Placemaking with purpose: How 8M Real Estate connects culture, community, and charity 

As Singapore celebrated 60 years of independence, 8M Real Estate marked the milestone with Arts in the Alley: Walks of Life, a two-day festival in August 2025 that blended heritage, creativity, and community giving. 

Beyond celebrating the nation’s achievements, the event showcased how businesses can play a role in protecting cultural identity while modernising for the future. For companies, investing in heritage and the arts signals a commitment to creating a lasting impact, building trust with communities, and contributing to a vibrant and inclusive city.

By activating heritage shophouses through art, storytelling, and performance, 8M Real Estate demonstrated how property developers can serve as stewards of culture, convenors of communities, and multipliers of social good.

Preserving heritage while modernising the cityscape

Founded in 2014, 8M Real Estate has become synonymous with reimagining Singapore’s historic shophouses. To date, it has restored more than 70 properties, collectively valued at over S$1.5 billion, and transformed them into thriving lifestyle hubs that seamlessly blend commerce with character.

This philosophy underpinned Arts in the Alley. The festival echoed Singapore’s urban renewal wave of the 1980s and 1990s, when districts like Chinatown and Little India were conserved to protect cultural landmarks while modernising the city.

For businesses, the lesson is clear: heritage and innovation don’t have to be mutually exclusive. By investing in conservation and cultural placemaking, companies can keep historic spaces alive, relevant, and purposeful, all while creating environments where communities flourish.

Celebrating culture, creativity, and social good at SG60

Set in Tanjong Pagar, Arts in the Alley infused the neighbourhood with vibrancy through interactive installations, music, theatre, and storytelling. 

The company raised over S$30,000 for SGSHARE, the official giving initiative for SG60. With SGSHARE’s one-for-one matching, it reached the S$60,000 contribution target for Community Chest. By aligning with SGSHARE, 8M Real Estate ensured that its cultural celebration would translate into tangible support for over 200 social service programmes across Singapore.

“Under the SG60 Gives matching grant, their giving will be matched dollar-for-dollar, amplifying their impact. We hope this partnership inspires more businesses to join our journey toward a caring and inclusive Singapore,” said Mr Jack Lim, Managing Director of Community Chest. 

For companies, this is a powerful example of how corporate events can serve dual purposes, such as enriching the cultural landscape while mobilising resources for social good. It reflects the broader truth in Singapore’s development, that growth and solidarity must go hand in hand.

“8M Real Estate, a recognised Company of Good, demonstrates how companies can meaningfully mobilise their networks for social good through initiatives like Arts in the Alley,” said Ms Lin Sufei, Director, Corporate Industry & Partnerships, at NVPC. 

“By celebrating creativity, heritage, and culture, it creates a shared experience that not only enlivens spaces but also brings people together,” she added. “It’s a compelling example of how companies can embed purpose in placemaking, and we at NVPC remain committed to partnering with organisations to foster positive and lasting societal impact in Singapore.”

Reimagining underutilised spaces as community platforms

One of 8M Real Estate’s contributions to SG60 was demonstrating how often-overlooked urban spaces, such as back alleys, courtyards, and rooftops, can become platforms for connection.

Arts in the Alley transformed these hidden corners into venues for immersive art, theatre workshops, and even a coffee rave. Across three heritage properties – namely, 21 Tanjong Pagar Road, Ann Siang House, and KēSa House – the festival brought together artists, performers, and social enterprises to create a living tapestry of Singapore’s diversity. 

“We see underutilised spaces as opportunities. Beyond just form and function, they serve as platforms for creativity, heritage, and meaningful connections,” said Ms Jovin Ong, Executive Director for Human Resources and Communications at 8M Real Estate. “Through initiatives like this, we hope to push boundaries and inspire people to reimagine how these spaces can bring communities together and create shared stories that transcend traditional uses.”

Creating destinations where people of all backgrounds feel a sense of belonging is what placemaking is about. Over the course of two days, families, young professionals, artists, and seniors found opportunities to engage with one another. For isolated individuals, for example, these spaces helped alleviate feelings of loneliness. For younger generations, they became playgrounds for creativity.

Public-private-people partnerships in action

The success of Arts in the Alley was rooted in collaboration. Supported by NVPC, the National Council of Social Service (NCSS), and the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), the festival embodied the spirit of public-private-people partnerships.

Crucially, 8M Real Estate acted as a multiplier. By rallying its network of partners and tenants, the company showed how businesses can extend their impact far beyond their own footprint.

Their tenants, for example, added flavour with heritage-inspired menus, from beef rendang tacos at Papi’s Tacos to bak kut teh paella at Olivia Restaurant & Lounge, underscoring the role of local businesses in cultural placemaking. They also encouraged other companies to get involved, whether by sponsoring tickets for their beneficiaries or by purchasing tickets so their employees and families could participate in the celebration. 

UOB, the financier of 21 Tanjong Pagar Road, even hosted a special visit for children from a charitable organisation, linking the arts to education and inspiration. “It holds special significance for us to see the space activated in such a meaningful way,” said Mr Albert Lim, Executive Director of Group Corporate Banking at UOB. “It is a powerful example of how partnerships can create lasting impact.”

This collaborative approach highlights how, by inviting partners, clients, and communities to join in your cause, you gain a practical yet meaningful way to embed purpose. This approach also helped make Arts in the Alley more accessible, widening its circle of participation and embedding the festival within the fabric of both business and community.

From heritage preservation to cultural celebration

With Arts in the Alley, 8M Real Estate demonstrated how property developers can be stewards of cultural identity and social good. By activating heritage spaces through art, creativity, and collaboration, this initiative honoured the past while shaping a more inclusive future. 

As Singapore marks its 60th year, the festival stands as a reminder that every alley, mural, and shared story adds to the nation’s narrative of unity, resilience, and progress. For companies, the lesson is clear: embed purpose in the spaces you shape, the communities you touch, and the partnerships you build. When business goals and cultural stewardship come together, the result won’t just be revitalised places, but a stronger and more connected Singapore.