Blog 12: Sustainable Cities

NeWater desalinates and recycles water

(https://www.pub.gov.sg/watersupply/fournationaltaps/newater)

Renewable energy: solar farm

(https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/singapore-now-home-to-one-of-the-worlds-largest-floating-solar-farms)

Public transport: efficient, clean MRT 

(https://www.lta.gov.sg/content/ltagov/en/getting_around/public_transport/rail_network.html)

HDBs provide affordable housing

(https://dollarsandsense.sg/5-types-hdb-flats-not-longer-built-singapore/)

Semakau Island: landfill turned island

(https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/shell-and-jtc-plan-solar-farm-the-size-of-112-football-fields-on-semakau-island)

Blog 11: Smart Cities

As Ms. Singh shared examples of tech-based SMART interventions both in Singapore and around the world, I realized that I experience many of these interventions in my day to day life. For example, I typically use e-payments like apple pay when shopping or at restaurants. Even for transportation, I use my e-wallet when paying for the MRT or taxis. Besides e-payments, another SMART intervention in my life are sensory systems related to electricity within my house. For instance, the light in our lift turns off when it is not in use; the fridge beeps when the doors are left open for too long; the gas in the kitchen turns off when there isn't something over the stove. All of these systems help save electricity and are therefore energy efficient and more sustainable. A third SMART intervention is locally grown food that my family often buys at supermarkets. By using farming techniques such as vertical planting and hydroponics, as well as cutting out the energy costs of transportation and the supply chain, locally grown food is more sustainable than importing food. Therefore, all of these SMART interventions are key for a resilient, sustainable city.  

A research question could be how is SMART intervention used in the healthcare industry in Singapore and particularly how was it beneficial during the pandemic? 

Blog 10: Designing New Cities

If I could plan my own town, I would emphasize the importance of small, local businesses like bookshops, cafes, and locally owned clothing stores by only allowing a certain number of chain stores. I think that doing so would create a stronger, more unique town culture that would also attract more tourists (I'm thinking of small towns in France, Spain, and Italy). Alongside small shops, I would ensure that there are wide boulevards and bike paths, so that people are less reliant on cars for transportation. I'd also plan for lots of gardens and incorporate nature whenever possible, ideally building a town near forests or a lake. For the buildings, I would want housing to be more unique and not all uniform, and would want meandering pathways to make the view more interesting. Having interesting monuments that have beautiful architecture would also help attract tourists, and make the city nicer to live in. 

As for Singapore, I think that it is over-planned to a certain extent as I think that there's definitely a stiller feel to it. You don't get the same feeling as when you walk through the night markets in Bangkok as you walk by graffiti and chipped paint, for example. Despite there being a strong cultural presence in Singapore with Chinatown, Haji Lane, and Little India, I think that the city feels less vibrant and alive than other cities because of how picture-perfect it is. That being said, I would still prefer living here as compared to many other cities that aren't as well-planned, so there are pros and cons to it.  

My research question is what is the urban plan for New Clark City, a city currently being developed that's set to be the first green and sustainable city in the Phillipines?

Blog 09 - Preservation

I was interested in the concept of adaptive reuse as I hadn't previously considered how many historical buildings in Singapore had been repurposed rather than demolished. The balance between adaptive reuse and facadism also intrigued me and I realized that finding a balance between preservation and demolition to make space for new buildings is a difficult task. I also found the critique that preservation stifles creativity interesting as while I agree with it to a certain extent, we also saw many examples of historical buildings being repurposed in extremely creative ways such as the amusement park in Germany. 

In Manila, an area that I might want to further study is Intramuros as it is a 'Walled City' where historical Spanish architecture has been preserved. I'm curious to understand the economic benefits (ex. tourism), how the locals feels about Intramuros, whether the land that it is on is valuable, why that specific part of Manila was chosen for preservation, etc. I also know that there are many squatter settlements there living amongst the beautiful architecture.  Therefore, a research question could be what are the advantages and issues with preserving Intramuros? 

Blog 08: Singapore Homeless

Although the homeless population in Singapore is not large, that does not mean that homelessness is entirely eradicated here. In a nationwide study conducted by NUS's Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in 2019, it was found that there are around 1000 homeless people living in Singapore. 

Photo taken on March 18, 2020 of homeless people found behind Kranji MRT Station.

According to the survey, majority of homeless people were older men; therefore, some suggest that citizens need better wage protection and more comprehensive old age pensions. The main reasons for homelessness were economic, family, housing-related and health issues - 6 in 10 homeless people actually did work, but had such low-paying jobs that they couldn't afford housing. To combat this, there are three transitional shelters which provide temporary safe places for people to live at while they find more permanent solutions with the assistance of social workers. 

New Hope Transitional Shelter

Moreover, in 2019 the MSF launched the Partners Engaging and Empowering Rough Sleepers Network which is a partnership involving the government, social service agencies, and community groups where organizations offer their premises as safe places for homeless people to sleep at. Besides this, there are other organizations such as Homeless Hearts of Singapore that help integrate homeless people into the fabric of society.

Some research questions that I have are as the wealth gap increases and Singapore's population continues to grow, how will the government continue to maintain a small homeless population in the country? Moreover, how does Singapore have such a small homeless population and how does their model compare to solutions other countries have for eradicating homelessness, and can the Singaporean model be replicated elsewhere? 

Blog 07 - Incentives and Negotiations

As in all countries, there are a few areas in Singapore that add value for the public, but do not directly make money. For example, the Botanic Gardens is a beautiful green space for the public that is also a tourist attraction and is free of charge. Likewise, the National Museum of Singapore provides engaging exhibitions for the locals and tourists and has free admission. Another instance is Haw Par Villa as it is a theme park showcasing traditional Chinese myths and is thus a cultural piece of Singapore that is free of charge. 

An area that required a lot of public/private negotiation in Singapore was the reallocation of one of the Singapore Island Country Club's two 18-hole golf courses to the government for public use once the club's lease expires in 2021. This is because the Keppel Club and Marina Bay Golf Course  - two public golf courses - will not have their leases extended as the government wants to repurpose the land for housing development. Members of SICC were unhappy with this agreement having become members because of the advantage of two courses, but to compensate for this, SICC's golf course was offered a new lease until 2030 with the condition that they work with the labour movement on how to reconfigure the courses, and extending their lease was obviously something that the club desired. 

Another example of an ongoing negotiation between the government and private enterprises is the debate on the extension of The Arcadia's 99-year lease. As one of the oldest complexes in Singapore, the condo is approaching the end of its lease. Therefore, The Arcadia's management committee appealed to the Singapore Land Authorities to top up the lease after gaining 100% consent from residents, but this was rejected by the SLA. However, residents are continuing to appeal for an extension.  

Some avenues for potential research topics would be researching how the government determines what is a fair compensation for seizing control of private enterprises and whether private enterprises generally find this compensation to be just. Other topics could include researching instances where after negotiating, the government has ended up with an urban development that was worse than before it intervened. I was also wondering whether the rigidity of the urban planning in Singapore was a deterrent to private enterprises to build in Singapore. 

Blog 6: Urban Planner

The two urban planners that I will be sharing my thoughts on are Daniel Burnham and Andres Duany. 

Burnham pioneered the City Beautiful movement, aiming to implement neoclassical architecture, grand boulevards, and broad highways within cities in an attempt to increase harmony, promote civic virtue, and make American cities more aesthetically pleasing (which can be seen in Washington DC, Kansas City, etc). I agree with many of Burnham's principles as I think that the majority of us enjoy living in pretty cities, and that living in one can elevate one's mental and physical health. That being said, I don't like all aspects of it as this movement has been critiqued for failing to socially reform cities since it mostly influenced areas of cities with middle and upper class residents.  

Meanwhile, Duany pioneered the New Urbanism movement which was characterized by sustainability, walkability, and high-rise, low density, diverse neighbourhoods (which can be seen in Seaside, Florida, Harbor Town, Tennessee, etc.). I support this movement because of its holistic, pragmatic approach and care for the future. While living in pretty cities is a bonus, I think that it's more important to consider pertinent issues such as climate change and social justice issues when reforming and planning a city. 

While the City Beautiful movement largely ended in the 1930s, new urbanism continues to be implemented in our world today. 'Garden cities' like Singapore that emphasize nature and renewability echo Duany's principles of environmental sustainability, and cities are beginning to become more pedestrian friendly by implementing more walking and biking paths, also mirroring Duany's ideas of walkability. Therefore, I think that overall Duany was more influential than Burnham.