Lee Kuan Yew and the Physical Transformation of Singapore in Celebration of His 90Th Birthday
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CENTRE for LiveableCities SINGAPORE LEE KUAN YEW CENTRE CITIES FOR INNOVATIVE Lee Kuan Yew and the Physical Transformation of Singapore in celebration of his 90th birthday 18 September 2013 About the Organisers LEE KUAN YEW CENTRE CITIES FOR INNOVATIVE LEE KUAN YEW CENTRE FOR INNOVATIVE CITIES The Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities (LKY CIC) was officially established in September 2012. It is one of the first research centres in the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) to focus on the integrated use of technology and design to derive solutions for urban planning, design development and management. The Centre’s mission is to become a thought leader on the critical issues of cities and urbanisation, to provide breakthrough urban solutions, and to better understand the necessary accompanying governance and social frameworks. lkycic.sutd.edu.sg CENTRE for LiveableCities SINGAPORE CENTRE FOR LIVEABLE CITIES, SINGAPORE Set up in 2008 by the Ministry of National Development and the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, the Centre for Liveable Cities (CLC) has as its mission “to distil, create and share knowledge on liveable and sustainable cities”. CLC’s work spans three main areas – Research, Capability Development and Promotions. Through these activities, CLC hopes to provide urban leaders and practitioners with the knowledge and support needed to make our cities better. www.clc.gov.sg Cover photo credits: CC by flickr.com/photos/tolomea. CC by flickr.com/photos/yeowatzup. CC by flickr.com/photos/jirka_matousek. CC by flickr.com/photos/rain9394. CC by flickr.com/photos/januariouslll Lee Kuan Yew and the Physical Transformation of Singapore in celebration of his 90th birthday 18 September 2013 / Regent Hotel We wish to express our sincere appreciation to Pontiac Land Group for their support of this Conference Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities and Centre for Liveable Cities Contents 07 Welcome Messages 09 Conference Theme 11 Conference Programme 13 Administrative Guide 14 Guest-of-Honour 15 Speakers, Respondents, Panellists and Moderators Welcome Message Chairman Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities This is an important and significant Conference to celebrate the 90th birthday of Mr Lee Kuan Yew. It provides an opportunity for us to revisit our history and development process that created the Singapore we know today and focuses our attention on challenges to come. Crucially, it highlights Mr Lee’s vision and potential of Singapore and how he sets out systematically to implement that vision. It is an inspiring story that should be told and retold. Singapore grew from a swampland and lair of pirates in the 19th century to become a city in 1952. But, it was not until the late 1960s and 1970s that we really began to construct a modern day city. Further economic and urban development continued through the 1980s, raising the standard of living, developing infrastructure, implementing a large-scale public housing programme and evolving from a developing nation to becoming a global city. Today, Singapore’s airport, port and road systems are ranked among the best in the world. It has moved from unhygienic squatter settlements to a slum-free city where 90% of the resident population owns their homes. Such high home ownership is unheard of in many parts of the world, bringing disbelief and admiration from visitors. On behalf of Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities, I would like to thank our partner, Centre for Liveable Cities, for working with us to make this Conference possible. We thank Pontiac Land for their gracious and generous support to host this event at Regent Hotel. We hope the audience will enjoy the Conference and leave mulling over what we have achieved as a nation and Mr Lee’s pivotal role in shaping Singapore, the city and the country. Chan Heng Chee Ambassador-at-Large and Chairman Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities Lee Kuan Yew and the Physical Transformation of Singapore 6 Welcome Message Executive Director Centre for Liveable Cities Singapore In an interview last year with Centre for Liveable Cities Chairman Dr Liu Thai Ker, Mr Lee Kuan Yew outlined the key elements of Singapore’s liveability: safety, cleanliness, mobility, spaciousness, connectivity and equity. That interview reminded us that Singapore’s journey over the last half century was about more than building a shiny modern city – it was about transforming lives. Many emerging economies are now engaged in a headlong push to urbanise, industrialise and modernise. However, this growth often also generates tremendous challenges, from pollution and congestion to social tensions. In contrast, Singapore adopted a unique strategy of balancing our social, economic and environmental objectives right from the start. Instead of impeding our growth, this has become one of our enduring strengths. The Centre for Liveable Cities has attempted to formulate a Framework that describes this approach, which we argue rests on long-term integrated planning and development as well as dynamic urban governance. This can be seen across diverse sectors, from city planning and public housing to urban greenery and water management. The result is a city that enjoys a competitive economy, sustainable environment and a high quality of life. This Conference is an opportunity to celebrate Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s 90th birthday, to glean lessons from Singapore’s journey of urban transformation, and to then think about our challenges for the future. We at the Centre for Liveable Cities are pleased to co-organise this Conference with the Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities, and we thank them for their partnership. We also thank our sponsor, Pontiac Land for their generous support. Last but not least, we are indebted to our distinguished speakers and moderators, as well as you our audience, for participating in this important discussion – we hope you find it stimulating and enriching. Khoo Teng Chye Executive Director Centre for Liveable Cities Lee Kuan Yew and the Physical Transformation of Singapore 7 Conference Theme The Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative said he was most satisfied with the extensive Cities and the Centre for Liveable Cities have reconstruction of the city, which he called “a jointly organised this Conference on Lee chance of a lifetime”. Urban planning and Kuan Yew and the Physical Transformation redevelopment have made Singapore a more of Singapore to mark the 90th birthday of competitive, sustainable and liveable city. In Singapore’s first Prime Minister. the face of future challenges, what lessons can we draw from these experiences? Contemporary Singapore is built on the radical transformations wrought - and the Some 90% of resident households now solid foundations laid – by a generation of own their homes in Singapore, a level citizens who were led by Prime Minister that has been maintained since Mr Lee Lee from 1959 to 1990. The World Bank stepped down in 1990. As Prime Minister, data shows that Singapore’s per capita GDP he spearheaded one of the world’s most (current US$) grew from $395 in 1960 to successful homeownership and public $11,845 in 1990, and then to $46,241 in housing programmes. Speaking about the 2011, among the highest in the world. But importance of homeownership, Mr Lee has beyond this economic miracle, the city- noted “there must be a sense of equity, that state is also ranked amongst Asia’s most everybody owns part of the city.” What can liveable and green cities, highly regarded we learn from these past achievements as as a well-planned garden city, with one we retool our housing policies for the future? the world’s highest homeownership rates, and remarkable achievements in water Mr Lee is closely associated with greening sustainability. This Conference will focus Singapore, and his annual ceremonial tree on Mr Lee’s role - and explore our future planting dates back to 1963. In contrast challenges - in these areas. to other cities, green canopy cover in Singapore has grown despite industrial, Large scale land acquisition and urban urban and population growth, and the city renewal changed the face of Singapore, and enjoys a cooling green mantle provided by equipped the city with an integrated modern its tree-lined streets and beautiful public infrastructure of transport, economic and parks. This strong leadership and consistent social facilities. In a 2012 interview, Mr Lee focus on urban greenery - which is globally Lee Kuan Yew and the Physical Transformation of Singapore 8 fashionable now but was rare in the 1960s - leading public officials and intellectuals was because Mr Lee saw strategic economic – past and present – to reflect on the value in turning Singapore into a garden contributions of Mr Lee Kuan Yew and city, to help attract tourists and investors, in his pioneer generation, and to use that as addition to making the city more liveable for a point of reference to explore our future citizens. In the face of future growth, how challenges and directions. can we preserve and build on this legacy? Water was a strategic priority for Mr Lee from the moment of independence. Singapore depended on Malaysia for much of its water, and droughts and floods were a common occurrence. Mr Lee set up the Water Planning Unit in the Prime Minister’s Office in 1971 and has noted that “every other policy has to bend [at] the knees [for] our water survival” – underscoring the importance of leadership in Singapore’s water achievements. Over the years, drainage and sewerage infrastructure was steadily improved, reservoirs were expanded, rivers were dammed and urban water catchment was initiated. With reclaimed and desalinated water, Singapore is now on the road to water self-sufficiency, supports a thriving water industry, and is gearing up to face the challenges of climate change.