Cheong Suk-Wai Straits Times 3 Jul 12;
HAVING never visited Singapore, New York City's parks and recreation chief Adrian Benepe expected to land on an island crowded with tall, grey buildings.
But a weekend jaunt on the Forest and Canopy Walks linking Henderson Waves with HortPark off Alexandra Road left him struck by how green Singapore is.
'We don't have anything that spectacularly beautiful and fun in New York, so it's spurring me to want to do the same,' he said. 'The only thing is we worry about people doing dumb things, like jumping off tall structures while high on drugs, which we unfortunately have to deal with.'
Mr Benepe was no less impressed by the newly opened Gardens by the Bay, which he found 'astounding'.
The 55-year-old, who started as a park ranger, took in these sights before he received the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize on behalf of New York City last night from Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean at an awards dinner held in conjunction with the ongoing World Cities Summit.
The award, for cities transformed into epitomes of sustainable living, was given to New York City for its nifty use of abandoned industrial and wharf land.
Among other things, Mr Benepe and his team transformed a disused elevated railway that was an eyesore into a popular sky park 30m above the ground.
Still,he envied Singapore's commitment to greening.
'There is even greenery on your bridges. Back home, they would be horrified because they'd say all that soil from roots overhead would dirty everything.'
He was also impressed by 'the sense of energy and entrepreneurialism' in the streets of Singapore which mirror that of his home. But, he added: 'Singapore's extraordinary changes in the last 40 years dwarf those of New York.'
Like his city, he and his team are not standing still.
They are creating Freshkills Park on what was once the world's biggest rubbish dump.
It will have an amphitheatre and community seed farm that will 'use goats as lawn mowers' to eat up the weeds.
He is also encouraging New Yorkers to plant vegetables and fruit on the roofs of their apartment blocks, to add to the city's 600 community gardens today.
But what can Singapore adopt from New York City? 'I think Singapore should be more friendly to pedestrians and cyclists.
'I found it hard to walk safely in the downtown area here,' he said, perhaps alluding to Manhattan's Times Square which has become a vibrant public plaza after it was closed to all vehicles.
Still, he said: 'It makes me very happy to see so many young families in Singapore out having a great time; that tells me this is a happy, healthy and safe city.'
Need to keep cities liveable, sustainable
Impending urban explosion requires long-term planning, experts note
Feng Zengkun Straits Times 3 Jul 12;
CITIES are the way of the future, so more thought needs to go into planning them and keeping them liveable and sustainable.
That was the key message from world leaders, who tossed up ideas yesterday at two environment meetings at the Marina Bay Sands convention centre.
The events were part of the Singapore International Water Week, World Cities Summit and the inaugural CleanEnviro Summit, which end by Thursday.
The number of megacities - urban areas with more than 10 million people - has grown from just four in 1980 to 21 today, said Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan.
By 2050, the United Nations estimates that 70 per cent of the world's population will live in cities.
Coping with the stresses on infrastructure that this impending urban explosion will bring will involve some long-term planning, said government, industry and international organisation representatives who spoke at the events.
Japan, for instance, is planning to build a high-speed train that would ferry citizens between Tokyo and Osaka in about an hour, said Tokyo governor Shintaro Ishihara. The cities are about 500km apart.
This would revive the waning Osaka and ease the pressure on Tokyo, he said.
But cities also need to be self-sufficient, said the panellists.
Dr Balakrishnan gave the example of Singapore, which does not subsidise essentials such as power and water to impress upon citizens the need to conserve resources.
Instead, the Government gives the poor cash.
'People will then ask themselves, do I want to leave the tap running and pay more, and do I really want to buy more food if it will go to waste?' he said.
With large populations within a dense, urban environment, sustainability is vital. That involves everything from managing traffic to recycling and being prudent about energy use.
Dr Roland Busch, chief executive of infrastructure and cities at industrial conglomerate Siemens, said there could be road pricing systems that automatically respond to traffic conditions by adjusting toll charges.
Studies have also shown that good practices such as switching off lights when they are not needed could reduce buildings' energy use by three times, said Mr Henri Proglio, chairman of global electric utility company Electricite de France.
Dr Balakrishnan said cities that provide a green and welcoming environment soothe their citizens and gain a competitive advantage.
'If you provide blue skies and clean streets, people will want to stay and invest in your economy,' he said.
The two meetings yesterday were part of a slate of high-profile events throughout the day, which included the Water Lecture by Dutch professor Mark van Loosdrecht, winner of this year's Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize.
Prof van Loosdrecht was lauded for his work in removing pollutants from used water.
He received his award at a ceremony at Marina Bay Sands last night.
About 15,000 delegates are expected to attend the three summits this week, which will also include business forums and a round-table of water experts.
The closing dinner will be held in the Flower Dome conservatory at the new Gardens by the Bay tomorrow.
