Land-scarce Singapore Research Articles

Unravelling Ideas and Artefacts

Abstract This study tracks the progression of students’ ideas by understanding how ideas are adopted or rejected. Understanding the discourses that lead to idea progression could help illumine sense-making and decision-making processes within student group discussions. Student-generated artefacts in the form of vertical farming prototypes were analysed. These artefacts were from four groups of students who were engaged in an integrated STEM activity to improve existing vertical farming solutions in land-scarce Singapore. In the authors’ analysis to understand how the final prototype came to being, they examined the progression of ideas through lesson phases of envisioning, sketching, collaborative modelling, feedback, and evaluation. A coding scheme was used to track whether ideas were rejected, improved, or assimilated in the final prototype. Idea maps were generated to track key developments of ideas. The findings revealed that groups that took greater risks in generating more ideas had more rejected ideas and were also more engaged in the feedback process. This resulted in richer idea development. Idea fluency was highly varied across all four groups. This suggests that group engagement and a culture of reflection and monitoring could significantly improve idea quality, although the lack of curriculum time could limit desired divergent idea generation.

Challenges in Construction of Secant Bored Piles in Sandy Soil and Within a Railway Protection Zone

The continuing growth of population density in urban areas around the world has placed greater emphasis on the utilisation and development of underground space to meet the increasing demands of the city. Due to limited land space available in downtown areas, many cities in the world are also embarking on integration of major construction projects of metro infrastructure, commercial developments and residential estates, etc., to meet the growing demand of infrastructure In land-scarce Singapore, the development of a comprehensive and well-integrated public transport network is important to achieve a people-centric, world-class transport system. To enhance the connectivity of a rail network, interchange stations and underground linkways are constructed to connect the various lines so that transfers between mass rapid transit (MRT) lines can be seamless. Hence, it is becoming more challenging to construct a new MRT line in the vicinity of existing MRT lines without impacting the operations of existing MRT lines. The prime aim of this study is to present the ways to overcome the challenges in construction of secant bored piles (SBPs) above the existing underground MRT linkway (15 m below ground) and adjacent to the existing underground MRT East West Line station. The paper presents four different techniques applied to construct the SBP wall in the sandy soil since the conventional method of construction was not applicable to the site condition. The new techniques were successful as the SBP wall was constructed while keeping the vibrations and movement to the existing MRT structures within the allowable limits. From this venture, it can be concluded that it is possible to install SBPs in sandy soils without any significant impact on adjacent structures and construction timeline. The experience gained from this endeavour will be invaluable and can serve as lessons learnt for SBP works in the densely populated area and in the vicinity of existing sensitive structures which is increasingly becoming unavoidable.

Will Curtains Come Down for the Sustainable Theatre – Evaluating Growth Challenges from an Island Nation

Sustainable development (as defined by The Brundtland Report, 1987) points to development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own. However, sustainable development denotes different perspectives to different audience; and for development to be truly sustainable, growth must be inclusive and demands equal attention to the tri-nexus of economy, society and the environment. Unfortunately, this is far from reality. In an effort to continue growing, economies pedestalize economic progress where attention is skewed towards economic performance with an intentional disregard of the environment and to the degradation of the environment. For the purpose of this paper, sustainable development focuses on debates between the twin-nexus of economy and the environment. This paper highlights sustainable development challenges for Singapore (an island nation). While most studies centered on Singapore‟s miraculous growth, few have examined the island‟s use of its environmental capital for economic growth. Island economies face similar development challenges like most global economies; the difference lies in their natural endowments (or the lack of). This underlines the need for policies to advance ecosystem preservation in land-scarce Singapore. With the use of a simple environmental valuation framework, it is demonstrated that the island nation has not fared too badly in protecting its environmental capital.Keywords: Ecosystem, Environmental Capital, Island Nation, Singapore, Sustainable Development

The Gardens of Singapore

Singapore has several public gardens of which two, Singapore Botanic Gardens and Gardens by the Bay, are of particular national and international renown. These two gardens have contrasting but complementary ways of enthusing and educating the public about plants and of gaining their support for horticultural excellence, botanical research and conservation. Founded in 1859, Singapore Botanic Gardens is an old and established garden with a long history of horticultural and botanical research, plant exploration and conservation. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2015, the world’s first tropical botanic garden to receive this accolade. Gardens by the Bay opened in 2012 and its focus is on large-scale displays in spectacular settings, thereby attracting huge numbers of visitors since its opening. In their contrasting ways, both gardens enthuse and educate the public about plants and the natural world. This work lays the foundations for public advocacy of conservation efforts in Singapore, resulting in a very high level of public support for greening efforts and the protection of natural areas in land-scarce Singapore.

Value-added utilization of marine clay as cement replacement for sustainable concrete production

Abstract Marine clay is abundant in the coastal regions around the world. It is produced in huge quantities during excavation works for infrastructure but has little value and is treated as construction waste, leading to environmental and sustainable concerns for counties like land-scarce Singapore. This study offers a value-added solution to convert marine clay, which has a low kaolinite phase of 20 wt%, into supplementary cementitious material through thermal activation and that can partially replace ordinary Portland cement in concrete. A simple process was employed to calcine marine clay at 600, 700 and 800 °C. Owing to the kaolinite phase, calcined marine clay exhibits obvious pozzolanic reactivity due to dehydroxylation and loss of crystallinity during thermal treatment. Results from isothermal calorimetry and TGA have confirmed the pozzolanic reaction which consumes calcium hydroxide and releases additional heat. At 28 days, mortar with 30% cement replaced by calcined marine clay shows a good strength activation index. The activation temperature does not greatly affect the pozzolanic reactivity as indicated by the cement hydration and mortar strength results.

SUPER WELL POINT TECHNOLOGY WITH ADVANCEMENTS IN SOIL IMPROVEMENTS FOR LAND RECLAMATIONS

The present technologies in ground improvements are limited to vertical drains with some using vacuum created with plastic sheets on the ground surface. The rate of improvements resulting from such vertical drains rely also very much on earth surcharges to more than 10 m high. This total method is time consuming and costly.The Super Well Point (SWP) technology has further advanced with compressed air setup called SukKaraKan (SKK) in further accelerating the ground improvements applied to dredged and soft soils. Less surcharge, or if required, for achieving much better what other present methods could perform in time and degree of consolidation.This paper also shares some achievements more superior than other presently available methods in soil improvements and ground consolidation of soft soils.The use of SWP-SKK advances land reclamations in accelerating consolidation settlement and degree of consolidation thereby creating "newland" for land scarce Singapore with less sand imports hence costs and time efficiencies.

Assessment and planning of underground space use in Singapore

Underground space development has become an economic imperative for land-scarce Singapore. In 2007, the government, under the Ministry of National Development, set up an inter-agency Underground Master Planning Task Force that aims to map out the long-term development of underground space, bringing underground space development to a strategic level. In 2010, the Economic Strategies Committee made developing underground space part of the government’s long-term economic strategy with specific recommendations on master planning, geological investigations, investment in research and development, and various policy issues. The ESC report also recommended that the government should take the lead in catalysing the use of underground space. Based on these recommendations, the Singapore government have taken various initiatives and studies, and initiated various research projects in support of these initiatives.This paper gives a review of the history of underground space development, highlights the potential utilisations, and discusses the various recent studies and planning issues, and examines possible strategies for future use of underground space in Singapore.

Urban rejuvenation through collective (en bloc) sales in Singapore: Property rights or property wrongs?

In land-scarce Singapore, which covers only 693 km2, the government is constantly grappling with the issue of judicious allocation of resources between competing uses. In order to generate more housing stock for an increasing population, which is expected to hit 6.5 million by 2027, the government actively promotes private-sector-led redevelopment and urban rejuvenation. One of the measures taken to facilitate such redevelopment involved the enactment of radical legislation concerning collective sales. In a collective sale, all owners of separate units within a development agree to sell their properties collectively and at the same time to a single buyer. Such a sale is feasible when the site has redevelopment potential. In the past, when a collective sale of a development was proposed in Singapore, there had to be unanimous consent among the property owners. Arising from legislative amendments in 1999, however, where just a majority of owners in a development agreed to sell their units, the unwilling minority would be required to sell theirs too. Not unexpectedly, this law was perceived as an abrogation of fundamental property rights in Singapore. It evoked much discontent, resulting in numerous cases being brought before the Strata Titles Board and courts. Myriad objections were raised by the minority, and several cases which came before the Strata Titles Board and the Singapore Courts are singled out in this paper for further discussion. They showcase the legal complexities that surround the central issue of how and to what extent the minority’s property rights can (or should) be safeguarded in the face of majority rule in collective sales. While the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Ontario had already implemented 80 per cent majority rule for collective sales in 1969 and 1989, respectively, this paper provides an Asian perspective by focusing on the Singapore position and making reference to the position in Hong Kong, which not only faces similar land scarcity and urban renewal issues, but also has similar legislation. It cannot be gainsaid that one of the positive effects of the collective sale phenomenon in Singapore has been land maximisation and urban rejuvenation, but in the aftermath of this phenomenon, this paper posits that the sacrifice by the minority of their property rights has resulted in property wrongs.

Controversial Strata Legislation: Catalyst for Housing Regeneration in Singapore

In land-scarce Singapore which comprises all of 693 km2 , the government is constantly grappling with the issue of land-use planning among competing uses. In order to generate more housing stock for an increasing population expected to hit 6.5 million by 2027, it actively promotes private sector led redevelopment and urban rejuvenation through a two-pronged approach. This involves first, the formulation of appropriate planning and development controls and second, the removal of private-sector supply-side constraints. The latter has been through amendments allowing majority rule (rather than unanimity) in the collective sales of strata property, which frequently possess freehold titles. The amendments have been in turn called “radical” and “innovative,” yet simultaneously been accused of eroding fundamental property rights. Nevertheless, as envisaged by the authorities, the two measures coalesced to incentivize private-sector-led redevelopment initiatives to optimize land use. In the light of this two-pro...

Physical space and cyberspace: how do they interrelate? A study of offline and online social interaction choice in Singapore.

This paper investigates if the new space created by cyberspace affects how we use old space--physical space--and how the range of physical space we have access to affects our urge to extend into cyberspace. To do this I polled young IT savvy people in land-scarce Singapore about the amount of physical space they had at their disposal--private space in terms of the size of their house and bedroom space, and public space in terms of how many public meeting areas they frequented. I attempted to see if there was a correlation between the amount of physical space they enjoyed and the amount of time they spent in cyberspace.

Property rights, collective sales and government intervention: averting a tragedy of the anticommons

In response to the need to cater for the requirements of a larger future population, the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Singapore released development guide plans, which have provided for higher development intensity to residential land in various parts of the island. One of the impacts is that many property owners in Singapore have banded together to capitalize on the “marriage value” of the en bloc site to reap big windfalls as compared to individual sales. But there were minority owners who objected to the sale. The Land Titles (Strata) (Amendment) Act 1999 was passed on 11 October 1999 to facilitate such en bloc sales as these will release prime land for higher density redevelopment to provide more quality private housing in land-scarce Singapore. This paper shows how property rights and property ownership could have led to a tragedy of the anticommons and how government intervention through legislation has averted such a tragedy. Whilst the Land Titles (Strata) (Amendment) Act 1999 has been successful in facilitating en bloc sales resulting in optimization of scarce land resources, it has raised controversial issues such as majority rule versus minority protection and the attenuation of property rights. The authors conclude that in land-scarce Singapore, public good, in that more land will be made available for private housing for the majority, should take precedence.

Vehicle-Induced Floor Vibrations in a Multistory Factory Building

A multistory factory building with elevated access allows loading and unloading of the raw materials and finished products right in front of each factory unit. This enhances the land productivity of land-scarce Singapore. However, container trucks traveling within the building may cause vibration of a production floor where high-precision equipment is located. In this study, a dynamic vehicle model is established to simulate a 40-ft container truck. The road roughness is represented by a power spectral density function according to ISO 8606. The random response of a typical production floor is analyzed by the fully coupled vehicle-structure interaction method as well as the decoupled moving dynamic nodal loading method. Compared with the acceleration and velocity acceptance criteria, the random response results show that the vertical response of the production floor to the container truck traveling at 15, 30, and 40 km/h over road classes B and C is generally acceptable. However, the maximum vertical vibration may exceed the more stringent criteria for some extremely high-precision equipment.

International Real Estate Review

This paper examines the ability of buyers to afford and upgrade to private housing using the experience in land scarce Singapore as a case study. The concepts of the “threshold buyer?and “threshold upgrader?are introduced to construct an operational inter-temporal model of affordability and upward mobility, taking into consideration income, mortgage rates, prices of public housing flats and the legislative/financing framework in Singapore. The theoretical private property price computed by the upward mobility model is the lower bound dictated by affordability and cash outlay considerations such that the buyer/upgrader is no better or worse off arising from changes in the relevant factors over time. The model is empirically tested to evaluate the theoretical underpinnings as well as the ability of the model to predict private property price. Finally, the paper examines the implications for housing ownership policy in a wider context.

Vehicle ownership restraints and car sharing in Singapore

In land-scarce Singapore, cars are largely unaffordable due to the imposition of restraints such as high taxes and vehicle quotas. The car-sharing concept was introduced to satisfy citizens’ aspiration to use a car. The paper discusses the operational aspects of the car-sharing co-operative and analyses findings from surveys of 45 members and 76 non-members of the co-operative. The profile of members revealed a mean household size of 4.1, 73% of married status, 49% from middle-income households and 62% having never owned a car before. Members still mainly used public transport for travelling to work after attaining membership but turned more often to the co-operative car rather than public transport for marginal uses such as leisure and social trips.

Bidding Efficiencies for Rights to Car Ownership in Singapore

Since August 1990, land-scarce Singapore has held monthly public auctions to allocate Certificates of Entitlement (COE) or rights to vehicle ownership. Successful COE recipients pay the lowest successful bid in their vehicle category. This paper uses data envelopment analysis (DEA) to assess the relative technical efficiencies and the returns to scale of COE bidding in the five car categories. Technical efficiency measures the relative degree of minimization of COE premia against a weighted array of demand, price and economic factors proxying market conditions at each monthly exercise or decision-making unit (DMU). COE bidding is shown to be relatively efficient contrary to the belief that the `single-strike-price' auction mechanism encourages overbidding. The influences of several policy measures and economic conditions on the COE premia are also discussed.

A unique demand management instrument in urban transport: the vehicle quota system in Singapore

Abstract In land-scarce Singapore, the key transport policy is to alleviate traffic congestion. In the late 1980s, vehicle taxes and usage restraints proved ineffective in curbing the fast growth of the vehicle population; hence the rationale for a policy instrument called the Vehicle Quota System (VQS). This paper discusses the operational aspects of the VQS and explains how various implementation problems have been addressed. It is found that the VQS has resulted in effective control of the vehicle population but has given rise to high car prices which are not affordable by a substantial proportion of Singaporean households.

Scrap car pricing and welfare implications

Traffic congestion is a critical and highly visible urban problem. In land scarce Singapore, the problem is even more crucial and the government has resorted to gargantuan measures not only to curb car use but also car ownership. Besides a plethora of road-use taxes, a unique tax structure on car ownership is employed that comprises hefty taxes on new car purchases plus provisions for tax discounts if new car purchases are accompanied by the scrappage of old cars. Consequently, a thriving scrap car market has evolved in which scrap car prices exceed even new car prices in some other countries. This paper constructs a theoretical model to explain the determination of the equilibrium scrap car prices. The equilibrium properties are subject to empirical tests. The paper also discusses the welfare implications of this unique policy scheme.