Meet, Play, Create
The Somerset Belt is set to become a vibrant space for youth to connect with one another, create new experiences and celebrate collective interests and aspirations.
In line with the SG Youth Action Plan, we've researched, brainstormed, and led various placemaking exercises. Here's what we’ve learnt!
The Somerset Belt is a vibrant place to call our own and shape our growth. For this to happen, we need to understand our behaviours and interests.
We want a place where we can express our best self. A welcoming space, our third place.
Whether it’s physically or digitally, we want to build our identity and stay connected with the communities that make us who we are.
As we live and breathe our passions, we are active creators and we want to shape our own future world.
We want a space where we can unplug and focus on ourselves, but also a space to be a part of something bigger than ourselves.
We look for unique and innovative retail experiences that aren’t just about status or monetary profits.
Having a better idea of what we want in the space, we considered the following categories to gather our thoughts and concerns:
We want to create spaces versatile enough for all our endeavours regardless of interests for new experiences to emerge.
These spaces should be able to exude all sorts of youth expressions, with equal opportunities to co-create and co-exist.
For some of us, figuring out and being seen for who we are is important. The Somerset Belt seeks to be a safe space for us to soul-search/form identities and present who we are to the world!
We want a balance of economical feasibility and sustainability to make Somerset a different retail experience for everyone.
Based on feedback and responses gathered, we've created 5 broad strategies to guide us in imagining the future Somerset Belt experience:
Envisioning Somerset Belt as two contrasting experiential areas for youths to find their space in Somerset -— the Active spine with vibrant and dynamic street life (think busking zones and graffiti art); and the Quiet spine with a restful, zen vibe (spaces for quiet walks or 'me-time' away from the hustle).
Imagining distinctive features that encourage exploration, with connections that link different areas of Somerset into one seamless experience.
Creating different public spaces that will embody the characteristics of different communities for collaboration and new opportunities.
Building a unique hybrid of experiences through adaptable spaces, with room for new ideas and possibilities.
Balancing regular programmes and ad-hoc community-initiated activities to encourage ownership of spaces and bring together various communities in Singapore.
Picture perfect
More than 9,300 youths participated across three phases to co-create and envision the Somerset Belt in May 2019.
Their input and insights have shaped the Somerset Belt Masterplan, which presents an overall vision of the possibilities of programming, design, planning and management in the precinct.
Diverse programmes and ever-changing activities throughout the year that bring life to the colourful streets.
Spaces that allow us to take a break, hang-out, or simply be alone.
Flexible and adaptable spaces like studio cabins and semi-outdoor workshop spaces to cultivate creativity within us.
Building an identity that is unique to the Somerset Belt by collaborating with the various communities.