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Better Cities | Dec 2019

The Holiday Issue: Exclusive Book Launches and Interviews

A Holiday Message

from the Executive Director

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Resettling Communities: Creating Space for Nation-Building

When Singapore attained independence in 1965, it was dotted with squatter settlements, backyard industries, street hawkers and farms. Large-scale clearance and resettlement initiatives were carried out with a firm hand and fair policies. This paved the way for Singapore’s physical and economic transformation, with development of HDB new towns, industrial estates, infrastructure projects, and a rejuvenated city centre.

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How Do You Bring Art to a Place?

Regina Myer, President, Downtown Brooklyn Partnership

“It’s making sure that the people who make art have access to studio space and affordable housing.”

🕒 3 min | Watch ⟶

Lighting Up Porto-Novo

Jean-Marie Akadjame, Municipal Councillor, Porto-Novo, Benin

“Anything can happen in darkness, people are not free to move at night.”

🕒 3 min | Watch ⟶

Old Is Not Just Gold, But Green

Sustainable development is not just about developing green buildings but also reusing existing ones. Donovan Rypekema, the president of Heritage Strategies International, shares how conserving built heritage can help cities improve their societies as well as urban resilience.

Image: Wikimedia Commons

🕒 5 min | Read ⟶

A City By its People

Seoul took more time to work with citizens to come up with a master plan but the effort was worth it, says Dr Inhee Kim, a key researcher behind the 2030 Seoul Plan. He also outlined how the South Korean capital is refining its participatory processes to update Seoul’s master plan for 2040.

Image: festina2090, pixabay

🕒 5 min | Read ⟶

The Importance of Building Trust

Putting citizens at the heart of all policies is paramount to create high trust cities, said delegates at the WCS Mayors Forum 2019. Participants learnt how Singapore and Medellín built trust through social, physical and institutional integration, as well as community action at the three-day conference.

🕒 5 min | Read ⟶

Repositioning for Smart Cities

Cities must look beyond environmental resilience as they renovate and redevelop to incorporate smart city goals. At a recent panel, CLC’s Director of Research Dr Limin Hee shared the impact such a repositioning effort might have on a well-established and dense urban environment like Singapore.

Image: Glenser

🕒 5 min | Read ⟶

Urban Solutions #15 |Enabling and Engaging Citizens

As part of Surabaya’s urban transformation over the decades, the Indonesian city has initiated people-centric efforts, such as inclusive growth and transparent public services, helping engender trust amongst its citizens.

PDF: 1.7 MB

🕒 5 min | Read ⟶

Urban Solutions #15 | Not All Who Wander Are Lost

Living with dementia should not mean being confined to one’s home. In Singapore, residents, service providers and businesses have formed Dementia-Friendly Communities to help those with dementia to live freely in their neighbourhoods.

PDF: 602 kB

🕒 5 min | Read ⟶