Govt piloting different ways of engaging citizens for neighbourhood renewal in Boon Lay, Canberra

SINGAPORE - More opportunities will be created for Singaporeans to help shape policies and plans as the Government seeks to deepen citizen participation, said Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Culture, Community and Youth Goh Hanyan.

This includes the Government piloting different ways to engage citizens as part of the Neighbourhood Renewal Programmes (NRP) in Boon Lay and Canberra, she added.

Speaking in Parliament on May 5, Ms Goh outlined two other ways that the Government is shifting towards shaping the future with citizens – by strengthening the volunteering ecosystem to make it easier for Singaporeans to step forward; and enabling citizen-led initiatives through schemes like the $50 million SG Partnerships Fund, which supports ground-up efforts.

She was responding to Mr Foo Cexiang’s (Tanjong Pagar GRC) speech at the end of the sitting titled Building A Democracy Of Deeds. The term refers to active citizenry working with the Government to solve problems.

The Straits Times has asked the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) and Ministry of National Development (MND) for more details of the pilots in Boon Lay and Canberra.

In response to ST’s queries, MCCY and MND said in a joint reply on May 7 that visioning workshops and community walks will be conducted early and across various stages of the NRP process to engage residents.

These will give residents the opportunity to learn from one another, discuss options, and collectively decide on infrastructural upgrading priorities for their neighbourhoods, both ministries said. “This gives communities a stronger sense of ownership in shaping their living environment,” they added. “We will learn from the NRP and participatory budgeting pilots to improve citizen involvement in the NRP consultation process.”

Citing his experience with several citizen-led projects in his Tanjong Pagar-Tiong Bahru ward, Mr Foo said the Government should place citizen engagement at the heart of its planning approach as it shapes communities and neighbourhoods.

He gave three suggestions to do so. On state properties, he proposed that the Government invite ground-up proposals, and award such sites based solely on potential social impact. The selected proposals are then awarded the use of the property or site for a given tenure for free.

The Singapore Land Authority (SLA) currently tenders out state properties using the “Price-Quality” system.

Mr Foo said the proposals could entail a community hub for youth, or a heritage living space, and become what he dubbed “Community Regeneration Stations”.

Noting that there are more than 2,600 state properties in Singapore, he said: “Imagine the energy that will be brought to our neighbourhoods if just a segment of them are converted to such Community Regeneration Stations.”

Secondly, he said the HDB can consider enhancing NRP to include a component for participatory budgeting, on top of the base layer of improvements under the programme.

He cited the participatory budgeting trial in Spottiswoode Park estate in his ward, where residents can propose ideas and vote on neighbourhood improvements with a $200,000 budget.

Thirdly, he suggested letting each estate develop and implement its own tailored system for recycling or to dispose of food waste, with support from the Government.

In response, Ms Goh called “democracy of deeds” a simple yet powerful idea. She added that there is an ongoing shift from “government for the people” to “government with the people”.

On deepening citizen participation in plans and policies, she cited national water agency PUB’s Our Coastal Conversations as an example where the public discussed how they can protect Singapore’s land against rising sea levels.

The Government is also open to resident-led efforts that strengthen the Republic’s recycling ecosystem, she said, adding that the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment is supporting Zero Waste SG’s trial of dedicated recycling bins for clean stream recyclables in Pioneer.

Replying to Mr Foo’s suggestion on state properties, she said social and community value are already key considerations in how such properties are allocated.

SLA will continue to engage social start-ups and non-governmental organisations to understand their needs, and work with agencies to unlock more state properties for social impact, she added.

Ms Goh said the spirit of collaboration is just as vital for the next generation.

That is why the National Youth Council introduced the Youth Panels in 2023 for young Singaporeans to be co-authors of national issues and policies, she said, adding that the next run of this initiative will be launched later in 2026 for more youth to step forward and contribute.

On encouraging more volunteering, she said Youth Corps Singapore has been championing youth volunteerism by bringing together young people to do good. In 2025, more than 10,000 Youth Corps Leaders and volunteers contributed over 75,000 hours of service, impacting some 6,500 beneficiaries, she noted.

In addition, the islandwide network of 24 SG Cares Volunteer Centres works with community partners to identify town-level needs such as senior befriending.

Turning to citizen-led initiatives, she highlighted the National Heritage Board’s Heritage Activation Nodes.

She said community partners and residents in Katong-Joo Chiat, Clementi and Punggol have been creating heritage programmes, mobilising 460 volunteers and forging close to 120 partnerships since 2024. These nodes will be expanded to more neighbourhoods, including Tiong Bahru and Telok Blangah, in 2026.

The Somerset Belt Youth CoLab will also be launched, where a team of 15 youth leaders will be given dedicated spots and funding to activate spaces across *SCAPE and Somerset Belt.

On its part, the Government is “investing in the structures, skills and culture to engage citizens meaningfully”, Ms Goh said.

“We will continue pressing on to build a public service that is ready to partner citizens sincerely and wholeheartedly – and become better partners that citizens can count on,” she said.