AFP On Wednesday 25 August 2010, 10:49
SGT
Flash floods along posh Orchard Road. Packed subway trains. Traffic
gridlock in the morning and evening rush hours. Intensifying
competition for public flats.
What happened to squeaky-clean, smooth-flowing Singapore?
Widely acclaimed as one of the world's most "liveable" cities,
Singapore is now experiencing urban growth woes as it moves to
expand its population to 6.5 million in 20 years, up 30 percent
from the current level of five million.
The target was first cited in 2007 as an optimal population size
for long-term economic competitiveness, but strains are already
beginning to show as more immigrants and guest workers jostle for
space with the locals.
Not to mention an invasion of tourists, with arrivals surpassing
the one million mark in a single month for the first time in July,
thanks to two new massive casino resorts that opened a few months
ago.
Singapore, one of the world's richest cities, has a land area of
just 710 square kilometres (274 square miles) but until recent
years, it had avoided the congested feeling of places like Hong
Kong and Tokyo.
"It's crowded, very crowded," commuter Anthony Chua, a
47-year-old accountant, said after getting off a train near the
banking district.
Despite increased train frequency during peak demand periods,
Chua felt trains were more cramped than before.
"There's a certain level of frustration but I suppose we learn
to accept it," he added.
The government was left red-faced in June and July after an
unprecedented three flash floods inundated houses, drowned cars and
damaged shops, with insurers estimating 23 million Singapore
dollars (17 million US) in claims.
The Public Utilities Board attributed the freak floods to
regional squalls and clogged drainage, but questions remained over
whether Singapore was equipped to handle the side effects of rapid
urbanization.
The city-state's founding father, Lee Kuan Yew, shocked many
when he said occasional floods were inevitable in constantly
rain-drenched Singapore because it could not afford to convert
roads into canals.
Insurance companies subsequently said premiums might be raised
in flood-prone areas including the shopping belt around Orchard
Road.
But the floods formed just part of Singaporeans' urban
gripes.
Traffic has slowed amid an explosion in car ownership even
though Singapore is one of the costliest places in the world to own
a vehicle due to high taxes and quotas.
As of July, there were 936,311 vehicles plying the roads of
Singapore, with cars accounting for 61.5 percent of the total,
compared to 755,000 vehicles just five years ago.
The Land Transport Authority said daily journeys on private
vehicles and public transport were expected to increase by 60
percent from the current 8.9 million to 14.3 million by 2020.
Demand for homes in Singapore's public housing blocks, where 80
percent of the population reside, is also straining supply.
National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan said there was an
"imbalance" in supply and demand in July, with many first-time
flat-buyers such as newlywed couples unable to find affordable
homes.
Resale prices of four- and five-room flats, the most popular
among Singaporeans, ranged from 331,500 to 682,500 Singapore
dollars (243,190 to 500,773 US) in the second quarter.
Foreigners who enjoy permanent residency and are eligible to
purchase public housing totalled 533,000 in 2009, a 37.8 percent
increase from 2005.
Singapore's total population numbered 4.99 million last year, a
17 percent increase from 2005, according to the latest government
data.
Urban expert Seetharam Kallidaikurichi said Singaporeans should
be prepared to pay more for public services if they expect the
government to meet their expectations.
"It's like you live in a five-star hotel. What happens? You just
check in, you get your bed ready, new linen given to you, you come
down, breakfast is served for you... (but) you pay for it," said
the professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.
The Urban Redevelopment Authority, the agency in charge of city
planning, said it was devising new methods of maximising
Singapore's land space.
They include utilising underground space, building new
commercial hubs away from the city centre and doubling the train
network.
"As Singapore is a small city-state with limited land resources,
the scarcity of land has been and will continue to be a challenge
we face," it said in reply to queries from AFP.
"The challenge of balancing growth with liveability is not an
easy one, but we are confident that this can be done for
Singapore." it said.
Kallidaikurichi said Singapore was still leagues ahead of many
other cities in terms of living conditions, and particularly
praised the emphasis on greening the dense landscape.
"Many other cities including the big cities in the US and
others, they have ended up as concrete jungles because they put so
much roads and buildings and so on that they forgot about real life
in terms of living," he said.
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