Best Practice In Urban Sustainability: The Singapore Green Plan Essay.

Select an example of best practice in urban sustainability.

You must explain why your chosen example is considered best practice and by whom.

To make your argument, you must perform a critical appraisal of the example based on your understanding of how the core issues of social, ecological, and economic sustainability intersect with one another, and if/how the example attempts to balance these issues.

What are the example’s main strengths/features?
Does it have weaknesses or areas that could be improved?
How was it funded?
Could the example be replicated?
How did planning processes support or hinder the example?

Singapore Green Plan: An Overview

Owing to an increase in urbanization, modernization and globalization, the landscape of cities has changed completely over the last few years. It would not be an understatement to claim that cities are nothing but urban jungles at present. However, there is a growing concern about the need for green spaces within the city – resulting in a number of green initiatives around the world. For instance, availability of more green spaces in the urban areas would not only lead to conservation of natural resources. It would also provide open public spaces where citizens can enjoy, relax and spend leisurely time (Ahern, 2013). A number of cities are slowly realizing the need for implementing conservation and restoration policies as part of urban sustainability. In other words, it is becoming increasingly important to come up with policies which would make the cities sustainable in the long run. One such program is the Singapore Green Plan, which was first released in the year 2002 (Chua, 2002).

(Figure: Singapore Blue and Green Plan)

The Singapore Green Plan 2012 was released in the year 2002 by the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources or MEWR. This is a continuation of the first Singapore Green Plan which was established in the year 1992. In Singapore, an extremely high rate of population and low rates of recycling of wastes was discovered in the year 2001 (National Library Board, 2018). It was found that the citizens living in the urban locations of Singapore were recycling only about 44 per cent of the total waste generated. As a result, an Innovation Sustainability Fund was established in the year 2001 in order to fund urban sustainability programs that would clean up the city. The Singapore Green Plan was funded by this initiative. The plan consisted of eight key measures, which would be directed at creating environmentally sustainable cities (Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, 2016). The plan was intended to create an environmentally conscious Singapore, by conserving the natural resources of the nation and using green technology to reduce negative impacts on the environment. The other major purpose of the plan was to promote the use of sustainable practices which would cater to the overall development of the country and instill an environmentally conscious and attitude of commitment and duty towards nature’s resources.

It is important to study the features of the Singapore Green Plan to understand why it is the best urban sustainability practice of recent times. As part of the plan, the air quality of the urban areas in Singapore are to monitored closely and new targets and aims are to be set for the same. The Telemetric Air Quality Monitoring system is used for this purpose. The robust monitoring system evaluates the level of particulate matter, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and other suspended particles at regular intervals. This also highlights the problems in air quality and how they may be avoided (National Library Board, 2018). The Singapore Green Plan also emphasizes on spreading environmental awareness through a number of policies which include – stringent standards of vehicular emissions, stringent policies on the kinds of fuel used, mandatory inspection of vehicles, eradication of smoky vehicles from the road and proper vehicle maintenance. Similarly, awareness programs were launched as part of the plan which encouraged the general public to opt for public transportation instead of resorting to their private vehicles (Hwang & Ng, 2013). Increasing water catchment areas and the sources of water supply in Singapore were also two important measures in the plan. The plan intends to implement sustainability in the urban locations by making use of non conventional sources of water. Water reclamation and desalination were used as integral techniques which would optimize utilization of water in Singapore by the year 2012 (Tortajada & Joshi, 2013). Additionally, the plan launched the National Recycling Programme in the year 2001 in order to collect recyclable materials like cans, plastics and paper directly from the households every 15 days (Lee et al., 2017).

eatures of the Singapore Green Plan

(Figure: Singapore Green Plan)

Newman (2014) argues that the most important factor about the Singapore Green Plan is the fact that it does not concentrate simply on the local environment. While the major aspects of the plan are definitely centered on the local resources and local urban areas, the Singapore Green Plan also lays emphasis on global sustainability in terms of the environment and conservation. Tortajada and Joshi (2013) claim that the Singapore Green Plan was an all encompassing plan that takes into account the various aspects of urban conservation in Singapore. For instance, in 2005, there were three primary groups – Waster and Clean Land, Nature and Public Health, Air and Climate Change. These three groups functioned together in order to ensure that the policy was implemented effectively across Singapore.

Henderson (2013) also argues that the most notable factor about the plan is the 3P Partnership policy it followed. This is also one of the major strengths of the Singapore Green Plan. The plan ensured community engaged and involved all the stakeholders in the decision making process of policy makers. The 3Ps refers to the people sector, the private sector and the public sector. Tan, Wang and Sia (2013) argue that it is extremely important for any such initiative to involve the people belonging to the local urban communities. At the end of the day, it is the citizens who would be responsible for activities like consumption of environmentally friendly goods, recycling and so on. Implementation of such a plan should be in accordance with the general public, so as to ensure that complete participation of the community and to encourage a degree of environmental consciousness in the society. On the other hand, Blum et al. (2013) argue that it is equally important to involve the private sector in ensuring environmental conservation. The plan recognizes that excessive and pervasive industrialization is largely responsible for the environmental degradation and climatic changes. Thus, the plan also encourages efforts by various organizations and industries to establish environment friendly manufacturing materials and processes. This would also reflect the responsible behavior on part of the companies towards urban sustainability.

Hwang, Shan and Supa’at (2017) claims that the resources mentioned above were instrumental in helping the plan attain the success it did. The plan was clearly divided into a number of segments, based on its vision and it had a few definite goals. Some of these are – to increase rate of waste recycled by 60 per cent by 2012, establishment of green linkages and more parks, setting up biodiversity reference centers, maintenance of Pollutant Standards Index within the range of 85 per cent, reduction of particulate matter in air to a negligible 15µg/Nm³ by 2014, increase of catchment areas by 67 %, reduction of per capita water consumption and encouragement of judicious use of water, increasing community ownership in an attempt to sustain public health and intensification of collaboration with the partners at both global and local levels in order to tactfully manage environmental challenges (Hwang, Lum & Chan, 2015). Biswas, Tortajada and Joshi (2013) argue that the support and funding that the plan received helped it in meeting its targets. For instance, the plan showed good progress from the very beginning. Close evaluation revealed that the level of particulate matter in air went down from 21µg/Nm in 2005 to 16µg/Nm in 2008. The increasing demand for water consumption was met through non conventional means, which reduced pollution and wastage. The rate of waste recycled also increased by almost 56 per cent by the year 2008. The urban sustainability policies of the Singapore Green Plan were effective in establishing green spaces within the urban areas (Li et al., 2014). The total land covered by green spaces by increased by almost 47 per cent in the year 2007. More importantly, as part of the Singapore Green Plan several seminars and awareness programs were conducted which helped in spreading awareness about the importance of urban sustainability and the need for green initiatives in Singapore.

The 3P Partnership Policy

(Figure: Waste management targets of Singapore Green Plan)

It was in the 1960s, when hints of environmental problems were first felt in Singapore. It was estimated that the level of pollution and environmental degradation in the urban areas would have be detrimental to the overall development of Singapore and would even create unhealthy living conditions for the urban citizens. As a result, the Singapore Green Initiatives were conceived. The Singaporeans have always been environmentally conscious and have put in efforts to reduce the impact on the environment. The activities which are implemented by the Singapore Green Plan include emission controls, industrial waste management, water recycling and so on. As a result, Singapore has rightfully earned the title for being one of the cleanest cities in the world. Sze and Sovacool (2013) called the Singapore Green Plan a blueprint for environmental conservation for the future. The main objective of the program is to attain sustainable economic development through strong environmental management which would meet the requirements of the present generations without having to compromise on the needs and requirements of the upcoming generations.

However, there are a few factors that must be kept in mind with regards to the effectiveness of the Singapore Green Plan. Bhullar (2013) argues that although the plan successfully managed to reduce the waste generated due to consumption of natural gas, there were some limitations. For instance, the use of natural gas to produce electricity is not entirely sustainable in the long run owing to extremely high maintenance costs and complex treatment processes. Thus, to state that Singapore could entirely depend on natural gas for its electricity would be illogical and impractical. Moreover, although the Singapore Green Plan insisted on the active participation of the private sector in its urban sustainability programs, some of the companies have been reluctant to go eco friendly. Many companies have shown interest in the adoption of environmentally friendly sustainable practices; yet, they have failed to convert it into action. Islam and Quek (2014) argue that this could be due to the cost involved in implementation of such policies. Most of the environmental policies and environment friendly products used are costly, which some companies may not be able to afford. More importantly, the underlying principle of any organization is always profit. Unless companies are compelled to do so, they would prefer to stick to their ways (Hwang, Zhu & Ming, 2016). In that case, it can be recommended that the Singapore Green Plan be revised, so as to take into consideration the above limitations. For instance, provisions could be provided for small scale companies so that they can incorporate environment friendly technologies and measures. Similarly, another area of improvement would be the availability of clean water. Most of the Singapore Green Plan is focused on making the place a clean and green place to live in. However, measures need to be enforced so as to ensure availability of clean and usable water for the citizens.

(Figure: Overview of Singapore Green Plan)

Goals and achievements of the Singapore Green Plan

Hwang, Leong and Huh (2013) claim that the Singapore Green Plan has been influential in terms of green initiatives across the globe. In 2009, the plans of the Singapore Green Plan were expanded up to the year 2030. It was called the blueprint for urban sustainability in Singapore. The Singapore Green Plan was so successful in the ten year period that it was deemed necessary for ensuring sustainable development in the upcoming twelve years as well. Higher targets have been set for the new plan. These include more energy and water usage and efficiency standards, improvement of public transportation facilities, knowledge sharing for wholesome urban development and new initiatives which would convert Singapore into a completely green area, comparable to a garden. The Singapore Green Plan is quite a benchmark, as far as urban sustainability plans are concerned (National Library Board, 2018). In fact, the Singapore Green Plan has also influenced a number of similar initiatives around the world. For instance, the Sydney Sustainability 2030 program was implemented recently in Australia, which strives to make Sydney a sustainable urban location by the year 2030. The plan consists of measures and policies which would help Sydney become globally connected and environmentally conscious by 2030.

(Figure: Sustainable Singapore Blueprint of 2015 Going Forward)

In conclusion, it can be said that the Singapore Green Plan was one of the first green movements which revolutionized the field of urban sustainability. The Singapore Green Plan takes into account the deteriorating condition of the environment in the urban areas and attempts to make the place sustainable in the long run by introducing energy efficient policies and instilling environmental consciousness. The policy was implemented in the year 2002, and was a ten year plan consisting of proper well defined goals and measures that were to be undertaken. As the discussion above shows, the Singapore Green Plan was successful in improving the overall conditions of the environment in Singapore.

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