Modern architecture and modernity/ cities and citizenship - Essay Example

I would be discussing the city-state of Singapore in this paper for two primary reasons. One of the reasons, as mentioned above, is that I know it better than any other city and secondly, it has impressed me so much that no other city could I think of when it came to discussing excitement and comfort in regards to aura and architecture. Also, I believe that alongside the world’s popular centers such as New York, London, Mumbai, Tokyo and Hong Kong, Singapore is compatible enough to be discussed for the purpose.

Singapore is one of the world’s best known tourist destinations and also renowned hub of business, technology and culture. The world’s tourists and business owners head to Singapore each year, providing the city with a tourism industry worth billions of dollars. Certainly, there is something in this beautiful island that draws too many people each year, so much so that the tourism industry has become one of the most important parts and largest contributors of island’s economy. Whether it’s the museums, cultural happenings, nature, wildlife, forestry, cleanliness or business, development of the luxury industry, infrastructure, cuisine, entertainment and venues for recreation, Singapore is ranked amongst the best countries of the world.

As far as my trips to Singapore are concerned, they cover numerous hotels of the city of varying scale, wildlife trails, visits to entertainment and recreational venues, shopping, dinning and just about any other thing that comes to mind when we think of travel and tourism. However, the most enthralling part of the city, according to me, is the Orchard Road. This is one of the most popular thoroughfares of Singapore and also one of the most touristic ones. Each time I visited Singapore, I saw some change in the road and that is what mainly took me to get attracted to it.

It is worth mentioning that the changes have awls been positive and done to make the road more mesmerizing than ever before. Jane Jacobs, in ‘The Death Life of Great American Cities’ says ”When an area of a city lacks sidewalk life, people of the place must enlarge their private lives if they are to have anything approaching equivalent contact with their neighbors”. Togetherness and bonding is something quite evident at Orchard Road in spite of mass modernization. The road has been named after the orchards that it once led to but today it is one of the most fashionable boulevards in the city and home to numerous shopping malls, hotels as well as eat-out venues and entertainment spots.

The boulevard, known as Orchard Road, spans a little longer than 2.2km and in this area, it encompasses everything that one would like to experience in order to enjoy the true vibe and soul of Singapore and its residents. Although a bit upscale and not suitable for too much of shopping and staying if the budget is not too high but still, to every person who is to visit Singapore, I would recommend a visit to Orchard Road. Without visiting this part of the city, I feel it is useless to see Singapore.

Now that is where the real feel of the island is and that is exactly where one has to trek down in order to enjoy Singapore. Another thing that makes Orchard Road to be specially emphasized on is the difference in the look and feel of the road at different times. I have seen it during the day as well as during the night time and recommend everyone a visit, at both the times. At all times,