Groundbreaking: 60 Years of National Development in Singapore
Find out more on the story of Singapore’s national development from pre-independence to the present day
Last updated on 1 March 2025
Groundbreaking: 60 Years of National Development in Singapore
To mark MND’s 60th anniversary in 2019, Groundbreaking: 60 Years of National Development in Singapore chronicles the story of Singapore’s national development from pre-independence to the present day.
Led by a foreword by Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong and a preface by MND Permanent Secretary Ow Foong Pheng, the book draws on newspapers, interviews and photos to explore 200 years of urban planning in Singapore as well as the Ministry’s most significant milestones and achievements in shaping Singapore as a city and transforming the lives of citizens through key initiatives and policies.
The book outlines how the Ministry and its agencies transformed Singapore in just six decades from squatters in slums to proud homeowners in modern housing estates; from modest shophouses to towering skyscrapers; from dirty, dusty streets to lush gardens and world-renowned skylines.
With a pragmatic, can-do spirit, strong camaraderie and a sense of common purpose, the Ministry brought together the custodians of Singapore’s built environment—planners, developers, architects, policymakers and civil servants—to overcome the many challenges that have confronted Singapore in its journey from Third World to First. The Ministry and its agencies are the kampung that built a global city.