Tiong Bahru

I arrived early for a dinner appointment at the gentrified neighborhood of Tiong Bahru. This was one of the first public housing estates in Singapore, and, up until around 15 years ago, it was a quiet neighborhood housing an aging mostly Chinese population. Around 2010, younger people began paying attention to the low rise art deco vibe, and the neighborhood suddenly became hip. Housing prices shot up as a result, and the demographic mix changed dramatically with young professionals and expats occupying more and more apartments. I spent a nice half hour admiring the buildings and murals, and speculating which units were occupied by the original owners and which ones had been taken over by the younger crowd.

While there, I also visited the exterior of the Atlas Obscura-listed air raid shelter which was built during World War II below a residential building. A friend who had been inside it said it was massive and apparently could house up to 3,000 people.
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