Singapore – City in a Garden -...

Singapore – City in a Garden: A Vision for Environmental Sustainability

01/2013-5892

This case was written by Luk Van Wassenhove, Professor of Operations Management, Henry Ford Chaired Professor of Manufacturing, Ravi Fernando, Executive in Residence, Social Innovation Centre, and Hazel Hamelin, Senior Editor, all at INSEAD. It is intended to be used as a basis for class discussion rather than to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of an administrative situation.

We wish to acknowledge the supportive and coordinating role played by the Centre for Liveable Cities in Singapore.

Copyright © 2013 INSEAD

COPIES MAY NOT BE MADE WITHOUT PERMISSION. NO PART OF THIS PUBLICATION MAY BE COPIED, STORED, TRANSMITTED, REPRODUCED OR DISTRIBUTED

IN ANY FORM OR MEDIUM WHATSOEVER WITHOUT THE PERMISSION OF THE COPYRIGHT OWNER.

Copyright © 2013 INSEAD 1 01/2013-5892

In 2010, Singapore recorded GDP growth of 14.5%. In 2011, it ranked number one in the IFC’s Doing Business report, number five in Transparency International’s index of least corrupt nations, and number three in INSEAD’s Global Innovation Index.

Most remarkable of all, Singapore has defied the conventional wisdom that economic and population expansion harm the environment. Between 1986 and 2007, its ‘green’ cover increased from 35.7% to 46.5%, while its population soared from 2.7 million to 4.6 million. Today, in active pursuit of “Sustainable Singapore”, a strategy driven by an Inter-ministerial Committee on Sustainable Development, it shows an equal fervour for environmental protection and economic growth.

How and why has this small city-state been able to reconcile its extraordinary economic expansion with environmental enhancement? Are there lessons here to be learned for political and business leaders in the 21st century?

A World of Cities

According to UN projections, 70% of the world’s population will live in cities by the year 2050.1 A 2012 study by the European Union, “Global Trends 2030: Citizens in an Interconnected and Polycentric World” has this to say about the challenges of urbanization:

“Preserving humane living conditions in the world’s megacities will be the major challenge facing some states, since rapid urbanization will aggravate social exclusion and put intense pressure on public services. But affluent and dynamic cities worldwide will be the powerhouses of new areas of prosperity.

…the number of megacities with more than 10 million inhabitants is projected to increase from 16 in 2009 to 29 in 2025, and megacities will account for 10.3% of the total urban population. Three of the four cities that are likely to pass the threshold of 10 million inhabitants by 2025 are in developing countries. Three of the ten biggest cities in 2030 will be Indian; five of the 25 biggest cities will be Chinese.”

Clearly a tried and tested model for sustainability is needed to serve as a benchmark for these emerging megacities. Given Singapore’s track record in resolving some of these challenges, could it be a model for future development?

5.3 Million People in 714.2km2

How does a city state where the entire population is confined to 714.2km² of land (2012) cope with the challenge of being clean and green? When this question was put to Khoo Teng Chye, Executive Director of the Centre for Liveable Cities and former Chief Executive CE of PUB3, Singapore’s national water agency, this was his response:

1 United Nation’s Population Division/DESA, World urbanization prospects (2007) 2 http://www.singstat.gov.sg/stats/latestdata.html 3 PUB –Public Utilities Board


“That is a big question! ...It’s not what has happened in the last 10 to15 years; we have evolved over the last 40 to 50 years. From 1959, when Singapore became self-governing, and an independent nation in 1965, it was our challenge to try and make sure it worked as a city-state given that we had no resources to speak of – just a little island. So the issue was how do we give people a reasonable standard of living without really degrading the environment as we focus on driving economic growth for the nation’s sustainability?

There are many agencies which contributed to the success: the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, Urban Redevelopment Authority, Public Utilities Board, Ministries of Health and Education, Urban Transport Authority, Port, National Parks Board, etc.

What is it that made us what we are? One obvious answer is the very strong leadership of former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, as related in his memoirs, where planning for green spaces, water management, and a clean and orderly nation are captured.

At CLC we are trying to distil this into a framework for liveability. We believe the outcomes are obvious for everyone to see – physical outcomes, environmental outcomes and social outcomes – those are the three tangible results we have achieved. Today Singapore is clean and green, we enjoy a high quality of life, and strong economic growth – but these are the tip of the iceberg that people see superficially… We believe that the core elements that sustain the liveability outcomes are integrated planning and good governance, the two areas CLC is trying to focus on.

We could say ‘We had a vision and wonderful strategic plans.’ Every city can fish out their plans, but I don’t think that’s the answer – there’s more to it than the idea of planning and having a good strategy. I think it’s a lot about execution, system integration, and how the agencies work together on the policies, processes and mechanisms, and how the political leadership works with the government, professional bureaucracy, the structures that are put in place – economic as well as statutory.

We believe nevertheless that it’s not something unique to Singapore and can never be replicated. We evolved it based on our circumstances, but if you distil the lessons, we think there is enough in these principles to be of value to other developing cities. And that’s why the Centre for Liveable Cities came about. It’s not as if we just had a wonderful blueprint. When I talk to young planners w h o believe one must have a strategic plan where everything is planned and we just execute, I get worried. It’s not like that....it’s a very dynamic process.”

Leadership and Land Management

When Singapore gained its independence in 1959, there was nothing to suggest a bright future for the former British colony: it had no major natural resources, very limited supplies of water and energy, and no hinterland after the break-up of its federation with


Malaysia in 1965. According to Tan Gee Paw, Chairman of the PUB and former Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of the Environment:

“The need for taking control of the limited land available and instilling strategic planning and zoning was the only option. To undo mistakes made would clearly cost in terms of infrastructure.”

As Khoo Teng Chye pointed out:

“When it all started in the 1950s and 60s, we needed to take control of the land and relocate people living in poor housing in the city centre. This necessitated the land acquisition so that we could then embark on central planning. This was a major step which required strong government and political will.”

In contrast, these land constraints eliminated the risk of urban sprawl commonly associated with development and urbanization, as acknowledged by Ng Lang, CEO of the URA4:

“Being an island, space is always a constraint. When other cities talk of ‘not sprawling’, we are amused as we have never had the option. Interestingly, many cities are now talking about going high rise.”

Clean and Green – The Differentiator

Given Singapore’s lack of infrastructure and employment opportunities, there was an urgent need to lure foreign investors to provide a much needed injection of capital. But who would invest given its multiple constraints? Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew was convinced that Singapore had to differentiate itself in order to attract foreign investment. From the outset, he was keen to develop the economy but not at the expense of the environment, as Khoo Teng Chye explained:

“One thing he always maintained was that if Singapore was to attract FDI, those we attract must be confident that the nation pays attention to de ta i l and works . He was c l ear abou t the need to manage ‘ f i r s t impressions’. If the city is unclean and disorganized, the signal sent is a negative one – which would not attract FDI. The city must be clean and green.”

Given the overwhelming nature of the bread-and-butter challenges confronting the young nation, Lee’s commitment to environmental quality was visionary, according to Poon Hong Yuen, CEO of the National Parks Board (NParks):

“The development of Singapore from the start was tied to ‘greenery’ due to the vision of former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew. Fifty years ago we were uncertain of survival, but he insisted on allocating and conserving land for green areas when one could argue that Singapore at that early stage of development could ill afford to consider the luxury of green areas in a 714km² land area.”

4 URA- Urban Redevelopment Authority


Lee understood the importance of the triple bottom line (people, planet, profit) long before the term was coined. His far-sighted approach continues to underpin policy today, as Tan Gee Paw confirmed:

“We realize that for us to succeed economically we must also have a clean environment. We cannot depend upon our own resources – we depend upon foreign investments. And who’s going to come to Singapore for direct foreign investment if the environment is not up to the mark? The competition around us is so great – there’s Malaysia, there’s Indonesia, there’s Vietnam. So we’ve got to distinguish ourselves so that we can have that added factor to attract foreign investment, and that is environmental public health. It covers air, land, water, issues like food safety, cleanliness. Water must be safe to drink, air must be clean to breathe. We want Singapore to be totally different.”

Singapore’s main attribute is its location as a gateway to the East. The vision was to turn it into a logistics hub for world trade. Over time it would become one of the world’s most advanced container terminals, with facilities to rival Rotterdam, Shanghai and Dubai. Singapore’s airport and national airline also acquired world-leader status in passenger handling and profitability. This capacity not only attracted investors but also companies which saw the benefits of relocating to Singapore for its business-friendly environment in terms of infrastructure, human resources and tax regime. As it evolved into a healthcare hub and developed bio- and nano-technology capabilities, it was able to attract world-class talent from abroad, and then ‘grow its own’ via an unwavering commitment to education and training.

Planning and Execution

To guide Singapore’s long-term development, a Concept Plan was formulated in 1971 (updated in 1991 and 2001), spanning 40 to 50 years, which served as a blueprint for infrastructure planning, land allocation decisions and resolving competing demands from various public agencies. Its provisions were translated into a Master Plan, giving detailed guidelines at local level (for example, on land use, plot ratio, building heights) to ensure the quality and adequate provision of facilities over 10 to 15 years. This devotion to planning should not be underestimated, said Andrew Tan, CEO of the NEA5;

“We realized very early that we needed to use every part of Singapore carefully and plan its use judiciously. This was achieved by zoning – different zones for different uses. Careful study of every request for a building, a plant, and the right location, was undertaken to ensure that the activities are compatible and the impact on the environment is minimized. In terms of priority, it was infrastructure development (solid waste, water and sewerage).”

The first Master Plan guided key infrastructure projects such as Changi International Airport and the Mass Rapid Transport system (MRT). Above all, it imposed a rational utilization of space “with clearly defined zones for industry, housing and green areas. To be achieved

5 NEA – National Environmental Agency


some infrastructure had to be dismantled and people and farms re-located to ensure that the plan could be realized” said Ng Lang CEO, URA.

The rolling Master Plan is reviewed every five years by the URA in consultation with public and private-sector stakeholders to ensure it meets the following objectives:

Develop a compact city to conserve land use and optimize the provision of infrastructure.

Promote the use of public transport by providing an extensive rail network and intensifying land use around rail stations.

Decentralize commercial centres to reduce the need for city commutes.

Provide a high-quality living environment.

Retain the natural and built heritage by safeguarding nature reserves and selectively conserving buildings of outstanding architectural and historical interest.

Clean and Green Milestones

Lee insisted that being ‘clean and green’ could set Singapore apart from its competitors: “No other hallmark of success will be more distinctive than that of achieving our position as the ‘cleanest and greenest city in South Asia’. For only a people with high social and educational standards can maintain a clean and green city.” In 1963, he inaugurated a tree-planting campaign by planting the first tree, marking the start of efforts to green the city. He launched the first ‘Keep Singapore Clean’ campaign in 1968, which gave life to the vision and got people actively engaged. The Prime Minister led from the front, spearheading a one-week drive in 1969 to clean up Singapore with thousands of volunteers. In parallel, the government took s t rong measures to relocate hawkers in an effort to tackle public health problems in the city, particularly outbreaks of Dengue fever.

The Commonwealth Prime Ministers Conference hosted by Singapore in January 1971 offered an opportunity to showcase the new green and clean city-state, as described in Lee’s memoirs ‘From Third World to First’. The message was conveyed by taxi drivers and politicians alike: Singapore, the gateway to the East, was open to business and investment. The same year, a Clean Air Act was passed to tackle the problem of pollution in the atmosphere. A Ministry of the Environment was set up in 1972 to oversee issues related to the quality of air, water, and public health, including sewage, drainage, sanitation and waste disposal. Today it is known as the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources. By 1997, 100% of the population enjoyed modern sanitation.

From 1977, a vast river clean-up project led by Lee Ek Tieng, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of the Environment, breathed life back into the Kallang river. The resettlement of people, legal provisions for land acquisition, as well as the relocation of polluting pig, chicken and prawn farms, were essential first steps, since they had neither sanitation nor piped waste disposal. The project took 10 years (until 1987) and led to the creation of the Marina reservoir.


In 1990 the first ‘Clean and Green Week’ was launched. Since then, the entire nation has come together for this annual event, to renew its commitment and mobilize future generations. In 2002, a NEA was created to protect air, land and water resources, ensure high standards of public health, and promote awareness and ownership of these issues among the people, private and public sectors. Waste management strategies include the state-of-the-art Semakau Landfill developed since 1999. Despite being created from ash from incinerated waste, it is haven of biodiversity.

Above all, Singapore’s tree-lined roads, parks and nature reserves are a large part of its urban landscape, and the biodiversity of its green spaces is astonishing: more than 3,900 species of plants, 295 of butterflies, 98 of reptiles, 52 of mammals, 25 of amphibians, and 12 out of the 23 species of sea grass found in the Indo-Pacific region.

Singapore – A City in a Garden

The quality and connectivity of Singapore’s green spaces will be enhanced with destination parks and a proposed round-island route. NParks seeks to bring biodiversity into the heart of the city so that daily encounters with nature become part of everyday life. Singapore has developed an Index on Cities’ Biodiversity in partnership with the international community, to monitor and measure its conservation efforts. The index – the first self-assessment tool for cities to measure biodiversity – was first proposed by Singapore in 2008 and formally endorsed in 2010. It is now used by 50 cities worldwide.

As Singapore continues to urbanize, it becomes increasingly important to keep the concrete jungle at bay. In 2011, NParks launched an extensive public engagement exercise to seek ideas and suggestions on how Singapore could achieve its vision of a ‘city in a garden’: instead of its residents having individual gardens, it aims for the entire city to be nestled in a garden with pervasive greenery, rich biodiversity, and a strong sense of community ownership. Part of this vision, the ‘Gardens by the Bay’, were officially opened in June 2012.

Water Management – A Global Hub of Excellence

Water scarcity maps indicate that water shortages will be a major global problem by 2015 and reach crisis levels by 2025. China and India, which today account for 2.5 billion of the world’s 7 billion people, are projected to face water shortages of crisis proportions, along with the Middle East and North Africa.6 Fresh water represents a mere 3% of the total (the remainder is sea water), and is becoming the most sought-after commodity on the planet. Conflict will almost certainly erupt over access to water in the future. Over 1.6 billion people lack access to water and 2.6 billion lack access to sanitation.7

Given the urgent need for water solutions, Singapore’s expertise in managing this resource in the past 40 years qualifies it as a ‘Global HydroHub’ (see Exhibit 1). As a newly independent nation, it was almost entirely reliant on neighbouring Malaysia for its water supply, having signed landmark agreements with the Malaysian government in 1961 and

6 UNEP global water scarcity projections, 2005 7 World Bank data 2007


1962 to guarantee the supply until 2011 and 2061 respectively. Tan Yong Soon, author of Clean, Green and Blue Singapore (2009),8 described how achieving water sustainability was an early strategic goal:

“One of the first things Lee Kuan Yew did was to give water top priority, setting up a unit in his office to coordinate this at the whole-of-government level. At a dialogue session with delegates of the inaugural International Water Week in June 2008, he recalled that this (water security) had dominated every other policy.”

Since 2002, Singapore has had a strategy of ‘four national taps’: the development of NEWater, desalinated water (2005), rain water catchment in over two thirds of the nation feeding into 17 reservoirs, and water imported from Malaysia.

NEWater requires substantially less energy for membrane technology and reverse osmosis – less than 1.0kw hours per (m)³ compared with 3.5kw hours per (m)³ for desalination. R&D has been bolstered by a S$470 million investment by the government aimed at growing the local Environment and Water Industry9. This has resulted in vibrant community-involving partnerships with academic institutions, research institutes, start-ups, and corporations such as General Electric and Siemens, which have driven technological innovation in this domain. For example, Siemens was awarded a grant from the EWI programme office to develop technological solutions to lower the energy requirement for desalination. Energy consumption has been halved through an innovative technology based on electro dialysis.

Looking Ahead – Sustainable Singapore 203010

The Inter-Ministerial Committee on Sustainable Development (IMCSD), set up in January 2008 to develop a national framework and key strategies for Singapore’s sustainable development, formulated the following vision: “To make Singapore a liveable and lively city – one that Singaporeans love to call home.” (See Exhibit 4)

In the section Strategies For Sustainable Growth, the Ministries of the Environment and Water Resources and of National Development articulate how Singapore will consolidate what has been achieved so far for the benefit of all citizens. ‘Liveable’ is indicative of their commitment to making it both clean and green. ‘Lively’ reflects the desire to create an oasis of entertainment and activities for citizens and visitors alike. It sets goals and targets in principal areas (see Exhibit 5):

Driving Resource Efficiency

Improve use of energy and water, and expand use of renewable resources, to be able to achieve growth with fewer resources and be more competitive in the long run.

35% improvement in energy efficiency from 2005 levels by 2030.

8 Clean, Green and Blue © 2009, Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, Singapore 9 EWI- Environment and Water Industry 10 A Lively and Liveable Singapore: Strategies for Sustainable Growth© 2009 Ministry of the Environment

and Water Resources and the Ministry of National Development Pg34-113


Optimize use of land.

Attain a recycling rate of 70% by 2030.

Ensure adequate supplies of water for future generations; reduce domestic water consumption to 140 litres per person per day by 2030.

Reduce the level of fine particles in the air (PM2.5) to 12μg/m3, cap sulphur dioxide (SO2) levels at 15μg/m3 by 2020, and maintain these up to 2030.

Establish a ‘Green Mark’ (GM) GFA incentive scheme to encourage new buildings to attain GM Gold-plus and GM Platinum ratings through land sales conditions.

Target 80% of existing building stock (by GFA) to achieve at least Green Mark Certified rating. Earmark $100 million to incentivize existing buildings to undergo energy efficiency retrofitting.

Clean and Green Objectives

Provide 0.8ha of park per 1,000 people. Increase greenery in/on high-rise buildings to 50ha by 2030.

Open up 900ha of reservoirs and 100km of waterways for recreational activities by 2030.

Improve accessibility for pedestrians and cyclists. Reach a target of 70% of journeys made via public transport during morning peak hours by 2020.

Enhance Singapore’s quality of life as a sustainable, high-density green city with excellent connectivity and a sense of space.

Fostering Community Action11

Energize people to appreciate the benefits bequeathed by being clean and green. Encourage them to take ownership of protecting and enhancing the environment, and to regard it as the birthright of future generations.

To achieve these objectives will require major investment both in terms of money and mindset, as Andrew Tan, CEO of the NEA, pointed out:

“We will continue to encourage community ownership and participation from stakeholders such as companies in building a clean, green and resource-efficient Singapore. For instance, we engage companies to be more energy efficient and enhance their long-term business competitiveness through the industry-focused Energy Efficiency National Partnership (EENP) programme. This is where companies’ energy efficiency efforts are heightened through learning network activities, energy efficiency-related resources and incentives, and recognition of efforts and achievements in excellent energy management practices and in improving energy efficiency. Our goal is to make environmental responsibility

11 A Lively and Liveable Singapore: Strategies for Sustainable Growth© 2009 Ministry of the Environment

and Water Resources and the Ministry of National Development Pg34-113


part of our people and business culture, in the way we live, work, play and commute.”

It will also require a major collaborative effort between various actors, a s Rosa Daniel, Deputy Secretary, Policy, Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, emphasized:

“Sustainable solutions for cities is the focus around which we have successfully established inter-agency collaboration. We also have funding of US$1billion to address the sustainability challenges in Singapore. Funding for new programmes is given if the lead ministry proposing the initiative is supported by many other ministries – then there is a better chance of funding! A $6 million fund for climate change research was approved as it involved many agencies working together across disciplines.”

In o n e respect, the government has already won converts to its cause, as noted by Ng Lang: “The good thing is that the younger generations have a pretty green outlook. We now have lots of young people wanting to be a part of the green effort.”

Future Challenges

While strategic planning has stood the nation in good stead so far, the expanding population (given the limited space available) continues to pose a huge challenge. And there are new challenges on the horizon related to climate change, the ever-increasing demand for energy, and social sustainability.

Climate change: Rising sea levels, and the risk of tsunami, tornadoes, floods and drought will continue to occur no matter how much effort goes into proactive planning and advance alerts, as acknowledged by Rosa Daniel:

“We test our systems and processes with risk scenarios regularly. But with climate change impacts on the rise, we will need to work with many other agencies to manage the uncertainties holistically. The IMCCC (Inter Ministerial Committee on Climate Change) is the overarching structure to guide the work of climate change mitigation and adaptation across government agencies. The Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources and the Ministry of National Development, which are in the IMCCC, co-lead efforts on risk assessment and adaptation responses.”

Energy: The drive to have 80% of existing buildings certified green by 2030 is well underway. In 2005, a ‘Green Mark’ scheme was set up by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) to encourage energy efficiency, the use of re-cycled materials, retro-fitting of older buildings, and lifecycle analysis (‘cradle to cradle’) is encouraged. The first Green Building Masterplan was formulated in 2006 to encourage, enable and engage industry stakeholders in environmental sustainability, with a focus on greening new buildings. The second Green Building Masterplan put greater emphasis on greening existing buildings, as Dr John Keung, CEO of the BCA, explained:


“The greatest challenge lies in the upgrading of our existing buildings, which make up the bulk of Singapore’s building stock. Therefore, BCA is taking a multi-prong approach, to offer incentives such as co-funding retrofits, as well as putting in place regulatory measures to ensure an energy-efficient built environment today.”

Another focus, according to Rosa Daniel, is innovation designed to drive down costs as well as energy consumption:

“We have population constraints, economic growth is still a priority, and w i t h g r o w i n g p r e s s u r e o n l i m i t e d r e s o u r c e s , t r a d e -offs have to be made. We need innovative solutions to deal with increasing complexity. Our people need to combine technical expertise with nimbleness and agility.”

Singapore’s energy needs are met through natural gas from Malaysia and Indonesia. Concerned for its carbon footprint, it is developing less energy-intensive industries and improving energy efficiency, especially in the oil refining industry. Renewables are s t i l l very small – it has no wind or geothermal power and limited solar power – but it is making a major effort in R&D and hoping for a breakthrough that will allow much greater application. What makes Singapore remarkable is that it has found room for such an approach despite so many constraints, as emphasized by Ng Lang:

“We have evolved a unique water solution, using urbanized space for water collection. No other city does that at our scale… The transport solutions we came up with like curbing car population through certificate of entitlement is also unique to Singapore. We are high rise, high density, yet making space for green.”

Social sustainability: In pursuit of economic development, Singapore also has to make trade-offs in the way it is governed. For how long will single-party dominance be tolerated? How long before restrictions on the media and ‘subversives’ are regarded as limitations on democracy? In the past, top-down directives were accepted, but today the younger generation expects its voice to be heard and is more confident in its criticism, particularly via social media. Reconciling traditional forms of governance with the aspirations of an affluent, wired society will be a major challenge and the political climate will need to evolve.

The national investment body makes strategic investments beyond the boundaries of Singapore in core areas of expertise in order to retain its leadership with a unique offering differentiated to compete. By taking a strategic view of the challenges of both economic and environmental sustainability, its leaders take into account both the risks and the opportunities that the future holds, as the IMCSD has acknowledged:

“Some measures will incur disproportionate costs and impair our competitiveness. We have to adopt a pragmatic approach, find the most cost-effective solutions and pace the implementation appropriately so that we do not


hurt our economy. We should also invest in capability building and R&D to take advantage of new technologies that facilitate sustainable development.”12

Developing Sustainability Mindsets

‘Strategies for Sustainable Growth’ (Exhibit 5) recognizes that success can only come if it is able to energize business leaders, ordinary people and community leaders behind a common vision.13 Singapore has been exemplary in nurturing its human capital and its ability to attract talent. Whereas in most countries the ‘brightest and best’ tend to seek private-sector jobs and salaries, government service in Singapore has an enviable talent pool from which to select. It has the best paid and rewarded public sector in the world and zero tolerance for corruption.

If attracting top talent is step one, developing it through exposure and rotation is step two. Strategic job rotations mean that top talent is exposed to the triple bottom line via economic, social and environmental sustainability leadership positions. Tharman Shanmugaratnam, the current Deputy Prime Minister since the general elections in May 2011, holds a dual portfolio as Minister of Manpower and Minister of Finance. The current head of the URA, Ng Lang, was formerly the CEO of NParks. His successor at Nparks, Poon Hong Yuen, was formerly with the Ministry of Finance, and described the benefit of this exposure and experience:

“If I were running a profit-making or economic agency, would I still be thinking green? Had I not gone through the Nparks exposure probably not, or not as much. The other day some of the younger staff asked me, ‘Do you know much about plants?’

When I said no, they asked me if I was a convert and I said, ‘Definitely’. We protect the environment, enhancing biodiversity, protecting mangroves and animals, sea creatures – these are really exciting initiatives.

Had I come with a PhD in botany or environmental science I could never have brought the common man’s perspective. We have a programme entitled ‘Community in bloom’- 400 such groups with the twin objectives of gardening and conservation. I see as part of my job as CEO to evangelize people and organizations towards environmental stewardship and sustainability.

We have many top executives and professionals in the corporate world who have a side passion for nature. Their interests vary from butterflies, to trees, to spiders, with no formal training in the subject. But their passion has created corporate and national interest and is more impactful.”

12 Report of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Sustainable Development, 9th April 2009 13 A Lively and Liveable Singapore: Strategies for Sustainable Growth. © 2009 Ministry of the Environment

and Water Resources and Ministry of National Development.


A Commitment to Strategic National Sustainability14

For any nation or business to qualify as committed to strategic national sustainability it needs to provide demonstrable evidence of the following:

Commitment to Implementing Sustainable Strategies and to Differentiation

This rests on a profound belief that the triple-bottom-line approach is no longer an option but a necessity. While leaders often pay lipservice to sustainability, few nations have made the transition. Scandinavian countries, the UK and Singapore are some exceptions to the rule. Singapore’s vision of becoming a ‘city in a garden’ requires more than simply believing in the need for sustainability. It implies that strategy will be set accordingly and that R&D and innovation will be oriented to consolidate it. A number of enlightened business leaders have taken that path (including GE’s Jeff Immelt with Eco-magination, Toyota with its Prius model), but how many nations have taken that step? In migrating from ‘clean and green’ to a ‘city in a garden’, Sustainable Singapore 2030 signals a commitment to do so.

Striving for Focus and Global Leadership

The challenges faced by Singapore have i n s p i r e d a n u n p r e c e d e n t e d level of innovative solutions in the area of water management. For 40 years the nation has set benchmarks for water use and management as a future global hydro hub.15 Through its International Water Week and the Centre for Liveable Cities it has achieved expert status. A number of multi-national companies have made Singapore their R&D centre for testing innovative water solutions.

A Commitment to Innovation and High-technology Solutions

Embedding a culture of innovation and global best practice in its thrust for environmental sustainability sets the nation apart. Its strength lies in harnessing innovations from elsewhere once they have proven to deliver results and to be commercially viable. One example of this was the use of research on membrane technology for recycled water carried out in Orange County, USA – a classic illustration of identifying a relevant innovation, building capacity, testing the solution and then expanding it, which has worked for Singapore time and again.

As Khoo Teng Chye explained:

“We have always tried to learn from best practice. We knew that we had to go to large-scale water recycling (NEWater), but the costs were high and the technology was evolving. By the late 1990s, we knew that Orange County in the USA had put up a big plant with membrane technology, so we sent a team to have a look at what they were doing. The time was right and the technology was ready, and so we commenced a pilot project ourselves. We built a plant, tested it, and by

14 Strategic National Sustainability: A commitment to implementing sustainable national strategies which

differentiates the nation whilst impacting all stakeholders in its sphere of influence © 2010 Ravi Fernando 15 Refer to Appendix 1, Milestones in Water Management


2012 we were ready to scale up. We now have one of the larger water recycling (NEWater) plants in any city, where we recycle close to 30%.”

Again, the lesson here is that it was a question of survival. In an era which has seen increasingly sophisticated planning in the business world, Singapore offers an example of focused and passionate leadership with a pragmatic approach to doing what is necessary given multiple constraints. The challenges faced by Singapore over the last fifty years are little different from those faced by today’s megacities in Asia – Bangkok, Mumbai, Manila and Jakarta. Will they be able to rise to the challenge of strategic national sustainability that underpins Singapore’s success story?


Exhibit 1 Global Hydro Hub-Milestones in Water Management

Initiatives which have enabled Singapore to position the nation as the ‘Global Hydro-hub’

1966: ‘Industrial water’ first introduced as a source of non-potable water for industries through the Jurong Island water works.

1969: Expansion of the Upper Seletar reservoir and eight stream abstraction stations.

1972: Development of Singapore’s first ‘Water Master Plan’.

1974: First water reclamation plant (WRP) constructed. (Others were commissioned in Bedok, Kranji, Seletar and Jurong from 1979-81).

1975: First estuarine reservoir completed under Kranji/Pandan scheme. Upper Peirce reservoir and Chestnut Ave water works completed.

1977: Singapore River clean-up launched. (successfully completed in 1987)

1981: Western catchment scheme (Sarimbun, Murai, Tengeh, Poyan) commissioned and the Choa Chu Kang waterworks expanded. First Water Conservation Plan launched.

1983: Water Catchment Policy launched to control developments in unprotected catchment areas.

1991: Water conservation tax introduced.

1997: 100% of Singaporeans have modern sanitation.

1999: Lifting of 1983 Water Catchment Policy’s urbanization cap and population density limit. Commencement of Deep Tunnel Sewerage System (DTSS) Phase I.

2000: First NEWater demonstration plant commissioned in Bedok.

2003: Prime Minister Goh launches NEWater which is expected to meet 30% of water demand by 2011.

2005: First Desalination Plant commissioned.

2007: PUB wins the Stockholm Industry Water Award.

2008: Singapore launches ‘Singapore International Water Week’. Marina Barrage officially launched. DTSS Phase I completed.

2009: Marina Barrage awarded the top prize at the American Academy of Environmental Engineers Annual Awards.

2010: Marina Reservoir officially launched as Singapore’s 15th reservoir and first reservoir in the city.


Exhibit 2 Key Economic Indicators

Singapore General and Economic Indicators


Exhibit 3 Singapore’s Exports


Exhibit 4 Memorandum to the Prime Minister from the IMCSD, 8th April 2008

Report of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Sustainable Development

1. In January 2008, you set up the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Sustainable Development (IMCSD) to develop a national framework and key strategies for Singapore’s sustainable development.

2. Sustainable development for Singapore is about achieving development while minimizing its impact on resources and our environmental quality, such that development today does not come at the expense of the quality of the living environment for current and future generations. Looking ahead, we are aware that population and economic growth could strain our domestic resources and impact our environmental quality if we are not vigilant. We also need to be able to respond to growing global resource scarcity and do more as a responsible global citizen to combat the challenges posed by climate change.

3. The IMCSD therefore identifies the following four strategies to ensure Singapore’s continued sustainable development. First, to improve resource efficiency in energy, water and waste management so that we will be more cost competitive and efficient in the long run. Second, to enhance our physical environment through controlling pollution, increasing our greenery, as well as cleaning and beautifying our water bodies. Third, to engage the community and encourage them to play their part by adopting more responsible practices, habits and lifestyles. Fourth, to build up our technologies and capabilities in order to realize our sustainable development targets, spur economic growth and export our expertise.

4. The IMCSD has now completed its work and submits its findings and recommendations in this Blueprint. We are confident that the recommendations will help Singapore achieve a higher level of environmental sustainability over time. This will provide our current and future generations with a cleaner and greener environment to live in, and yield concrete benefits to businesses and households in terms of cost savings due to resource efficiency.

5. This Blueprint reflects our common aspiration for an economically vibrant yet liveable Singapore. It sets clear goals to measure our performance in sustainable development, and outlines a set of actionable strategies and plans to make our development more environmentally sustainable in the next decade. The collective and sustained efforts of the people, public and private sectors to change the way we live, work, play and commute will be key to achieving the goals. Hence this Blueprint marks the beginning of a closer 3P (people sector, private sector and public sector) partnership for sustainable development.

6. We wish to record our gratitude to all those who have contributed time and effort to make this Blueprint possible. This includes the many members of the public and leaders from non- governmental organizations, businesses, grassroots organizations, academia, media, as well as CDC mayors whom we have met. In total, we met more than 700 people in various focus group discussions and received over 1,300 suggestions from the public. We have also been ably supported by officials in ministries and statutory boards.

7. We also thank you for entrusting us with this task of ensuring that we and future generations have a lively and liveable Singapore to live, work and play in.

Mr Mah Bow Tan and Dr Yaacob Ibrahim (Co-Chairmen) Mr S. Iswaran

Mr Raymond Lim

Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam


Exhibit 5 Vision for a Sustainable Singapore 2030


Exhibit 6 Gardens by the Bay –images

Singapore – City in a Garden -...

Documents

Transcript of Singapore – City in a Garden -...