Learning from Singapore
Public lecture by Felix Heisel at the Green Forum ADDIS 2050 Conference in Addis Ababa on October 09, 2012. Out of Singapore’s breathtaking development over the past 50 years, the lecture focuses on two mayor characteristics of urban planning: the incredible success story of the Housing & Developing Board (HDB) as well as the concept of a “City in the Garden”. Today, more than 85% of Singapore’s 5.3 million inhabitants are home owners, due to an inventive strategy implemented already in the 1960ies. Identification of the home owners with the nation-state is almost guaranteed, since almost everybody is owning a share of Singapore, whereby national economic growth enhances the value of private property. Also during the last 50 years, even so the built mass in Singapore grew constantly, the green area did as well and is covering today more than 50% of the island, making Singapore one of the greenest cities world-wide. The lecture will introduce the necessary decisions that were taken over the last five decades in order to achieve such high standards.
