This night-time view of the city centre was probably taken from the Ministry of National Development building at Maxwell Road, which was completed and occupied by the Ministry in 1970. The two roads with traffic are likely Amoy Street (left) and Telok Ayer Street (centre). The 30-storey United Overseas Bank Building was the tallest landmark in the city centre when it was completed in 1974 (centre background). Another prominent structure was the eight-storey carpark, opened in 1964, on a triangular site bounded by Cecil, Market and Cross Streets (right centre).In 1965, the Housing and Development Board (HDB) announced a five-year urban renewal plan to rejuvenate the old city centre. Renewal of the city centre was urgently needed as the area was undergoing decay due to poor traffic flow, overcrowding, lack of amenities and inefficient land usage. The renewal plan involved the redevelopment of dilapidated two-storey shophouses, the construction of new multi-storey structures, and the paving of wider roads. In 1966, the Urban Renewal Department was formed within HDB to manage the various redevelopment projects. By the late 1960s, the rebuilding of the city centre was in full swing. A separate government body, the Urban Redevelopment Authority, was formed in 1974 to take over the planning and management of redevelopment projects in the city area.
