Discover our Journey

How It All Began

In 2019, eight stakeholders in Tanjong Pagar came together with a shared belief: the precinct should be about the community within it. Carlton City Hotel, Downtown Gallery, Guoco Tower, Icon Village, International Plaza, Oasia Hotel Downtown, Orchid Hotel, and Sofitel Singapore City Centre joined hands to form Discover Tanjong Pagar (DTP), launching during the Mid-Autumn Festival, a season that celebrates reunion and togetherness.

DTP was the first of nine precincts selected to pilot the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s (URA) Business Improvement District (BID) Programme, with one simple mission: to build a strong community, connect people and businesses, and create a place where people want to be.

Our Partnership with URA

As a pilot under URA’s BID Programme, DTP’s stakeholder contributions were matched dollar-for-dollar by URA for four years, giving the precinct the resources to turn placemaking ideas into reality. Over the years, DTP worked closely with government agencies including the Singapore Tourism Board, the National Heritage Board, the Singapore Government Partnerships Office, People’s Association, and the Health Promotion Board, bringing together heritage, wellness, and community programming under one roof.

That partnership was recognised in 2020, when DTP received the Municipal Services Award (MSA) in the Community Category for its placemaking contributions to Tanjong Pagar.

Our Impact

Numbers only tell part of the story, but they tell it well. Over six years, Tanjong Pagar Gives Back grew from reaching 800 beneficiaries in its first year to 1,833 in its sixth, through care packs, festive celebrations, and support extended to underprivileged families and seniors across the precinct. Alongside URA and Amara Hotel, DTP’s Christmas 2025 initiative alone reached 540 beneficiaries across nine community partners.

Through the Bean to Green initiative, which upcycles coffee grounds from local merchants into fertiliser, and partnerships with schools like Cantonment Primary, DTP’s 100 Tree Movement reached its goal of 100 trees planted across Duxton Plain Park and DTP Green over five years. And what started as a community of 190 Instagram followers in Year 1 grew to nearly 2,750 by Year 6, a small but real measure of a precinct that people chose to stay connected to.

DTP's Journey Through the Years

2019

DTP launches during the Mid-Autumn Festival, bringing Tanjong Pagar’s stakeholders together for the first time under URA’s pilot BID Programme.

2020

A National Anthem Moment united the precinct, alongside a wellness weekend with District Race and Spartan at OUE Downtown, a Day-Out @ Tanjong Pagar with Urban Sketchers, and DTP’s first Tree Planting Day.

2021

DTP marked Earth’s Day, ran a Discovery Day Out Trail, raised funds for grocery vouchers for Tanjong Pagar’s seniors, and began development on an eco-playground, including site analysis and community polling on the design.

2022

The eco-playground officially opened as Singapore’s first inclusive eco-playground, built from upcycled wood. The year also brought Mid-Autumn Festival x People’s Association, the Asagao Night Glory light installation, the 100 Tree Movement, Tanjong Pagar Coffee Week, and an NDP Workout at DTP Green.

2023

Mid-Autumn Festival returned, alongside Tanjong Pagar Gives Back for both Hari Raya and Christmas, the Bean to Green initiative, and continued tree planting under the 100 Tree Movement.

2024

DTP formed a satellite site partnership with i Light Singapore at DTP Green, launched the DTP Community Green Marketplace, and ran Tanjong Pagar Gives Back for both Christmas and Hari Raya, alongside DTP x HPB workplace health screenings, a Coffee Crawl, Bean to Green, and the 100 Tree Movement.

2025

Singapore’s SG60 celebrations took centre stage with a two-week SG60 Event Series at DTP Green, alongside Tanjong Pagar Gives Back initiatives running throughout the year, Website Deals supporting local outlets, and Bean to Green.

2026

DTP completes the 100 Tree Movement with its final planting at Duxton Plain Park, marking the close of a journey that began in 2019, and the closure of Discover Tanjong Pagar itself.

2019