Natalie Ng is an Executive Architect at the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA). She is a recipient of the URA Scholarship and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture from Saint Louis University.
1. I was awarded the URA scholarship in 2009, which gave me the opportunity to study Architecture in the United States which was an eye-opening experience. I attended Washington University in Saint Louis in Missouri, a city that is very different from Singapore as its main challenge is the opposite of ours: a lack of urban density! Experiencing a different range of city-planning issues in a foreign land has helped me develop new and unique perspectives in my work.
2. In my current role at the Physical Planning Group, I am part of a team that oversees planning for the Central West Region, including the Bukit Timah area. Given the land scarcity in Singapore, we play an important role to balance conflicting demands and needs from various stakeholders for land, while keeping our planning goals in mind.
Many think that my work is like the SimCity game! In reality, our job requires us to learn a bit of everything and apply it to how we plan the land use in Singapore. We develop a little bit of technical knowledge in everything as we consider factors like biodiversity, ecology, rail and road design, etc.
3. One of my proudest moments at URA was being involved in the planning for future housing at Bukit Timah Turf City. We brought our stakeholders on a site visit to showcase the unique character of the Bukit Timah Turf City site as we worked towards integrating public housing — marking the first time in nearly 40 years that new public housing is planned for the area. It was a significant milestone, and seeing the efforts of my team and partner agencies come together was incredibly fulfilling.
4. My team comprises dedicated, talented planners who strive hard to overcome many obstacles to bring our vision for the various projects to life. We proactively find solutions to potential challenges and have a strong sense of camaraderie as everyone pitches in to help with tasks like events, stakeholder engagements, or meeting tight deadlines.
I love working at URA because of the high degree of passion I see in many of my co-workers and leaders. We strongly believe in the purpose of URA’s mission and the meaningful work we do. Seeing how mission-driven our leaders are and how willing they are to work alongside us inspires me to give my best for the betterment of Singapore.
5. URA has supported my growth and development through courses and diverse job roles. I started out in the Urban Design department, where I gained valuable experience drafting plans for new neighbourhoods and developing urban design guidelines. I then moved to my current role in Physical Planning, where I have had the opportunity to build my people skills through coordination work, collaborate with other agencies, and gain insights into their decision-making processes and the land use needs of Singapore as a whole.
6. I am driven by the belief that my work makes life better for people. The places we build shape our lives in ways we do not always notice; good urban spaces and buildings make a big difference to how we live and interact. Seeing how my work can make Singapore a great city to live, work and play keeps me inspired and motivated in URA.
