A little debate between Mr Kennie Ting, Group Director of Museums, and myself in a magazine published by the Centre for Liveable Cities (CLC), over the effects of festivals on places and spaces.
Mr Ting, who oversees major festivals run by Singapore’s National Heritage Board, including the Singapore Night Festival, Singapore Heritage Festival and River Nights, argues that festivals bond people to places meaningfully. I contend that their effects are often transient and superficial.
Our pieces are published in ‘Public Spaces’, launched on 18 May in Suzhou, China at the World Cities Summit Mayors Forum 2017. It has also been digitally circulated to over 30,000 people in our mailing list. The full issue can be accessed here: www.clc.gov.sg/Publications/urban-solutions-issue-11-public-spaces.htm