Sunday 16 November 2014

SG Heart Map to feature places with special meaning for Singaporeans

The public can contribute stories about places in Singapore at over 70 booths islandwide.
By Amanda Lee, TODAY, 14 Nov 2014

All Singaporeans are invited to pin down their special moments and places on the SG Heart Map, a SG50 programme, to create a collective map of places in the Republic which defines her as home, said Minister for National Development Khaw Boon Wan this evening (Nov 14).

Speaking at the launch of the SG Heart Map at the Housing and Development Board (HDB) Hub mall, Mr Khaw said as Singapore turns 50 next year, it is timely to reflect how the Republic has progressed as a nation.

“There are many things that bind us together, many reasons why we are proud to be Singaporeans, and many places that define Singapore as our home,” he said.


From now till Sunday, members of the public can visit the HDB Hub Mall to share their stories of places in Singapore and “pin” the locations onto a map using heart-shaped balloons.

The public can also share their stories on the SG Heart Map web portal www.heartmap.sg which was launched today.

Special SG Heart Map vans will make it way to various locations across the island such as Tampines Central, Clementi Central and Woodlands Civic Centre to collect contributions.

On top of that, over 70 contribution booths will be set up islandwide in places such as the MRT stations, shopping centres and community centres.

The collection of the stories will continue till March next year. From the stories collected, a selction of 50 places that hold special meaning for Singaporeans will be highlighted in mid next year. Throughout the campaign, Singaporeans can follow and trace the development of SG Heart Map on the official website, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages.

All the contributions will be curated into a giant composite SG Heart Map, which will be unveiled at the finale in November next year.

Even as the city transforms, Mr Khaw noted that everyone will have places that they hold dear to as they have a special memory for them.

This is why, said Mr Khaw, the government wants to work with everyone to put together the “first ever crowd-sourced map that captures the heart and soul of Singapore – the SG Heart Map”.

“We invite everyone to contribute a story of a place that is special for you,” he added. “Through the stories imprinted in the SG Heart Map, we will be reminded or will rediscover the charming places around us, enjoy each other’s stories, and create new moments and friendships. Collectively, these stories will also trace the development of Singapore”.





SG Heart Map van picks up Singaporeans' stories at Tiong Bahru
By Jessica Yeo, Channel NewsAsia, 15 Nov 2014

A SG Heart Map van made its way to Tiong Bahru market on Saturday (Nov 15) to collect stories from Singaporeans, on their favourite places.

Many residents penned their stories on contribution cards, which will then be uploaded onto a web portal.

This is part of the SG Heart Map project, which invites all to create a map of places that define Singapore as home. The van is one of five travelling to various locations in Singapore.

The collection of stories will end in March and a selection of 50 places will be highlighted in mid-2015.

Several local artists will work with the community, to use these stories to co-create works of art, which will be showcased at the finale event next November.

"A place in Singapore that is very meaningful to us is Bedok Reservoir Park, we used to date there when we were younger,” a couple told Channel NewsAsia. “That's how we got to know each other more. That's also where we are staying, so it's home."









Singaporeans share 43,000 stories of cherished places
SG Heart Map's collection will go on till April to create big composite map
By Olivia Ho, The Straits Times, 10 Feb 2015

AS A young girl, Mrs Chia-Nge Tak Heng would sit in the corridor outside her parents' 12th-floor Housing Board flat in Toa Payoh, fascinated by the bustling construction sites all around her.

"We lived on the highest floor. We had no toys, nothing, so we played outside in the corridor," recalled Mrs Chia-Nge, who moved to Toa Payoh when she was seven.

From that vantage point, she and her four siblings watched as bare ground gave rise to towering blocks of flats. "We would count the big lorries bringing soil in."

Now 54 and a senior laboratory executive at Nanyang Technological University, Mrs Chia-Nge still lives in one of those very blocks she watched being built.

"I've been here my whole life. For me, everything happens in Toa Payoh," she said.

The heartland neighbourhood joins attractions such as leisure island Sentosa and the Orchard Road shopping belt as some of Singaporeans' most cherished places on the SG Heart Map.

The map is an SG50 initiative which gathers stories from Singaporeans on the places which are most memorable for them. These stories are then woven into a collective map.

Another popular location is Sentosa, with more than 2,100 Singaporeans selecting it.

For Mr Ernest Chew, 18, one of his favourite memories is taking the Sentosa monorail as a three-year-old past the Merlion and Fort Siloso on his family's first getaway from mainland Singapore.

Over the years, the Institute of Technical Education College Central student has continued to visit Sentosa with his parents and younger sister.

"It's a great place for a family hangout. It's cooler, peaceful and away from the city," he said.

Since its launch last November, SG Heart Map has collected more than 43,000 stories via its Web portal, contribution booths and roving vans which have been to 79 locations islandwide.

Said Second Minister for Foreign Affairs and Environment and Water Resources Grace Fu in a press statement yesterday: "The stories showed our common identity and bond as Singaporeans."

The project's collection of stories will continue until April, after which it will highlight 50 places found to hold special meaning for Singaporeans.

All the stories will be used to create a giant composite map, which will be unveiled in November.




Related
Highlights of SG Heart map launch at heartland
SG Heart Map: 50 places of significance to Singaporeans unveiled
SG Heart map unveils 50 special places event highlights
SG Heart-map unveils 50 special places
SG Heart Map: Free guided tours to 50 places that define Singapore as home
SG Heart Map Festival @ Float!
SG Heart Map festival celebrates Singaporeans' favourite haunts

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