People-centric approach needed for effective urban planning, says expert

LAURA ELIZABETH PHILOMIN Today Online 9 Jul 15;

SINGAPORE — When the Singapore-Kuala Lumpur High Speed Rail terminal in Jurong is ready, it could bring about a much bigger transient commuter population in the area, and with it, implications on how to manage emergencies involving a crowd that includes travellers and workers who may be entering Singapore for the first time.

Such a scenario is one example of how urban planners must take a people-centric approach, and understand how the same built environment can impact different groups of people differently, or impact people differently over time. This is one way of ensuring that urban planning is effective, said Professor David Chan, director of the Behavioural Sciences Institute at Singapore Management University.

Elaborating on the Jurong example, Prof Chan said: “They are less familiar with the physical surroundings of the station than the regular commuter living in Singapore. So, the physical layout and urban forms in the surrounding area must be aligned with contingency plans for incident management during train disruptions.”

Emphasising that research and development should go beyond technical solutions and include social and behavioural sciences, Prof Chan, speaking at the Urban Sustainability R&D Congress today (July 9), said liveability is about people’s evaluations, experiences and encounters when they interact with their physical and social environments.

“That is why we need to better understand how people think, feel and act in different settings, and how these thoughts, emotions or behaviours may differ between groups or change over time. This means having social and behavioural scientists working alongside urban planners, architects, engineers and physical scientists to enhance people’s well-being and quality of life in urban settings,” he said.

There is also the need to anticipate how needs and wants may change over time and across demographic groups. “So, as we go around with our housing planning, (planting) of trees, don’t just take needs and wants reported in surveys as given. Think about how it can change, the different demographics, and how environmental change can actually influence people’s expectations,” he said.

For instance, the idea of living underground may meet some resistance as a result of Chinese superstitions, but a population can change in their beliefs with each successive generation, he said.

“You should ask the question, no matter how technical your study (or) project is: Can (I) actually make people have a more positive attitude about their life and living, as well as the experiences that they encounter?” he said.

While people can move between cities in a country, Prof Chan said Singapore is in a unique position where people who want a change of living environment would have to leave the country.

“Whether it is NParks, HDB or URA, what we can do better now is to create more emotional attachment and rootedness to the country for both citizens and non-citizens,” he said.

The two-day Urban Sustainability R&D Congress continues tomorrow.

Urbanisation specialist lists what it takes for S'pore to grow
Nikita Mathur The Business Times AsiaOne 10 Jul 15;

SINGAPORE - Singapore has done well to invest in its infrastructure and plan its land use, and may wish to look to other global cities for ideas on how to map its path for future growth, a senior fellow at Urban Land Institute (ULI) Europe said on Wednesday.

Mr Greg Clark said that, even as Singapore evolved into a model for urban development, urbanisation - the growth of populations in urban areas, away from rural ones - was taking place across the world.

Today, there are widespread concerns over how problems in growing cities can be tackled, he said, listing those Singapore will need to confront in order to continue growing.

Among those he listed were affordability (a by-product of success) and the polarisation of incomes.

Singapore will also have to address issues of crowding and rising expectations, along with the raising of investment rates and diversifying sources of capital.

Other areas that will need tending are the role of non-governmental partners, the calibre and reputations of the country's knowledge institutions, and the establishing of an innovation economy, as well as Singapore's role within urbanisation in Asia and the emerging Asian system of cities.

Mr Clark, an economist, social and political scientist who is a published author on city development and business investment issues, was speaking at an engagement session hosted by ULI, an independent, global, non-profit group that advocates responsible land use and the creation of thriving, sustainable communities worldwide.

On the issue of "densification" of cities, he noted that Singapore has taken forward the idea of a decentralisation by creating secondary centres outside the city centre "while retaining the DNA of the city".

He also noted that Singapore was very diversified, in that it is a centre for knowledge creation, science and R&D, but is also a corporate hub, a banking and financing centre and a visitor economy.

"For all cities, the thing is to match population size with the infrastructure platform that you have, so that people can live well and at the same time, to have the right population for the activities you want to perform internationally," he said.

ULI is supported by members representing the entire spectrum of real estate development and land use disciplines.