“You can take everything I have
You can break everything I am
Like I’m made of glass, Like I’m made of paper
Go on and try to tear me down
I will be rising from the ground
Like a skyscraper”

– “Skyscraper,”
Demi Lovato

As a former student of Professor Winston von Engel’s Macaulay Honors’ Seminar 4 class (The Future of New York City), I thought it was appropriate to add a section as reference for his current and/or future students. Thus, I am directly aiming this section of my travel blog to their further understanding. However, if you are not one of these students, I still welcome you to appreciate the measures that Singapore takes to efficiently use its resources.

Last year, when he had assigned my class to look at sustainable cities around the world, I chose to focus on Singapore. Interestingly enough, Singapore has its own Sustainable Development Blueprint that is analogous to New York City’s  PlaNYC report,  so feel free to cross-reference both. Please note that most of the following information can easily be found in the Sustainable Development Blueprint and was taken from my group’s presentation last year.

Singapore, as it approaches its 50th birthday in 2015, is a fairly young country so you can imagine that there were drastic changes between 40 years ago and today. In the past, there was overcrowding, poor living conditions, and a severe lack of infrastructure, but now it is home to five million people, has enough water and energy to meet its needs, has integrated public transportation, clean air, lush greenery, and flowing waterways.

Singapore even invites other countries/cities to take part in green initiatives by creating a dialogue through creating Centre for Liveable Cities. I would personally recommend checking out the Books and Reports listed under the Publications tab–there you can find a free pdf for “10 Principles for Liveable High-Density Cities: Lessons from Singapore.”

The Ten Principles Are:

• Principle One: Plan for Long-Term Growth and Renewal

• Principle Two: Embrace Diversity, Foster Inclusiveness

• Principle Three: Draw Nature Closer to People

• Principle Four: Develop Affordable Mixed-Use Neighborhoods

• Principle Five: Make Public Spaces Work Harder

• Principle Six: Prioritize Green Transport and Building Options

• Principle Seven: Relieve Density with Variety and Add Green Boundaries

• Principle Eight: Activate Spaces for Greater Safety

• Principle Nine: Promote Innovative and Nonconventional Solutions

• Principle Ten: Forge 3P Partnerships

If you don’t have time to read the whole literature, definitely check out the ones that you think may benefit your assigned area in New York City. While Singapore may have different climate issues than New York City, it is actually similar in land mass of all five boroughs combined and also deals with a diverse population since it started out as an immigrant city. I will talk about my experiences with these principles in future posts.

While a successfully green and highly efficient city, Singapore still hopes to achieve the following by 2030:

• 35% improvement in energy efficiency from 2005 levels

• Attain recycling rate of 70%

• Reduce domestic water consumption per person to 140L per day to ensure water for future generations

• Aim to have 0.8ha green space for every person

• Aim to have 70% of all transport public transportation

• Aim to build waterways and reservoirs for recreational use

Many people here often ask why I chose to study abroad in Singapore, and a big part of it is that I was interested to see the sustainability measures in action. Although my major is biomedical engineering, Professor von Engel’s class made me realize I was drawn to the idea of reimagining a highly efficient New York City and introducing more green technology. I hope his class and my experience abroad inspire you as well.