Active Mobility in Singapore 19 Walking and Cycling in the Tropics

Creating Healthy Places Through Active Mobility 105 © 2014 Centre for Liveable Cities and Urban Land Institute. All rights reserved. Printed on Enviro Wove, an FSC Mix Credit Certified Paper ISBN 978-981-09-2479-9 (print) ISBN 978-981-09-2480-5 (e-book) All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Every effort has been made to trace all sources and copyright holders of news articles, figures, and information in this book before publication. If any have been inadvertently overlooked, CLC and ULI will ensure that full credit is given at the earliest opportunity. The e-book can be accessed at http://clc.gov.sg/documents/books/active_ mobility/index.html 4 Creating Healthy Places Through Active Mobility Creating Healthy Places Through Active Mobility 5 FOREWORD Cities are for people to live and enjoy. But A bolder plan is to support inter-town cycling. From the pressures on physical infrastructure of the Institute’s global networks to shape some cities are more liveable than others, This will be more challenging. Amsterdam such as transport, housing and public space projects and places in ways that improve the as a result of forward planning and sound took decades to wean off their attachment to through to intangible challenges such as health of people and communities. implementation. private cars and acquire a wonderful culture securing economic competitiveness and of walking and cycling. Singaporeans too ensuring the health and well-being of their Creating Healthy Places through Active In Singapore, we focused on liveability long will have to find its own balance among the residents, the challenges that cities face Mobility represents the latest collaboration before the word was coined. We have to, as competing demand for limited road space around the world are often similar in nature. between ULI and the CLC and builds on this is our only city. We have no hinterland to by motorists, cyclists and pedestrians. As our previous joint projects including the Ten retreat to, away from any city smog, crime or public transport infrastructure of trains and However, the solutions to these problems Principles for Liveable High-Density Cities slums. buses expands and improves, it will make it can be inter-linked. This is certainly the case report published last year. Our partnership easier for Singaporeans to achieve the optimal with transport provision and the health of with CLC continues to grow and develop and City residents are realising that a major aspect balance. our urban populations. By enabling the we are proud to work with an organization of liveability is how friendly the city is to people who live and work in our cities to use which shares our commitment to creating and pedestrians and cyclists. Is it safe to walk, to I hope this book will help further the walking, running or cycling as a viable form sustaining thriving, liveable communities. We cycle? Is it convenient? conversation among our people, as we re- of transport, we reduce the reliance on cars, look forward to continuing this partnership imagine our future and forge a consensus ease the pressure on public transit systems into the future. We are proud that our city is quite walkable, on the way forward, preferably on foot and and in turn encourage the people in our cities with good footpaths along almost every bicycles. to be more fit and active. road, pedestrian priority at traffic junctions, Patrick L. Phillips and sheltered walkways. We are mindful of Creating Healthy Places through Active Chief Executive Officer pedestrians’ needs and we invest in their safety. Khaw Boon Wan Mobility argues that making active Urban Land Institute Minister for National Development transportation a priority has multiple benefits, We have also supported our cyclists and Singapore including: effective and convenient mobility, invested in our Park Connector Network an enriched urban experience, economic to promote cycling as a leisure activity. Our and environmental dividends, and improved Park Connector Network is excellent and we cohesiveness and connectivity between have an ambitious plan to make it even more neighbourhoods. extensive. We are now beginning to focus on how to support cyclists who want to cycle to The report brings together best practices in work, to school, and to the neighbourhood active mobility from cities around the world shops. In other words, we want to make including Amsterdam, New York, Seoul, cycling a viable transport option for our daily Copenhagen and Taipei, but specifically activities. We want to make Singapore a safe addresses the challenges which Singapore and conducive city for cycling. faces as a tropical city. The result is a report whose findings will inform future active As a first big step, we are making our new mobility programs in Singapore, and will act residential precincts walkable and bikeable, as valuable guidance to other cities around as a planning requirement. We are reviewing the world. bicycle parking norms and will provide them. In parallel, we are studying how this planning The works forms part of ULI’s Building Healthy requirement can be extended to existing Places initiative, a multifaceted program precincts in a practical way. including research and publications, events, and advisory activities—to leverage the power 6 Creating Healthy Places Through Active Mobility Creating Healthy Places Through Active Mobility 7 CONTENTS Chapter 1: Building Healthy Cities through Active Mobility 11 Why should we be talking more about Active Mobility? Chapter 2: Travelling In, Not Through the City 15 Benefits of walking and cycling Chapter 3: Active Mobility in Singapore 19 Walking and cycling in the tropics Chapter 4: Let’s Talk about Active Mobility 27 Research and workshop process Chapter 5: Roadblocks to Active Mobility 37 Challenges in promoting Active Mobility Chapter 6: Transformative Change 47 Working towards a people-oriented city Chapter 7: Moving Forward 75 Design considerations for Active Mobility Chapter 8: Conclusion 93 A people-first approach for our cities 8 Creating Healthy Places Through Active Mobility Creating Healthy Places Through Active Mobility 9 ABOUT ABOUT CENTRE FOR LIVEABLE CITIES URBAN LAND INSTITUTE The Urban Land Institute is a 501(c) (3) About the ULI Foundation The Centre for Liveable Cities (CLC) was set develops print and digital Publications for nonprofit research and education organization up in 2008 based on a strategic blueprint global audiences, to share its research as well supported by its members. Founded in 1936, The ULI Foundation is the philanthropic developed by Singapore’s Inter-Ministerial as the knowledge of its partners, through the Institute now has nearly 30,000 members partner of the Urban Land Institute, providing Committee on Sustainable Development. such titles as the Singapore Urban Systems worldwide representing the entire spectrum an assured source of funding for ULI’s core The Centre’s mission is to distil, create and Studies booklet series, the biannual Urban of land use and real estate development research, education, and public service activities. share knowledge on liveable and sustainable Solutions magazine, as well as the monthly disciplines, working in private enterprise Through its various giving programs, the cities. CLC distils key learning points from CLC e-Newsletter. and public service. As the preeminent, Foundation helps strengthen ULI’s ability to Singapore’s experiences over the last half multidisciplinary real estate forum, ULI facilitates provide leadership in the responsible use of century, while creating knowledge to Training is a key arm of the Centre’s activities, the open exchange of ideas, information, land to enhance the total environment. address emerging challenges. It also shares as it aims to draw on its research to become and experience among local, national, and knowledge with, and learns from, other cities a leading academy for cities. CLC’s flagship international industry leaders and policy Under the Urban Innovation fund, the ULI and experts. training initiative is its Leaders in Urban makers dedicated to creating better places. Singapore District Council and CLC were Governance Programme for local public awarded an Urban Innovations Grant to CLC receives guidance from its Advisory servants, as well as the Temasek Foundation The mission of the Urban Land Institute is to undertake a joint research initiative focused Board, comprising senior figures from Leaders in Urban Governance Programme, provide leadership in the responsible use of on “Creating Healthy Places through Active academia, industry and the public sector. A which is aimed at international city leaders. land and in creating and sustaining thriving Mobility”. high-level panel of Distinguished Advisors communities worldwide. ULI is committed - comprising prominent former politicians Promotion refers to the Centre’s efforts to to bringing together leaders from across the About ULI Asia Pacific and senior civil servants - contributes to collaborate with partners to share knowledge, fields of real estate and land use policy to the intellectual development of the Centre. particularly through Events. CLC is a co- exchange best practices and serve community Across Asia Pacific and Japan, the Institute CLC works closely with its Stakeholder organiser of the World Cities Summit - the needs by: has nearly 1,500 members, with a particularly Agencies - representing Singapore’s urban global platform for government leaders strong presence in Japan, Greater China, planning, governance and development and industry experts to address liveable and • Fostering collaboration within and Southeast Asia, and Australia. The regional expertise - to integrate their knowledge. CLC sustainable city challenges, share innovative beyond ULI’s membership through office is headquartered in Hong Kong, with Experts are domain experts with technical urban projects and forge partnerships. CLC mentoring, dialogue, and satellite offices in Tokyo and Singapore.

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