New living ideas: Keep in mind ecological, psychological and emotional impact

Straits Times Forum 3 Jul 13;

LAST week's Urban Sustainability Research and Development Congress presented underground caverns and floating islands as two examples of new living spaces ("Future living ideas: Going underground"; last Friday).

Researchers studying these new frontiers promote their limitless potential.

However, questions pertaining to their ecological, psychological and emotional impact were superficially, if not dismissively, addressed.

The researchers did not see living and working underground as a problem as we are already commuting underground on the MRT and remain in our offices with the blinds drawn down for hours.

Similarly, the ecological impact of floating islands may be seen as a necessary trade-off that we can afford to make as Singapore urgently needs more space.

There is an absence of ecologists, psychologists, sociologists, philosophers and even religious scholars studying the impact of these living ideas at the same level and with the same amount of funding and prominence as technologists.

There is a need for greater inter-disciplinary scrutiny of novel concepts of human habitation. I cannot help sensing that behind the current research and development initiative, the intensification of our urban space is an unquestionable given. Hence, it is technologically biased towards minimising the impact of urban intensification.

No initiative has been mooted to study the necessity and the means of minimising the very need for urban intensification.

I suspect our hope for a sustainable future lies somewhere in between, but the current initiatives are geared towards one direction.

Osman Sidek

Human dimension considered in urban planning
Straits Times Forum 9 Jul 13;

WE APPRECIATE Mr Osman Sidek's views ("New living ideas: Keep in mind psychological impact"; Forum Online, last Wednesday).

Indeed, in exploring innovative urban solutions, we are mindful that considerations must go beyond technology and incorporate the human dimension - both at the individual and social level.

This point was also raised by speakers and participants during forum discussions at the Urban Sustainability R&D Congress, and the general consensus was that technical innovations must ultimately be for the good of the people and for our environment.

The congress was conceived as a multi-disciplinary forum and was first organised in 2011 to provide a national platform for stakeholders from the private and public sectors, as well as the research community, to discuss and co-create research and development (R&D) solutions to address Singapore's urban sustainability challenges.

Urban sustainability has multiple interconnected elements that go beyond just technology.

Hence, the congress was planned to ensure a good mix of topics and participants. For instance, there was a dedicated track to discuss social behavioural issues, which was also one of the best-attended sessions. And besides urban planners and technical experts, we also invited sociologists and ecologists, among others, to participate and share their views at the congress. More information can be found at www.urbansustainability.sg

The Land and Liveability National Innovation Challenge R&D initiative will also provide funding for relevant social and behavioural research studies.

Derek Tan

Chairman, Urban Sustainability R&D Congress Working Committee

Ministry of National Development