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Downtown at Marina Bay
The Downtown at Marina Bay will be Singapore 's key focus area for development in the next 15 to 20 years. With its waterfront location and availability of unencumbered land, the Downtown at Marina Bay can be Singapore 's competitive advantage, providing the opportunity to develop a unique business and financial hub as a seamless extension to the existing Central Business District (CBD).
The planning vision is to develop the area to provide prime office space for global business and financial institutions, complemented by a full range of residential, shopping, dining, cultural and entertainment activities. The Downtown at Marina Bay will not be just a place for work but will be a business and financial hub that is integrated with quality housing, and recreational and leisure facilities to provide a total live-work-play environment.
Developing a Vibrant and Exciting Waterfront
One significant idea in the plan for the Downtown at Marina Bay is to develop Marina Bay into a vibrant and exciting waterfront that will become a major gathering point and attractive destination within the City. Today, parts of the waterfront around Marina Bay are starting to come alive with t he recent completion of two new major public attractions – the new Merlion Pier and the Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay – and the entertainment and dining facilities at One Fullerton. These facilities have been successful in drawing crowds to the waterfront, and will soon be joined by another attraction – the Singapore Flyer – which will be the world's highest observation wheel at 178 metre (m) high.
Building upon the success of these attractions, the two promontory sites overlooking the Bay have been set aside for future signature developments. These promontory sites can accommodate cultural institutions such as a new science centre or art museum, or public attractions such as an aquarium, which have the potential to become distinctive landmarks for the Bay.
To ensure vibrancy in the area during the initial stages of growth, a series of low-density, low-rise developments for food and beverage, recreation and lifestyle-related uses will be introduced along the waterfront to activate the place early. Other facilities and attractions such as a freshwater swimming lagoon with sandy beaches could also be introduced to synergise with the recreational uses and create a unique amenity centre for visitors and the people working and living within Downtown at Marina Bay . Collectively, these developments together with the existing and future cultural venues and other attractions along the waterfront will form a distinctive ‘Cultural Loop' that enhances the character and identity of the Bay.
Marina Bay has many strengths. It is strategically located at the heart of the city with the modern CBD skyline serving as its dramatic backdrop. The size of the Bay, at 48 hectares (ha), its calm water, extensive shoreline and frontage makes it ideal for the staging of water-based events and international water-sport competitions. Capitalising on these strengths, Downtown at Marina Bay has been successfully used to stage events such as the F1 Power Boat Grand Prix , outdoor concerts and dance parties, fireworks displays, arts and sculpture displays and outdoor movie screenings. The area will continue to be used for staging events and activities for the public to enjoy.
Waterfront Promenade around the Bay
To realise the vision for Downtown at Marina Bay , the Government will put in place key infrastructure and facilities, amounting to $300 million, to open up the area and to make it more accessible and attractive to the public and investors. As part of these initiatives, a waterfront promenade will be constructed along the edge of Marina Bay to improve access to the area and set the stage for the development of a vibrant and exciting waterfront.
The promenade will form part of a continuous 3.3 kilometre (km) long pedestrian circulation route that frames the Bay and links together the series of nodes and attractions along the ‘Cultural Loop' and serving as a key urban space within the City. To complete the loop, a new integrated pedestrian cum vehicular bridge – the Bayfront Bridge – will be constructed to connect Downtown at Marina Bay to Marina Centre .
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