Towards population 6m: Develop outlying isles, have taller blocks

Straits Times Forum 12 Oct 12;

TWO ideas to optimise land usage will help alleviate the population crunch ("Population 6m: Is there room?"; last Saturday).

In 2006, when the population was 4.4 million, the Singapore Tourism Board had plans to develop the southern islands, leveraging on the natural ecosytem and resources, into a destination similar to Dubai's The Palm islands, primarily for the wealthy. The following year, the plans were put on hold.

With a combined land area of 140ha, the six islands could, if feasible, be developed for public housing, complete with amenities such as schools, day-care centres, malls and supermarkets, and be connected to the mainland by LRT to the HarbourFront MRT station.

Since the Pinnacle@Duxton, Singapore's first 50-storey public housing was built, I had expected it to be the forerunner for more such massive, space-saving blocks to mushroom throughout the island. And with time, there would be even taller structures - 70-, 80-, 100-storey public housing and commercial blocks - one key way to optimise our scarce land resource.

We should fully optimise the "natural resource" of going skywards to help accommodate six million people or more.

Clinton Lim