How does Singapore decide what to build? Where? And when?

What
kind of thinking drives the development of our limited land space? The
Centre for Liveable Cities outlines 10 golden rules for urban planning
in this book; heres our take on our favourite five. Read on, and weigh
in on your favourite!

1 Consistent planning, smooth upgrading

Most countries are large enough to have separate spaces for city and
countryside, urban and suburban areas, but as a city-state, Singapore
has to fit everything a country needs into a city-sized space our Central
Business District, HDB heartlands, schools, hospitals, parks, and so on.
Our urban planners strive to meet Singapores infrastructural needs as a
city-state, all the while avoiding the overcrowded, built-up feel of
densely populated cities.

To do this, land in Singapore is carefully managed down to the very last

hectare, with each piece of land dedicated for a specific purpose. This
helps to ensure sufficient space for all needs at any point in time.

However, things get trickier when urban planners have to take into
account changes that occur over time, such as redevelopment projects.
In Singapore, most land already has an existing use. When a piece of
land has to be redeveloped, there has to be another space to serve as
its replacement. This often results in a musical chairs phenomenon
where land is continually reshuffled to enable development in some
areas, while ensuring that current needs and demand is met through the
rest. An example is the Selective En Bloc Redevelopment Scheme
(SERS) to rejuvenate older HDB estates, and the use of temporary
holding locations when existing school campuses undergo renovation.

Enabling development and redevelopment: Whats in the

urban planners toolbox?
Knowing and controlling land lease lengths

While land for

residential use tends to have a tenure (land ownership period) of 99
years, land tenure for industrial and commercial use is deliberately kept
short, at 30 years. This gives flexibility for the review of commercial land
use, and to redevelop and change the type of usage where necessary.
The Road Line Plan
 To ensure that
future development and redevelopment of infrastructure do not
encounter major delays or obstructions, LTA uses a road reserves/line
plan. It allows LTA to reserve strategic portions of land to construct new
infrastructure arises.

All of the coordination and planning are carefully laid out in two key
documents: the Concept Plan and the Master Plan. The Concept Plan
charts our development over a 40-50 year period, and from this, more
concrete plans are made in the Master Plans, which guide Singapores
infrastructure development over the next 10 to 15 years. Our planners
gather feedback from the public and other government agencies, to keep
the plans updated and in tune with Singapores needs and aspirations
for the future.

2 Designing for density

Being surrounded by closely-packed buildings can take a toll on ones
spirit. To avoid this, our urban planners use a checkerboard planning
approach that separates high-rise buildings with low rise buildings and
spaces. This gives a feeling of spaciousness and prevents city-dwellers
from being literally walled-in.

Another way to create respite is to intersperse the urban environment

with a variety of flora. Basically, where there is space, plant trees! This
translates into greenery that can be found on pavements and road
dividers, building facades and even rooftops. These green boundaries
also help demarcate areas within a district, and give each one a unique
look and feel.

3 Being in touch with nature

Singapore is touted as a Garden City, and for good reason. Beyond

interspersing our cityscape with greenery, there is a larger focus on
making sure that people are close to nature. Wherever you live in
Singapore, there is always a park, waterway no more than a stones
throw away.

Over twenty years from 1986 to 2007, green cover in Singapore

increased by almost a third.
Read more.

In the heartlands, we have green lungs such as Bishan Park and

MacRitchie Reservoir.

Also not to forget the ubiquitous landscaped pathways around your

neighbourhood all are part of a sprawling Park Connector Network
(PCN), green veins that link up our housing estates with parks and
nature sites across the island. The PCN now spans a total of 300 km.
Not too bad, for an island just 42 km across.

4 Keep your friends close, your neighbours closer

Hawker centres are natural meeting places in the neighbourhood for a good
chit-chat and makan.

Singapore has been home for a diverse group of people from its early
years, and has grown into a nation that celebrates a vibrant rojak of
cultures, united by a unique national identity. Since the 1964 Racial
Riots, Singapore has taken great pains to ensure that diversity doesnt
mean divisiveness.

In particular, our HDB system and policies are set up to encourage

mixing among the races.
8 in 10 Singapore residents are HDB dwellers, which means that most of
us can meet and interact with people of different races and cultures in
daily life, in neighbourhoods and common spaces. Stereotypes and
generalisations break down, when you know individuals from other
groups personally.

The end result is familiarity, trust and understanding that spans across
any differences in race or religion. Chinese neighbours being invited
over to Malay households for Hari Raya, and Indian neighbours visiting
Chinese households for Chinese New Year is not a rare sight in
Singapore, and this is definitely something we should treasure and not
take for granted.

5 Home is where the heart (and everything else) is!

The HDB heartlands provide affordable homes that generations of

Singaporeans can call their own, and are a quintessential part of the
Singaporean psyche. But did you know that our humble neighbourhoods
are also where great ideas for modern city living come to life?

Good neighbourhood planning and development helps to bring amenities

closer to people. Time and money can be saved from traveling if there is
already a good enough variety of basic services at the heart of our
neighbourhoods.
The void deck mamak stall (and friendly uncle who runs it) a heartland
classic.

If a loaf of bread and some snacks are all you need, why not just pop
downstairs to your void deck mamak stall instead of taking a bus into
town? And you do not have to travel all the way to a gym in Orchard
when you can simply head down to the nearby community centre or
sports complex. If you want something more specialised, like a nice
dinner and an evening at the cinema, you can simply make your way to
the nearest neighbourhood mall, often built at a major transport hub in
your estate. Each residential estate is truly designed to be self-sufficient.
Another transformation that has been taking place is the decentralisation
of commercial activities to outside of the city, closer to where
Singaporeans live. Planners were already thinking about this back in
the 1991 Concept Plan Review, when they realised that traffic
congestion in and out of the CBD during peak hours would become an
issue. Both Novena and Tampines have developed into vibrant office
clusters, and the up-and-coming Jurong Lake District will be a welcome
addition for many Westies, who can say goodbye to the daily morning
wait at the Jurong East MRT platform. With decentralisation, the live-
work-play lifestyle is becoming a reality.

Taking a step back, it is clear that Singapores approach to

urban planning isnt just about practical solutions to cope with
limited space and density it is also about improving our
everyday experiences and lifestyle, drawing people closer, and
making city living great!