Five-foot way
Singapore
### Singapore

In 1819, when Raffles [founded modern Singapore](/wiki/Founding_years_of_modern_Singapore "Founding years of modern Singapore"), and it was in Singapore that the five\-foot way became firmly established as an architectural feature of the region, he included this and other details in his [Town Plan of 1822](/wiki/Jackson_Plan "Jackson Plan"). Raffles issued a set of instructions on how the new colony may be organised in his plan for Singapore in 1822\. He stipulated that the buildings in the newly established colony should be uniform, and should be built of brick and tiles to reduce fire risks. He added that:

This became the five\-foot way, and this feature of [shophouses](/wiki/Shophouses "Shophouses") in Singapore was observable by the 1840s from the drawings of Singapore [John Turnbull Thomson](/wiki/John_Turnbull_Thomson "John Turnbull Thomson"). The land leaseholder had to provide public walkways of certain width in front of their shops and houses. As they constructed the second floor above the public walkways, it formed roofed continuous walkways along the street. Although it was planned as a public walkway, the five\-foot way would also become a place for hawkers to trade, and it was used as retail, storage, and even living spaces. Attempts in Singapore to clear the walkways of hawkers who were obstructing the walkway in the 1880s led to the so\-called "Verandah Riots".

John Turnbull Thomson \- Singapore Town from Pearl's Hill Looking East.jpg\|View of Singapore c.1845, shophouses with arcades can be seen in this drawing by \[\[John Turnbull Thomson]].
Singapore 2014\-01\-25 (12848733274\).jpg\|A five\-foot way in Singapore
A five foot way in Singapore.jpg\|A five\-foot way in Singapore


How did Raffles reduce fire risks?