Karen Tham (above left), Managing Director & Global Lead, Master Planning, Surbana Jurong receiving the awards from Hwang Yu-Ning, Chief Planner & Deputy CEO of Urban Redevelopment Authority of Singapore at the SIP Planning Awards 2021. The Kigali City Master Plan which won two gold awards (below)
At the bi-annual Singapore Institute of Planners (SIP) 7th Planning Awards 2021, Surbana Jurong’s master planning team bagged five awards in 11 award categories.
SJ won two awards for Kigali City Master Plan Review. The first was a Gold Award for Excellence in Planning > 5,000ha. The judges praised the project for boldly addressing the issue of gentrification by proposing the vision of an “inclusive city of excellence” with the goal of growth without displacement. They noted that the people-centric plan has pinpointed key strategies for promoting inclusivity, urban renewal, environmental protection, and good governance.
The Kigali City Master Plan Review also won a Gold Award for Excellence in Planning for Community Engagement & Social Inclusiveness. The project demonstrates a clear and comprehensive framework of public participation during the planning process, noted the judges’ citation. Multi-layered stakeholders’ involvement is also well designed and clearly described.
Preethi Reddy, Surbana Jurong Project Manager, received a Special Mention as SIP Young Planner of the Year.
Thirdly, SJ also shone in a new category introduced this year by SIP – the Young Planner of the Year, which recognises planners aged below 40. Ms Preethi Reddy, Surbana Jurong Project Manager based in Kigali, received a Special Mention as SIP Young Planner of the Year.
In their citation, judges noted her passion and dedication to her work. They were struck by her tenacity and willingness to uproot herself from her comfort zone in Singapore to work on a major project in India before moving to Kigali. Through her presence on the ground, she developed the confidence to deal with various stakeholders, from government, civil servants, politicians to farmers and villagers.
Mr Anandan Karunakaran, Deputy Managing Director, Urban Planning & Design said that SJ has played an “instrumental role” in the development of Kigali as an inclusive city of urban excellence.
Ms Nina Yang, the vice-president of SIP and also CEO of SJ CityGlobal, the development management arm of Surbana Jurong, said that the winners of this year’s awards are models for the planning professionals in the region. Other awards won by Surbana Jurong include:
Walini TOD Master Plan 2035 (above) and Concept Plan for Industrial Sites at Nateuy & Namor (below)
- Bronze Award for Excellence in Planning > 500ha and up to 5,000ha: Walini TOD Master Plan 2035, Indonesia. The judges commented that the conceptual master plan has adopted innovative and sensible development control and zoning strategy for Walini.
- Special Mention for Excellence in Planning up to 500ha: Concept Planning for Two Industrial Sites at Nateuy & Namor, Laos. The judges noted that the plan has tactfully involved the relevant stakeholders and engaged the community right from the start in formulating a realistic development plan which addresses several UN SDGs for Laotian communities.
The awards received 93 project submissions from Singapore, Malaysia, China, Vietnam, Rwanda, Kazakhstan, and Turkey. Winning entries were selected by an international and multidisciplinary panel of judges. Congratulations to Preethi and all of the SJ team!
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