Singapore to share urban planning experience at summit

Channel NewsAsia 23 Jun 08;

SINGAPORE: Singapore will share its experience in urban planning and housing with cities which are facing similar challenges.

Population growth and urbanisation are putting city planners here and abroad under pressure to find solutions for housing, transport, waste disposal and other needs.

And Singapore, with some successes in areas like resource management and housing policy, hopes to work with other foreign cities in mutual areas of cooperation.

Chan Heng Kee, CEO of Civil Service College, co-organiser of World Cities Summit, said: "I won't say Singapore has the answer or the model, but beyond providing just the platform where people can come together for conversations and learning, I do think that in some areas, Singapore has done fairly well - for example, water management.

"And I think our housing policy is something that is very well regarded around the world. Urban planning – (the ability) to plan long term and safeguard land for future growth and development – that's something we have done very well.

"These are areas that, I think, we can share some lessons and experiences with other cities and at the same time, we can also learn from other cities which do well in other areas."

Mayors from cities like Melbourne and Yokohama will present their perspectives on environmentally friendly land transportation and management of green spaces at the World Cities Summit.

With more than 700 high-level participants attending the summit, organisers hope that this can lead to innovative solutions to key challenges facing world cities today, especially East Asian cities which are experiencing rapid population growth and economic development.- CNA/so