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City planning in Singapore is proactively done so as to create opportunities for different groups to interact, in and around where they live, Minister for National Development Desmond Lee said on Jan. 24.

Lee noted, "Societies all around the world are becoming more polarised along race, religion, socioeconomic status or political ideology. This is exacerbated by the online space, which is much easier to interact only with those who agree with us and shun others who do not."

Lee then cited Carlo Ratti, a professor from MIT, who had highlighted that physical spaces can serve as an "antidote" to such an issue as people have to meet and adapt to those around them, no matter how different they are.

Policies encouraging interaction between people of different socio-economic statuses

Lee was speaking at the closing of the fourth and final day of the annual Singapore Perspectives conference, organised by the Institute of Policy Studies think-tank.

In explaining that the Singapore government did not leave social integration and mobility to chance, but actively supported these processes, he added that Singapore had either put in place or intended to implement the following policies:

• The Ethnic Integration Policy, which ensures a representative mix of races in the HDB heartlands,
• A new model for public housing in prime locations, so that these areas are accessible to more Singaporeans, not only the well-to-do,

  • Public rental housing for lower-income households in these prime locations will also be eventually introduced as well.

• The current integration of public rental flats with home ownership flats across Singapore – in some cases, within the same block.

Lee also added that these policies were paired with programmes and activities that encouraged community bonding such as:

• ComLink, which provides support in healthcare, education and other areas for lower-income households in public rental housing, and
• HDB’s Home ownership Support Team which will also guide such households in buying their own home, when they’re ready to do so.

Government has also been putting in effort to help people with disabilities

The government has also been putting in effort to better support people with disabilities, the minister said.

"Through regulations like BCA’s Accessibility Code, as well as various agencies’ efforts to design and install accessibility infrastructure, we’ve made many parts of our city largely barrier-free," he explained.

Lee acknowledged that there were still gaps which needed to be addressed however for those who were differently-abled.

He cited an initiative from the Third Enabling Masterplan, known as the Accessible City Network which brings together the public, the private and the people sectors to explore various ways of enhancing the accessibility of Singapore, guided by the lived realities of persons with disabilities.

This includes building owners, public agencies, corporate entities, NGOs, and disability groups, among others, to identify at the micro level or ground level problems which needs to be fixed, he said.

Demand for housing has increased

Lee also noted that the demand for housing had recently risen, because of the following reasons:

• Children of the baby boomers born in the 80s and 90s, who were now starting their own families and seeking their own homes, and
• Changes in social structures, with smaller households, including more single-person households, as well as children and their parents preferring to live apart, rather than in multi-generational homes.

There is also the simultaneous demand for more space and greenery for respite and mental well-being, as well as the need for more healthcare facilities, cultural and recreational amenities, economic areas for new industries, laboratories for research and innovation – among many others.

"But we only have about 730 square kilometres of land. So we need to be very disciplined and creative, to make room for all these different needs," he said.

The government must therefore plan long-term with a master plan to guide Singapore's development over the next 10 to 15 years, Lee added.

This plan is reviewed every five years, while the long-term plan is updated every decade for the next 50 years, according to Lee.

The minister then laid out the following strategies used to maximise land-use:

• Building higher, or by co-locating different facilities and stacking them on top of each other,
• Reclaiming land where feasible, and using underground space, guided by the Underground Masterplan, and
• Redeveloping and rejuvenating existing developments, to free up land for new and higher-intensity uses.

  • This includes the Greater Southern Waterfront, the Jurong Lake District, and the Paya Lebar Airbase when it is relocated.

In reiterating the exceptional pressure that Singapore faced regarding land-use as a city-state, Lee said:

"This is our burden to bear, but it is also our calling and our opportunity – and it pushes us to keep finding better ways to make the most of what we have."

Vision of Singapore's future as a city requires trust, stewardship and action

This brought up the minister's point that planning Singapore's future as a city requires the following three elements:

1. Trust

Here, Lee said that hard decisions had to be made for city planning and that compromises had to be made, including difficult ones.

Trust is therefore key in such situations, regarding whether one's views will be heard and whether those who disagree "love the city as much as we do," he said.

"And when decisions are made, do we trust that they are made in our best shared interests, considering all perspectives?" he posed.

As such, trust means believing that despite the presence of disagreements, everyone involved ultimately has the interests of Singapore at heart.

"Fostering this takes hard work. There'll be stumbles along the way and it only comes with building deep relationships over time," Lee added.

2. Stewardship

For this element, Lee reiterated the need to think long-term.

"Our land, our resources -  they are precious, and we must steward them with care. This means thinking long-term, because our city is not just for us, but for our children and their children to come."

The minister then highlighted that it was the long-term vision of "our forefathers" which resulted in Changi Airport, Marina Bay, and Singapore's MRT networks.

However, swathes of land were also set aside under their vision, which are currently being utilised for the aforementioned urban transformation plans.

"As these plans are realised, they will create new and interesting spaces for the next generation who will, in turn, pursue their own rejuvenation plans and shape the city to the vision that they aspire to," he said.

Hence, he urged all Singaporeans to take good care of Singapore as stewards, so that future generations have space for their dreams.

3. Action

On this point, Lee spoke about the need for collective action:

"Beyond discussion (such as the open conversation at this conference) and ideation, let us also take action, roll up our sleeves, work together. And this is what the Singapore Together Movement seeks to achieve. All of us have a part to play in the future for society and city-state."

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