Good infrastructure is a basis for the living

I had come to Singapore one week before my internship started to give myself enough time to adjust to the new environment and lifestyle. Living with a couple of good friends from high school, who are working here, is the best accommodation you could find as a newcomer in a foreign country. Singapore has rules and laws for everything and a distinctive way of life. In order to survive, you’d need to know where the markets, the library, recreation center or the shopping mall is. Albeit an Asian at heart, I still encounter culture shock once in a while. Having somebody explaining to you points of cultural differences helps you sympathize with the culture of the locals and adapt more easily. As an old saying goes, when in Rome…

Strolling leisurely across the Singapore River

Urban infrastructure

What distinguishes Singapore from its Southeast Asian neighbors is its outstanding urban planning. While one would argue that it has the advantage of small geography, which might make it easier to govern, the space constraint has actually been an obstacle to accommodate the large population of its size. The objective of its urban development has been to arrange housing blocks for maximum density without compromising the transport efficiency. With urban planning being a highly centralized government function, the two bodies responsible for drawing up and overseeing this “masterpiece” is the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and the Housing Development Board (HDB). With distinctive roles, these two agencies have mutually reinforcing power to assure prudent national land use.

View of downtown Singapore with abundant trees and a railway above the ground

Even though it is similar to Vietnam in having state control over public land use, judicious practices and sound policies of Singaporean government have contributed to its social cohesion and ensured smooth transfer of goods and other commercial activities. The effective use of the public transportation, namely the Mass Rapid Transit System (MRT), allows far-apart districts to be linked to one another without having to rely on road extensively. The MRT is constructed up above the ground, which reduces strains on traffic and economizes on space. The extraordinary aspect of their MRT system is that they can afford to supply air-condition on all the trains and inside each underground station. Yes, think about all the government subsidies or imports of electricity that they need yearly. Meanwhile, public amenities are also strategically placed in order to benefit the most number of people while minimizing wastage. Housing blocks are connected to one another by walkways with overheads and sunshields, which are supposed to keep you from the rain and the brutal sun. That’s right, they have a year of summer and sunshine. It’s always a good time to have a summer vacation in Singapore, no matter what month you go.

A typical residential block with parking lot and playground

Urban planners in Singapore always look for ways to improve on their master plan to satisfy its diverse population’s needs and seemingly competing uses: residential, commercial, industrial, transport, recreational and so on. Among many drawbacks is its lack of pavements for pedestrians, enhancing the heavy reliance of public transportation. Walking on the streets of Singapore with one step off the margin and you will be on the same lane as the cars. I have seen foreigners, myself included, struggling with finding a way to cross the street without having to walk an extra mile.

Driving on the left side, a British legacy

Among the Asian countries that I have visited, the level of sophistication in urban planning in Singapore most resembles that of South Korea and Japan. And these are all developed and newly industrializing countries (NICs), go figure eh? The ability to “manage the nature” is a feature of advanced nations. If it seems impossible in developing countries to flattens a little “hill” to make roads, it is likely in the case of the developed states to make a road on that hill and put in signs of safety instructions for different types of car. The point is, the architects of these incredible urban infrastructures make the living seem so feasible and sensible.

Eastern coastline, approaching Changi Airport

All of these stella projects would succeed on the condition that corruption is minimized. True story.

Huong Nguyen