Singapore’s former chief planner Liu Thai Ker has died at the age of 87, his firm MORROW Architects & Planners announced on Sunday (Jan 18).
Who is He?
Dr Liu, often described as the “Father of Urban Planning of Singapore”, spent 24 years in public service and played a major role in shaping the country’s housing and urban landscape. He previously served as the Chief Architect and Chief Executive Officer of the Housing and Development Board (HDB), where he oversaw the planning and development of 20 new towns and more than half a million public housing units.
During his tenure from 1969 to 1989, a total of 23 satellite towns were planned and designed. These towns were built to support a population of over 200,000 people. Approximately 500,000 homes and related facilities were completed during this period, laying the foundation for Singapore’s public housing system today.
After leaving HDB, Dr Liu moved to the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), where he served as chief executive officer and chief planner from 1989 to 1992. During this time, he oversaw a major update of Singapore’s Urban Concept Plan, which guided long-term land use and development planning.
Dr Liu also served as the founding chairman of the advisory board of the Centre for Liveable Cities, which was established in 2008. He was also a board member of Singapore Cooperation Enterprise, a wholly owned subsidiary of Enterprise Singapore under the Ministry of Trade and Industry, tasked with developing government-to-government projects.
In December 2017, Dr Liu started his own firm, MORROW Architects and Planners.
His son, Mr Daniel Liu, told The Straits Times that Dr Liu died from complications after a fall. Dr Liu’s influence extended beyond Singapore, with his work shaping urban development across the region, particularly in China. His expertise was recognised by Chinese President Xi Jinping, who invited him to design Changle International Airport when he was the party secretary of Fuzhou.
Dr Liu received numerous awards throughout his career. In 2018, he was awarded the Graham Mitchel Award – International Chapter by the Australian Institute of Architects. In 1993, he received the 2nd ASEAN Achievement Award for Outstanding Contributions to Architecture. He was also awarded The Singapore National Day Award – The Distinguished Service Order, The Singapore Design Council Golden Jubilee Award, the Singapore Institute of Planners Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Singapore Institute of Architects Gold Medal.
In a statement, MORROW Architects and Planners said Dr Liu’s “legacy is not only historical; it is a standard for what cities must continue to be”. The firm added that “his vision and leadership shaped Singapore’s urban landscape and influenced cities far beyond our shores”.
Dr Liu was also known for his views on long-term population planning. In 2013, he commented that the world “doesn’t end in 2030, and population growth doesn’t end at 6.9 million” when referring to the government’s White Paper on Population. He suggested that Singapore could plan to 2100 and consider a population of 10 million.
A year later, he said Singapore should plan for 10 million people to remain sustainable in the long term. In 2022, he maintained that a population of 10 million was “not really a ridiculous number” when responding to a question on overcrowding at a conference organised by the Institute of Policy Studies.
“We must be prepared for possibly faster economic growth to stand tall among them,” he said. “To do so, we must accept population growth. And partly because of that, a few years ago, I said, ‘Let’s plan for 10 million people’.”
