Jalan Kukoh is one of the poorest neighbourhoods in Singapore. Its community has high proportions of senior population, unemployment and low incomes, deprived families and youth lacking perspectives. Right next to downtown, Jalan Kukoh does not seem to match the economic dynamics and to be outside of the Singaporean narrative of ongoing progress. Such sites become symbols of growing inequalities and emerge as marginalized zones. Situated in an area with high property values, Jalan Kukoh could be either under threat of redevelopment – or instead set an example for alternative urban prototypes.

The studio will speculate about the potentials of urban and architectural design to initiate processes of transition. We will establish a substantial body of knowledge by deciphering the social and economic complexities of the local community and mapping its urban and architectural settings and programs. Identifying both pressing issues and hidden potentials and engaging with tenants, community stakeholders, social innovators and local initiatives, the studio aims for an understanding of the social dynamics.

The participants will translate gained expertise into strategies for regeneration – meant to be both plausible and surprising, both a radical and realistic evaluation of what is possible. The aim is to propose new architectural and urban prototypes at the crucial intersection between the built environment and social practice, as ‘animators of change’  for a transformation evolving from within, contributing to an inclusive society.