approach and methodology."
Mr Jack Backen, one of the founding directors of Cistri, told ST he could not share any insights as the study is still in its early stages, but explained how it would progress.
The first part involves finding out how people think about and use Orchard Road.
The study would also examine the precinct's physical environment and analyse how it is faring from an economic perspective.
After this, they will develop different strategies for the Singapore authorities.
Mr Backen also detailed how the workload would be divided between the different partners of the consortium. Urban environment consultant Arup will advise on transport and mobility issues, while DP architects will lend their expertise on broader planning and urban design issues, for instance.
United Overseas Bank economist Francis Tan said that while Orchard Road has been seeing less traffic from Singaporeans, it is still popular with visitors.
He welcomed plans to breathe new life into the area.
"I think that rejuvenation should be an ongoing process. It is interesting and signals to the consumers there is something new and exciting coming up."
Mr Ben Tan, the country chief executive of Courts Singapore, was also positive about the renewal plans.
"Orchard is close to our heart given that we opened our very first branch in Singapore on Orchard Road in 1974," he said.
The precinct "needs to up its game and once again set the bar for local retail, and differentiate its offerings to win back customers who have been lost to heartland malls as well as online shopping".
When asked for suggestions for Orchard Road, Robinsons Group chief executive Christophe Cann said: "Experiential retail will be increasingly important to attract shoppers. It is important for Singapore to look to revamp not just the stores, but the streets as well.
"We could have more entertainment on the street itself and more lifestyle options in terms of retail. I would like to see things like food trucks in Orchard - something that is different and will give shoppers a reason to come visit the street and its malls and stores."
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