The Urban Redevelopment Authority (Abbreviation

Abbreviation

An abbreviation is a shortened form of a word or phrase. Usually, but not always, it consists of a letter or group of letters taken from the word or phrase...

: URA; Chinese: 市区重建局; Malay: Lembaga Pembangunan Semula Bandar) is the national urban planning

Urban planning

Urban planning incorporates areas such as economics, design, ecology, sociology, geography, law, political science, and statistics to guide and ensure the orderly development of settlements and communities....

 authority of Singapore

Singapore

Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...

, and a statutory board

Statutory boards of the Singapore Government

The statutory boards of the Singapore Government are organisations that have been given autonomy to perform an operational function. They usually report to one specific ministry.*Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority...

 under the Ministry of National Development

Ministry of National Development (Singapore)

The Ministry of National Development is a ministry of the Government of Singapore that directs the formulation and implementation of policies related to land use planning and infrastructure development...

 of the Singapore Government.

Mission

The authority was established on 1 April 1974, and is of especially critical importance to the city-state

City-state

A city-state is an independent or autonomous entity whose territory consists of a city which is not administered as a part of another local government.-Historical city-states:...

, because Singapore is an extremely dense country where land usage is required to be efficient and maximised in order to reduce land wastage in the face of land

Landform

A landform or physical feature in the earth sciences and geology sub-fields, comprises a geomorphological unit, and is largely defined by its surface form and location in the landscape, as part of the terrain, and as such, is typically an element of topography...

 shortage.

The URA is also responsible for assisting to facilitate racial harmony

Culture of Singapore

Singapore was a part of British Malaya for many centuries. It was ruled by the Sultanate of Johor. In 1819, the British came to the Island and set up a port and colony. During British rule, the port of Singapore flourished and attracted many migrants...

, such as to have their urban planning avoid segregation, as well as seeking ways to improve aesthetics

Aesthetics

Aesthetics is a branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of beauty, art, and taste, and with the creation and appreciation of beauty. It is more scientifically defined as the study of sensory or sensori-emotional values, sometimes called judgments of sentiment and taste...

 and to reduce congestion

Congestion

Congestion generally means excessive crowding.Congestion may refer to:* congestion in heart failure, a term to describe low cardiac output seen in heart failure.* Nasal congestion, the blockage of nasal passages due to swollen membranes...

. It is also responsible for the conservation

Architectural conservation

Architectural conservation describes the process through which the material, historical, and design integrity of mankind's built heritage are prolonged through carefully planned interventions. The individual engaged in this pursuit is known as an architectural conservator...

 of historic and cultural buildings and national heritage

Heritage tourism

Cultural heritage tourism is a branch of tourism oriented towards the cultural heritage of the location where tourism is occurring...

 sites.

Development control

This is the responsibility of URA to evaluate and grant

Land grant

A land grant is a gift of real estate – land or its privileges – made by a government or other authority as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service...

 planning approval for development projects from the public

Public sector

The public sector, sometimes referred to as the state sector, is a part of the state that deals with either the production, delivery and allocation of goods and services by and for the government or its citizens, whether national, regional or local/municipal.Examples of public sector activity range...

 and private sector

Private sector

In economics, the private sector is that part of the economy, sometimes referred to as the citizen sector, which is run by private individuals or groups, usually as a means of enterprise for profit, and is not controlled by the state...

s. In approving development applications, the URA states its goal is to foster orderly development conforming to the planning guidelines as stated in the statutory Master Plan and the existing control factors. URA tries to provide quality service when working in partnership with building industry professionals and the general public to foster development.

Carpark management

The URA plays an important role of managing car parks in the City State. It provides information and services to the public in regard to coupon parking, season parking and heavy vehicle parking. URA also sets the bylaw

Bylaw

By-law can refer to a law of local or limited application passed under the authority of a higher law specifying what things may be regulated by the by-law...

s to parking infringement and fines.

The Singapore City Gallery

The URA maintains a regular and ever updated public urban planning exhibition on the first three floors of their headquarters. Highlights include three scale models of the island of Singapore, the central region

Central Region, Singapore

The Central Region of Singapore is one of the five regions in the city-state. Comprising 13,150 hectares of land area, it includes 11 Planning Areas within the Central Area which is the immediate vicinity of the Singapore's central business district, as well as another 11 more outside it.Although...

, and the central area. Special exhibits and models on current projects and developments island-wide are regularly displayed as well.

See also

• Development Guide Plan
  Development Guide Plan
  A Development Guide Plan is a detailed urban land use plan for each of the 55 areas in Singapore designated by the Urban Redevelopment Authority , Singapore's national planning and conservation authority.-History:...
  
  
• Urban planning in Singapore
  Urban planning in Singapore
  Urban planning in Singapore has formulated and guided its physical development from the day the modern city-state was founded in 1819 as a British colony to the developed, independent country it is today. Urban planning is especially important due to land constraints and its high density.The Urban...
  
  
• Urban planning areas in Singapore
  Urban planning areas in Singapore
  Singapore is currently divided into 55 urban planning areas by the Urban Redevelopment Authority, organised into five regions. A Development Guide Plan is then drawn up for each planning area, providing for detailed planning guidelines for every individual plot of land throughout the country.The...