ZINE: LOCALE! – PART 1 (Research and Presentation)

About

For this project, we are tasked to choose a location and do extensive research on it, followed up by a presentation/ infographic presenting our findings, including interviews, photos, videos, statistics, etc.

( PDF of my infographic is attached below! )
TOA PAYOH INFOGRAPHIC
Chosen Location

I decided to choose Toa Payoh as it was where i spent the majority of my childhood in (10 years), plus the nostalgic atmosphere that this location provided resonated with what i wanted to convey in my presentation.

Concept & Process

I decided to start with an overall research on the history of Toa Payoh (its origins and its achievements), followed by narrowing it down to the certain aspects that makes Toa Payoh an attractive location to live in, considering that most of its residents have stayed there for a long period of time.

         

          

Following this research, I proceeded to make an online survey that has questions regarding impressions of Toa Payoh, and what people think is the different aspects which would appeal them to stay in Toa Payoh.  I managed to gather a total of 31 participants, and the statistics helped greatly with my overall research.

( Online survey can be found here )

From this survey, I decided to focus on 2 aspects that makes Toa Payoh such a prime venue – transportation (accessibility) and community.

To further support these two aspects and gather more research, I decided to make my way down to Toa Payoh again to do physical interviews with members of the public. I didn’t manage to get much, but the feedback given is similar – many old folks and humble community.

I also focused on future developments that Toa Payoh is making to become a more vibrant location – mainly government improvements and housing projects by private firms. I managed to find more information about Gem Residences, a huge housing project that is located at Lorong 4 Toa Payoh, and the Remaking Our Heartland programme by the government.

Thus, my infographic started with the overall history of Toa Payoh, marking some significant time periods for Toa Payoh. Next, I focused on transportation and community, and input the results from my online survey, and feedback from the physical interviews. This led to my thesis statement, that Toa Payoh is a run-down neighbourhood. And finally, I countered my thesis with future housing developments, showing efforts of improvement, and that Toa Payoh hopes to bring in the younger generations to stay.

Style

I decided to have handmade slides, thus i drew and formatted the information and vector images (motifs of Toa Payoh). I chose a pastel colour scheme, with a cream background, to show a more nostalgic tone, thus emphasising on Toa Payoh’s “oldness”.