Ladies and Gentlemen

Good morning and thank you for inviting me to the Cities Summit 2001.

It is estimated that today, at the beginning of the 21^st century, over half of the world’s population is living in an urban environment – and that number will continue to rise over the next few decades. According to Klaus Töpfer (Acting Executive Director) of the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat),

"The urban revolution will escalate over the next three decades when urban populations will grow to twice the size of rural populations. The bulk of this new urban population will be African and Asian, joining the vast pool of urban citizens in Europe, North America and Latin America, where three quarters of the population is already urbanised."

In terms of sheer numbers, urban concentrations are greatest in Asia. Large-scale migration to cities reflects people’s perception that work opportunities are greater in cities. Many people move from rural areas to the city in search of better jobs, better economic prospects and a better life. In addition, there are ‘push’ factors like land degradation and natural disasters in rural areas.

Some may perceive the expansion of cities negatively as urban sprawl. But others argue that cities are essential to economic growth and social well-being, and such developments could eventually lead to environmental improvement. For many the problem is not urbanisation per se but the inability of some cities to provide the infrastructure to support a rapidly expanding population and plethora of economic activities. For some, it is also the seemingly ever-widening gap between the urban rich and the urban poor, an inequality with the potential to lead to social unrest.

With most of Singapore’s population living in urbanised districts and city centre, we are no strangers to the urban problems that you as planners, administrators and city dwellers face in other cities. Let me share some of the ways in which Singapore has tried to tackle these problems.

One problem of cities is that they can be cold, dangerous and generally unpleasant places to live in. With the focus on providing more roads and buildings to keep pace with the growing demands of the city, it is easy to forget about making the city a pleasant place to live in. The city planning and management process must ensure that cities work for, and not against, the people who live in them. Cities must be planned to meet people’s needs. One way to ensure that their needs are being met is to get inputs from the people who live and work in the city, as part of the planning process.

In Singapore, the Concept Plan, which is a long-term land use plan for Singapore’s physical development for the next 40-50 years, is reviewed every 10 years.

In the recently completed review of Singapore’s Concept Plan 2001, Singapore’s national planning authority - the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) – took the opportunity to carry out extensive consultation with the public. In the end, more than 5,000 Singaporeans from various walks of life were involved in the consultation process.

The result was a final Concept Plan that was shaped by the public, not just the city planners and policy makers. Through the process, people will feel a greater sense of belonging and ownership towards the city. City planners also gained a better understanding of the needs and concerns of the people about the city. This will stand them in good stead when formulating new plans.

This is an illustration of how - through a more people-based decision-making system - traditionally conflicting interest groups can learn to work together. Increasingly, dialogue and cooperation will shape the best practices for each city.

Another issue faced by many rapidly expanding cities today is the degeneration of older inner city areas in the wake of development. As businesses and populations move out to newer areas of the city, the inner city often becomes neglected and turns into unattractive ghettos and slums. To prevent this, new uses need to be injected into the inner city area to add more buzz and activities to the area.

One example of an urban rejuvenation plan to renew older areas of the city is the plan to redevelop Duxton Plain. Duxton Plain is a mature housing estate and one of the first public housing projects in Singapore. Built in the 1960s, it is home to many long-time residents but has seen an outflow of younger people to newer neighbourhoods over the years.

We released a plan last month to redevelop the estate into high-rise high-density public housing. This development is part of the plan to have affordable public housing in the city so that there continues to be, in the long term, a good mix of housing in many neighbourhoods in the Central Area.

The actual design of the development will be determined by an ongoing international competition. But when completed, the development will rejuvenate the area by attracting younger residents to move there, including those who grew up in the area. This strategy of estate renewal is vital for mature residential areas.

While cities are often thought of as being detrimental to the environment, in fact, much can be done by cities to contribute to a more sustainable development on a global scale. Examples include reducing the need for solid waste disposal sites by reducing unnecessary consumption, and developing reuse, repair and recycling strategies. Using water more efficiently can reduce the need to build more reservoirs or reduce the impact on natural aquifers. All of these can play a part in better urban environmental management and can reduce the amount of materials consumed by cities.

In recent years there has also been a growing awareness of the need to improve urban planning and design. Cities can harness technology to design intelligent buildings and more environmentally friendly buildings that consume less energy for air-conditioning and lighting. Increasing numbers of professionals now seek to work with nature and to improve community involvement in their designs. This can result in simple but significant improvements, such as providing shade and reducing solar heat gain or positioning natural vegetation to act as wind breaks.

Another major aspect of creating a better urban environment is the greening of the city. To create a "Garden City" ambience here in Singapore, the National Parks Board oversees tree-planting and landscaping of public areas. In addition, the government also encourages developers and homeowners to contribute to the greenery. At the recent 38th International Federation of Landscape Architects World Congress in Singapore, our Prime Minister announced that the Urban Redevelopment Authority would allow balconies to be built over and above the permitted maximum development intensity. We hope that with this change in guideline, more developers and architects will take up the initiative to use the extra balcony space to create "gardens in the sky". This will soften and beautify the cityscape.

Like all densely populated cities, Singapore has had to face up to the issue of traffic congestion. We have attempted an integrated approach, tackling the issue from both the transportation and land use angles. First, we are building an effective public transportation network, combining bus services, a mass rapid transit (MRT) system and a light rail system. The North-East line will soon be added to the growing rail network as part of an extensive rail network that has been planned for the whole island, to carry people quickly and efficiently, and ease the traffic on the roads.

At the same time, we have policies to manage traffic congestion on the roads, for example, through a quota system for private vehicles. Peak hour traffic is also managed through an electronic road pricing system, park and ride schemes and the promotion of staggered work hours.

Second, we also adopt an integrated approach to land use and transportation planning. We plan for high-density use of land such as high-rise residential areas and shopping centers next to MRT stations. By making the MRT a convenient mode of transport, we encourage more people to use public transport rather than cars, and make it easy for people to travel to and from these high-density places. This also increases the economic viability of the public transport systems.

This combination of policies has had a major impact in reducing the number of cars entering the city centre and in encouraging the use of public transportation. The benefits are reduced congestion, a healthier environment and fewer roads.

Cities consist of many groups of people with different interests, forming a complex web of relationships. Amidst the differences and conflicting interests, there is scope for synergy among the collective resources and expertise of governments, private sector players and local communities.

In Singapore, the government recognises the advantages of private-public partnership and its effectiveness as an alternative way of funding and developing infrastructure.

As part of the plan to make Orchard Road, our premier shopping street, more attractive, well-connected and vibrant, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and URA have proposed to build more infrastructure and public facilities along this prime shopping stretch. These include 2^nd-storey verandahs for outdoor refreshments, 2^nd-storey pedestrian links, decking over of a canal, and a new set of street furniture.

To turn these plans into reality, a series of dialogues have been carried out with private sector stakeholders in the spirit of joint partnership. The government is also providing special incentives to encourage the private sector to implement the plans.

Another example of this growing trend of private-public partnership can be found in the new guidelines for underground pedestrian links to Rapid Transit stations released in May this year.

In the new guidelines, building owners who construct underground pedestrian links to the train stations can rent out space for commercial uses in the links. And from the pedestrians’ point of view, they can look forward to more air-conditioned underground links lined with retail and eating outlets in the city.

These examples show how the private sector can play an active role in constructing and operating infrastructure projects normally provided by the government. This results in a win-win situation for all parties.

In addition to the partnership between the private and public sectors, there is a third player: other global cities. With rapid globalisation and a surge in information and communications technology, opportunities abound for cities to build strategic partnerships. Cities in a region can explore fresh, creative approaches to problems they have in common. And as cities increasingly learn from each other, new ideas on how best to improve the urban environment will flourish. I can tell you that Singapore, for one, is eager to learn from other cities.

I understand from the organizers that there are among you, mayors, city officials and representatives from 11 countries here today. This conference presents a good opportunity for you to form networks and exchange ideas with those from other cities. Each of you has your own unique experiences and expertise. Apart from learning from the distinguished speakers, I urge all of you to share your experiences and ideas with each other, to provide fresh insights on the common problems and issues that we face. I hope that, by the end of the conference, each of you will go back with new ideas and inspiration for tackling the challenges that our cities face.

I wish you a good stay in Singapore and a fruitful conference.

Thank you.

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