l3E SMU Publication: The Straits Times, p A2 Date: 20 September 2008 Headline: Sunrise For The Evening Economy

Sunrise for the evenzng economy Night buzz plans a step towards a 2A/7 lifestyle and work culture

I BY LEE SIEW HUA SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT

one-dimensional pubbing fun - but as a world of play possibilities.

And surely Singaporeans will start to make time for such energising jolts of nightlife, which broaden the options be- yond midnight movies, excessive dinners or sofa-slouching.

If we think about it, Asians are familiar with night culture. We eat out on the streets and shop at outdoor bazaars. Think Kuala Lumpur, Taipei, Shanghai, or old Singapore.

In modern Singapore, there is some re- vival of the pasar malam and street food in places like Orchard Road and China-

SLEEPLESSNESS is fun, and profitable town. too. That's one winning story from the M ~ S Cheong mentioned in an interview world's first Formula One night race and with The Straits Times that more people Singapore's new push for a lively evening economy.

now like to dine outdoors on cool eve- nings. At one point, the URA had to en- courage and give incentives to the shop- ping malls "to look outwards", she said.

So there's much that is strategic and imaginative in the national enterprise to spread night buzz.

It's likely that Singapore will experi- ment and find its own level and style as it plays with nightlife ideas and organically grows night buzz.

It will have to be organic as Singapore will not copy Manhattan or London's West End or Seoul's Daehongno Universi- ty Street - though all global cities are smart enough to learn from one another.

Intriguingly, too, this new push for an evening economy may well be a modest

over-the F1 weekend - week from now - the city's image will enjoy a quick global gloss. With that high-octane boost, there's reason to imagine that we'll also win a little more talent, busi- ness and wealth over the years.

For the news is that F1 will not be an isolated night event. The Government has formed an intriguing "night buzz" panel to deliver more after-dark leisure options that go beyond clubbing, pubbing and shopping.

This will enrich the quality of life, said Mrs Cheong Koon Hean, the Urban Rede- velopment Authority (URA) chief execu- tive who chairs the panel.

A quality lifestyle can multiply our memories and deepen our sense of rooted- ness in a mobile and transient society. It draws and keeps talent, from elsewhere or here.

It was heartening that she pictured highly varied night offerings. These en- compass museums that stay open till 2am and a subtly illuminated future skyline re- lying on energy-efficient power.

Also count in street festivals and na- ture strolls with the family under the stars.

These wholesome activities reclaim the night for us as a time to expand lei- sure and family bonds. It re-imagines the night hours not as a province of vice or

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national step towards a 24/7 life- style-and- work culture.

Official brochures, on Marina Bay for instance, carry hints of this direction.

Social entrepreneur and founder of the World Toilet Organisation Jack Sim has argued that Singapore can ultimately be a "timeless zone" where offices, factories, the civil service, public transportation, banks, shopping, leisure and entertain- ment centres run round the clock.

"In this 'New Singapore1, nothing shuts down," he wrote in a recent com- mentary for Social Space, a new maga- zine published by the Lien Centre for So- cial Innovation at the Singapore Manage- ment University.

"We are maximising our use of our re- al estate and capital resources."

This business and social model for growth can have pay-offs for low-in- come workers who will enjoy higher pay for the same work, said Mr Sim.

Roads will be less congested, over- heads of commercial and industrial real estate will shrink as they will never be un- occupied.

The young will relish open-ended lei- sure choices, and tourists will stretch their visit in a Singapore that never sleeps.

Inflationary pressure may even drop while profits rise, he predicted.

Radical? Possibly. Out-of-the-box thinking? Certainly. But mega-cities already have aspects

of this lifestyle. Think of the night trad- ers, the trucks that enter Bangkok at 3am, breakfast news programmes in New York, or 24-hour malls in Seoul.

It will be Singapore's turn. When the integrated resorts are up and running two years from now, we can expect the 24/7 city to be in full swing.

To be sure, we have to start thinking about adjustments. Pay attention to the health effects of those working at night. Shift workers - and their families - should get extra care and perks.

All agencies will have to keep in step. The Land Transport Authority, say, can run later trains and buses. And what about more lighted paths or new policing strategies? Less noisy neighbours, or even thicker walls?

Whatever it is, one thing is clear: The Republic's economic space, already far more vast than its real physical size, will rise notches again.

We have exciting things to look for- ward to.

Singapore will surely awake to the night.

Source: The Straits Times O Singapore Press Holdings Limited. Permission required for reproduction.