This paper investigates alternative scenarios to a doctrine of economic growth requiring the cyclical
replacement of large parts of the building stock. For the case of Singapore, methods for long-term management
of building stocks are discussed. These methods enable continuity of cultural resources and
cultural capital that is linked to the built environment, and are pegged to the age of the land's surface. In a
two-step approach that spans the district scale and the scale of the entire city-state the relationship between
the age of land surface and the character of its built environment is explored. Indicators for development
speeds are derived in three areas: the Central Area, Tanglin/Commonwealth and South Bedok, and
expounded on in their relation to the entire city-state. Land age based conservation is proposed as a novel
tool. At the level of the Concept Plan, land age based conservation can enhance the conventional building
based approach and through quotas impact the speed of the replacement of buildings. It is thus a top down
strategy for retaining cultural and economic capital embedded in buildings.