Nation-building and the forging of a national identity have preoccupied the governments of young nation-states such as the newly industrialising city-state of Singapore almost as much as economic growth and development. Such nationbuilding effort has been particularly important in Singapore's case because of its multi-racial society. While national identity has primarily been defined in abstract and intangible terms, this paper presents evidence to show that urban development and features of the built environment can be powerful contributing forces because of their importance in the perception of people among whom national identity is being forged.