Suhani's SAS Blog

The NEW Water plant that is located under Marina Barrage here in Singapore contributes to the city's overall sustainability. Since Singapore, a small island, has a very limited supply of direct freshwater, the country was in need of an innovative solution to combat the issue. Thus, the NEW Water initiative was born, and, essentially, the process includes converting sea, rain, and sewage/used water into renewed water that is consumable for the public. This not only conserves water, but it also made the country self-sufficient regarding their water supply, further boosting Singapore's rank on sustainability. By employing advanced technology to recycle water, Singapore creates a system in which no water is wasted; the technology is able to effectively sanitize most kinds of water and reinsert it back into this 'loop,' thus creating a zero-waste system. Furthermore, the addition of this system reduces the carbon footprint that cargo would have, as importing water takes a to...

Though not apparent at face value, as of 2019 there were about 1000 people comprising the homeless population in Singapore. They are mostly located along the streets of Singapore, more specifically in the Bedok, Kallang, and CBD regions, but have also been seen in public places such as Changi Airport. The reason for this situation may be attributed to low-wage employment, resulting in the inability to afford HDBs (housing provided by the government). As of now, many agencies have taken action to combat this issue; for example, the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) intends on providing accommodation for these interval periods of time before a more permanent form of housing becomes available for this population. Furthermore, in Singapore, there are 11 welfare homes that provide for this population and assist them in a more long-term sense. There are also many networks that have opened up places that provide shelter to reside in safely, so hopefully, this number is on th...

  The Botanic Gardens in Singapore exemplifies an establishment that exists for public benefit. The display of nature it offers is free to the public and adds greenery to the surrounding areas. There's no direct profit that comes out of having such a robust garden, yet the gardens are still valuable in their public appeal, for tourists and locals alike. The National Museum/Galleries that Singapore boasts is similar to the gardens. It is free to enter, resulting in no profit, yet offers the country a valuable memorandum of their history and is beautiful to marvel at.       Regarding a development that may have required a lot of negotiation, I think Sentosa may have instigated a great commotion; its pure leisurely nature   obstructed the port   that was once where it stood (seen in the image). Considering that Sentosa was manmade and built entirely from scratch, I think it may have caused a lot of convincing to create since beaches don't generate revenue...

Many of the urban planners that were presented today intended to cater to certain groups; the ones I resonated the most with and found the most compelling and influential seemed to be those who catered towards pedestrians over cars. Jane Jacobs is a great example of someone who aligned with this thinking. I feel that plans that are made for the citizens themselves are more cohesive than those made for new technology, and Jacobs' accessibility to cyclists depicts this. To me, it also seemed like the most successful and impactful planners focused on integrating nature into their design, which went hand in hand with pedestrianization. Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk exemplifies this in her Seaside, Florida plan, where she used rows of trees beside sidewalks as a natural form of shade for pedestrians. Her plan for this city also created 'new urbanism' and reverted to traditional ideas that were becoming less and less prevalent with the rise of modernism and the uniformity we see today....

Kostof defines a city as a place where "a certain energized crowding of people takes place." To me, no other place exemplifies this like Singapore does. Orchard Road, for example, highlights Singapore's people-to-space ratio and how crowds convene together in one location in the heart of the city. Furthermore, while reading Kostof's piece, I couldn't help but think back to the last blog post on modernism; his point (H) on monumental and distinct framework is seen directly in Singapore through its landmark skyline and features, built as significant forms to the area. But I did find another one of his points (B) quite contrasting to Singapore. Kostof mentioned that cities come in clusters and that within a city there are other towns that contribute to the creation of an urban hierarchy. However, perhaps due to Singapore's small size, I failed to see that here; in a way, though, the smaller districts and areas within Singapore create makeshift towns with an order...

Singapore is a city renowned for its futuristic and advanced urban infrastructure. Stemming from its architecture leaning on historic British ideals in places like Raffles Place, Singapore's skyline has seen a large amount of change in recent years, with modernism directly contributing to this. The new skyline Singapore boasts is a direct contrast to the Gregorian, minimalistic style previously seen. Le Corbusier's Plan Voisin,  as seen above, shows orderly buildings alike to one another. Like Le Corbusier outlined in his modernistic urban planning approach, Singapore has orderly rows and conforming buildings like the government-built HDBs. These span across the realm of the island and are an example of the effects of modernism. Along with uniformity in its structure, modernism has also influenced Singapore to build notably unique structures, that are now known globally. Places like Marina Bay Sands exhibit this opposite end of the spectrum, exemplifying the more unique and ico...

Though the industrial revolution undoubtedly led to the positive urbanization of cities, it also caused negative and unappealing aspects of cities to arise. For one, the living conditions for the working class became poor. With packed, cramped housing founded in the rubble of old houses, workers' quarters lacked room and were often surrounded by bars specifically catered to the working class. Narrow alleyways and features as such also further reinforced the wealth divide that the revolution fostered. These buildings/housing departments were also seemingly designed as an afterthought, smushed into the first area of open space applicable. Instead of being designed around the working-class citizens, cities revolved around trade and commerce, sometimes leading to inaccessible and inconvenient working quarters. Furthermore, the population surge that came with the revolution invariably caused pollution of the surrounding areas of a city; canals and streams were unsanitary and contaminate...

‘You measure what you care about.’ What did you see in this chapter that you care about? Did you have any ‘aha!’ moments?  While watching this chapter, the idea of more space leading to more public life really struck out to me. With Singapore so compact, I really value the way the city has progressed in fostering public life. Places like North Bridge Road and Raffles have all managed to maintain their architecture, but alter the purpose to match the needs of the community, contrary to the "car culture" many cities were historically built around. I also realized that public spaces have to evolve as the community's needs do; when planning urban infrastructure, it's important to prioritize the needs of the people to make them feel like they're invited and welcome there. What also struck out to me, in this chapter, was how Singapore managed to change so much despite it being so law-based. Change is often met with resistance and opinions since there is such a diverse g...

Does the way we build cities lend itself to human community or human separation? Modern urbanization has contributed to greater human separation rather than bringing people together. In our very nature as humans, we are innately drawn to one another. Historically, humans have tended to value communal, wholistic living; from villages to tribes, we inherently bonded with other humans from the shared experiences of living near one another. But now, looking at the build of housing developments, the block-like fashion they are constructed in has led us to not even know who our neighbors are. With the rise of media as well, it's easy to forget the local environment we are in. Take Beijing for example. Coming from traditional housing in courtyards with  multiple  generations co-living to, in a matter of 20 years, switching to high rise housing developments and skyrise architecture, the very intent of these cities have contributed to human disconnect. Roads and transportation also dir...