Indonesian town has its own S’pore with Merlion, Fountain of Wealth, ERP gantry and more, Netizens poke fun ‘Do they also have PSLE?’
Citra Land Gama City, Medan | The Singapore of Medan
A video of a neighbourhood in Indonesia has made the rounds lately due to some unusual features, including a merlion and Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) gantries.
The residential area is called the “Singapore of Medan” and can be seen in this video from 2020. Singaporeans will definitely find some familiar sights. Whoever thought of the neighbourhood’s design must be a huge fan of the Little Red Dot.
The developer of the residence is CitraLand Gama City (which explains the CLGC on the gantry), and it will occupy 211.57 hectares of land, including a shopping district called—you guessed it, Orchard Road. In response, Singaporean netizens appear to be having a lot of fun with the “Singapore of Medan.”
Netizens amused by replicas of Merlion, ERP gantries and other Singapore landmarks in Indonesian town
Seeing double? An Indonesian developer built 'Singapore of Medan', a town filled with replicas of Singapore landmarks like the Merlion statue, Fountain of Wealth, and even an ERP gantry
What makes Singapore? According to a property developer in Indonesia, it is the Merlion, Suntec City’s Fountain of Wealth and Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) gantries.
So much so that the developer has put up full-sized replicas of these landmarks in a residential development in Medan, the capital of Indonesia’s North Sumatra province. Named appropriately “The Singapore of Medan” the housing estate even has residential clusters named after Fullerton, Clarke Quay, Raffles Place and Dempsey Hill.
According to the property developer's website, the 211-hectare township is officially named CitraLand Gama City Medan and has facilities such as a university, hospital, club house and waterpark. “Through the concept of 'The Singapore of Medan', the masterplan is designed to have great balance between clean, green, and modern living,” states the website. The developer’s efforts to make “The Singapore of Medan” as realistic as possible were not missed by amused netizens, as photos of the development resurfaced on Reddit on Thursday (June 23).
'S'pore of Medan': Indonesian town builds Merlion statue, Fountain of Wealth & ERP gantry
For many, the name "Singapore" will bring to mind the sunny island set in the sea nestled below Malaysia and above the equator.
However, for some in Medan, "Singapore" instead refers to a residential estate located 20 minutes' drive away from the capital of Indonesia's North Sumatra Province's city centre. This curious place is called the Singapore of Medan, and for good reason — it contains some familiar names and structures found on real Singapore.
It appears that the area has been built with features to mimic the island-state, including its own Merlion Park with a Merlion statue. The resemblance is uncanny.
Housing Estate In Indonesia Is Modelled After S’pore, With Its Own Merlion & ERP Gantry
Medan Housing Estate Modelled After Singapore Has A Merlion & ERP Gantry
There’s a saying that goes, “imitation is the best form of flattery”. And while that is usually paraded for artworks and the like, never has that saying been more apt than for this housing estate in Medan, Indonesia.
Dubbed the “Singapore of Medan”, CitraLand Gama City (CLGC) is a gated community littered with uncanny Singaporean hallmarks.
ERP gantries, an Orchard Road of their own, a miniature version of the Merlion, and even the metallic statues along Clarke Quay will make you feel like you’re seeing an alternate reality version of our country.
ASEAN Skyline 15 August 2020
Citraland Gama City, Medan The Singapore of Medan
The developers presented the luxury of Singapore to attract property buyers.
Almost all major property developers in Indonesia use foreign themes and terms to show that they are not lower class developers, though governments often warn them. They're afraid the sale will drop if they use local themes and terms.
Good morning guys from the city of Medan, North Sumatera Province.
The "Raffles City" of Chongqing, China
Don't be surprised if you see a familiar Singapore icon while wandering around the city of Chongqing, China. On Feb. 25, CapitaLand announced in a media release that it had completed the "topping out" of the eighth and final skyscraper of Raffles City Chongqing.
The result looks very much like our own Marina Bay Sands (MBS) due to its "accordion-shaped" curved pathway on high. It has also achieved the structural completion of the 250m-high skybridge, previously referred to as the Conservatory, but now rebranded as The Crystal. The Crystal sits on top of four skyscrapers and links to the two taller skyscrapers in front, therefore connecting six skyscrapers into a megastructure.
According to CapitaLand, The Crystal will feature the highest viewing gallery in Western China, with the skybridge itself the world's highest linking together the most number of towers. Visitors will get to enjoy other amenities like, gardens, an infinity pool and restaurants within The Crystal itself. And in another similarity to our own MBS, The Crystal will transform into a "giant light beam" at night, illuminating the night sky of Chongqing with a light show.
Singapore's Lau Pa Sat, Indonesia
A food centre similar to Singapore's famous Lau Pa Sat is set to open in Indonesia. The food centre will reportedly have over 50 stalls and its own Satay Street, when it is ready in 2025.
The food centre is part of a mixed development named "Rukan Lau Pa Sat" situated in the up-and-coming Pantai Indah Kapuk (PIK2) township. PIK2 has been dubbed "The New Jakarta City" and is located in the northern part of Indonesia's capital, Jakarta. It is a joint venture between property developer Agung Sedayu Group and Salim Group, Indonesia's biggest conglomerate.
Agung Sedayu Group will be recreating Lau Pa Sat's colonial-themed architecture and orange roofing for the food centre in PIK2. Stalls at the food centre will mostly serve Indonesian cuisine, as well as food from the region, The Straits Times (ST) reported. There will also be different types of sate from different parts of Indonesia because people love to "have satay and chill", Agung Sedayu Group chief executive Steven Kusumo told ST.
