Singapore planning agencies and NUS embark on sustainable development research studies
The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), in collaboration with the Housing and Development Board (HDB), Land Transport Authority (LTA) and National Parks Board (NParks), have inked agreements with the National University of Singapore (NUS) to embark on a series of seven research projects to study issues on sustainable urban development.
The research aims to develop new urban planning and design recommendations to help Singapore continue to achieve economic, social and environmental development in a balanced and sustainable manner. The Research Collaboration Agreements were signed today by senior officials from the four public agencies and the University at a ceremony held at The URA Centre.
This research initiative is one of the proposals in Singapore’s Blueprint for Sustainability. The research projects will be carried out with the support of a grant of about $7 million from the Ministry of National Development (MND) Research Fund.
Practical Solutions to Improve Quality of Life
The research projects will seek to discover innovative strategies and recommendations to support Singapore’s continued development as a sustainable city where
a. Planning and design of the urban environment take into account existing climatic conditions, to help reduce the urban heat island effects, improve air flows and generally provide a cooler, more comfortable indoor and outdoor environments;
b. Greenery is thoughtfully planned for and provided within the urban environment, which in turn generates a greater sense of well-being and enhances existing biodiversity;
c. Connectivity between buildings and transport nodes is planned for, thus creating a pedestrian-friendly city which in turn encourages a greater use of public transport;
d. Well-designed public spaces are integrated into the fabric of our city, thus providing enjoyable places for people to meet, mingle, and create stronger community ties;
e. New housing forms are developed to provide for greater comfort and improve the sustainability of residential environments;
f. The use of raw materials and energy are optimised through ‘closed loop’ systems in the city to help conserve and recycle scarce resources.
The city can be analysed as an eco-system with complex, multifaceted relationships between the various elements of the built environment, such as micro-climate, traffic and pedestrian flows. How the city is designed and developed affects these elements and their interactions, and has a profound effect on the urban environment. As such, these research studies will take a holistic and integrated approach to help yield deeper insights on how planning and design can contribute to more sustainable outcomes in Singapore.
As part of the research, existing international best practices on sustainable development will be identified and analysed, to provide benchmarks for sustainable performance, and help towards developing solutions which will be applicable in Singapore.
Building up Expertise in Urban Sustainability
Singapore’s world-class infrastructure, comfortable and affordable housing provisions, as well as our lush green city are all results of careful management of different land-use needs and the adoption of innovative solutions to optimise the use of our limited land and resources. Insights from these research studies will enable planning agencies to expand their existing expertise, and in turn help build up Singapore’s capability and reputation as a hub for education and research on sustainable development strategies.
Said Mrs Cheong Koon Hean, CEO, URA, “Research is one of our strategic priorities as it provides fresh insights and generates new ideas to help us create a quality living environment. It adds breadth and depth to our planning expertise, and paves the way for us to continually improve and transform ourselves as we actively shape our city in a sustainable manner. These research projects will yield invaluable ideas that can potentially impact the way we live, work and play in the future. We look forward to working with our research partners who share our vision of building a better home for all Singaporeans and improving our quality of life even more.”
Said Professor Barry Halliwell, Deputy President (Research and Technology), NUS, “NUS faculty members have been actively researching into many environmental issues for over a decade now. We are thus very pleased to partner the URA, NParks, LTA and HDB in developing best practices for urban planning and designing practical solutions for sustainable Asian cities. The research will be coordinated by the Centre for Sustainable Asian Cities at the NUS School of Design and Environment. The joint research effort should generate planning and design innovations that will improve the quality of life of Singaporeans, and city dwellers in Asia and beyond.”
Investing in Applied R&D
The MND Research Fund aims to raise the quality of the physical and living environment in Singapore by awarding research grants to organisations and individuals from both the private and public sectors to spearhead projects across diverse fields that seek to contribute to improving quality of life and enhancing the sustainability of our built environment.
BG(NS) Tay Lim Heng, Chairman of MNDRF Committee and Deputy Secretary (Devt), MND, added, “MND would continue to invest in applied R&D through the MNDRF to develop practical solutions that would improve the quality of life in Singapore. These solutions could also be applied to other cities that are also grappling with challenges relating to sustainable development and quality living environment.”
Please refer to Annex A for more information on the MND Research Fund.
About the Projects
The Principal Investigators for all the projects are researchers from NUS who will provide expertise from a variety of relevant disciplines. The research teams will also involve academics who have specialised knowledge in these areas from overseas tertiary institutions such as the Chinese University of Hong Kong (PRC), the University of Kassel (Germany), Yale University (USA) and the University of Cambridge (UK).
Study areas in Singapore representing a good mix of urban contexts will be examined in detail. These include new growth areas such as Marina Bay and the Jurong Lake District, as well as both mature and newer HDB estates such as Punggol. This will enable the research findings to be applied immediately to the local context and further developed for potential islandwide application.
Please refer to Annex B for the list of the projects and research objectives.
About Singapore’s Blueprint for Sustainable Development
Singapore’s Blueprint for Sustainable Development details new targets and initiatives to improve resource efficiency and make our urban environment even more liveable and attractive, even as Singapore continues to grow and develop. The blueprint also elaborates on plans to build new capabilities in sustainable development and foster community ownership and participation. The full report is available online at www.sustainablesingapore.gov.sg.
About the Urban Redevelopment Authority
The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) is Singapore’s national land use planning and conservation agency. URA’s mission is “to make Singapore a great city to live, work and play in”.
We strive to create a vibrant and sustainable city of distinction by planning and facilitating Singapore’s physical development in partnership with the community. URA is the main land sales agent for the state and the development agency for Marina Bay.
Our multifaceted engagement strategy includes the sale of state land to attract and channel private capital investment to develop sites for meeting our land use needs. To create an exciting cityscape, URA also actively promotes architecture and urban design excellence. For more information, please visit www.ura.gov.sg
About the National University of Singapore (NUS)
A leading global university centred in Asia, the National University of Singapore (NUS) is Singapore’s flagship university which offers a global approach to education and research, with a focus on Asian perspectives and expertise.
NUS has 14 faculties and schools across three campuses. Its transformative education includes a broad-based curriculum underscored by multi-disciplinary courses and cross-faculty enrichment. Over 30,000 students from 100 countries enrich the community with their diverse social and cultural perspectives.
Well-known for its research strengths in engineering, life sciences and biomedicine, social sciences and natural sciences, NUS shares a close affiliation with three Research Centres of Excellence, 21 university-level, 16 national-level and more than 80 faculty-based research institutes and centres. The University also strives to create a supportive and innovative environment to promote creative enterprise within its community. For more information, please visit www.nus.edu.sg
JOINTLY ISSUED BY URBAN REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY AND NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE
Topics: Economy, education, environment, environmental development, Governance, National University of Singapore, planning agencies, research studies, Singapore, social cohesion, sustainable development
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