“Asian Review 019” ― Singapore part 5
Steady realization of “Garden City”
As we reach the fifth issue of the “Asian Review Singapore Series”, I would like to explore the strengths of Singapore further.
At the time of independence in 1965, Singapore was facing various problems such as unemployment, poverty, overcrowded population, infrastructure shortage, and so on. The first thing that Prime Minister Lee Kwan Yu thought of to crawl out of desperation was “How we can establish an industry that can support the economic growth using this small country as its resource?” In addition, the thought of “How we can make the city beautiful and charming to attract people” was equally important.
The construction of affordable public houses had been set as the nation’s top priority, and the Housing and Development Board(HDB) was founded. The HDB had built nearly one million apartments until now. Even now, 80% of the 1.2 million households live in these HDB apartments (statistics of 2015).
In addition, PM Lee launched a vision to develop Singapore into a “Garden City”. Specifically, in the comprehensive plan of land use / urban development called “concept plan”, greenery is systematically planned and steadily realized. Currently, one-third of the land area of Singapore is green space, and is eight times larger than the time of independence. “Gardens by the Bay” behind the Marina Bay Sands is a 101-hectare national park. This botanical garden of innovative design is a symbol of the “Garden City”.
Moreover, we can find many hotels, offices and buildings with terraces full of green on the middle floor, such as the “Royal Park Hotel in the city. Actually, there is a system that if the construction incorporates greenery into the building, the government will assist the building cost up to 50%.
The concept of “Garden City” does not only enhance greenery, but also promotes cleanliness. Singapore is famous as a city where no garbage can be found on the streets, and since 1989, smoking in restaurants and public places has been prohibited. Since 1992, manufacturing, importing and selling chewing gum has been forbidden and strict penalties are imposed on offenders. People sometimes say a joke, “Singapore is a Fine City”.
