Session 3 / Singapore Live Program: Planning and Designing for a Sustainable and Resilient City

Siew Leng Fun
Chief Urban Designer
Urban Redevelopment Authority - URA, Singapore

Like many other cities, Singapore has seen disruptions to daily lives and businesses, with shifts in activity, behavioral, and lifestyle patterns. As a land-scarce city-state with high-density living, the pandemic has further reinforced the importance of planning for sustainability and building up resilience. With flexibility built into our land use planning process, we are able to make adjustments in adapting to changing needs.
With the rising adoption of telecommuting options and acceleration of digital expansion enabling more people to work away from office, how can we reposition our Central Business District to support new demands and patterns? How can we plan and design our neighborhoods and towns to strengthen the convenience and accessibility of amenities?

With health and wellness becoming even more important, how can the design of our public spaces and parks enable people to continue to find relief and delight in environments around them and to bond with each other safely? Such challenges and changing contexts inform us of the need to strengthen and refine our plans and the way we design the city. While the challenge today is COVID-19, there may be a different type of pandemic or challenge in the future. It is only with progressive urban and socio-economic policies and strong partnerships with our stakeholders and the community that will enable us to build a more sustainable and resilient city that we can hand over to the future generations.