No_10_October_1968 — Page 32

HY

High density housing – standards will change

the challenge facing Singapore today, by playing their parts with drive and imagination and by demonstrating that physical planning will make an impact on the nation's economic growth through progressive thinking and ap- plication of modern techniques of plan- ning to local conditions.

We cannot, indeed must not, have our heads down on the drawing boards colouring red-brown, purple or blue, hoping that in some mysterious way this ancient ritual or practice will re- sult in pleasing residential areas appear- ing on the red-brown, productive in- dustrial estates taking shape in the pur- ple, and prosperous shopping centres in the blue areas. Worse still, the plan- ning organisation must not be allowed to become so immersed in its task that it becomes a kind of internally self- sufficient mutual admiration society.

Singapore's emerging land problems are well known in general terms but one essential objective of its current planning programme should aim at achieving a fair notion of the range of our urban capacity at various standards of land use and environmental quality. For instance, the question must be ask- ed: Whether the high density housing patterns, which are obviously satisfac- tory within the standard currently ap- plicable and are fulfilling the social needs, will continue to be acceptable if repeated indefinitely in the face of rising standards of living and leisure, the needs of which may not be met within the housing estates themselves in the future.

It can in fact be shown by a pro- jection of land-use needs of the future that a wide range of densities of plan-

ned residential areas may not result in

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much more than a fractional extra de- mand on total space requirements, and may improve or leave room for im- provement in the overall residential

environment.

Industrial voracity

There is little doubt that space de- mands for public and private residen- tial purposes, industrial, commercial and recreational areas, transportation reservations and special use areas such as airport and so on, are all likely to increase at greater rate than at pre- sent. The voracity of modern industry for extensive land areas can be seen in the Jurong Industrial Estate.

This suggests that the time may well have come when the acceptability of certain land-hungry enterprises needs to meet a certain economic/produc- tivity standard before they are wel- comed, especially in a country which is seeking to industrialise itself as quick- ly and efficiently as possible. For this reason, the main line of thinking and emphasis in physical planning must be formulated and integrated with the aims of the national development as a whole.

Perhaps, among the many facets in the challenge of planning in Singa- pore, the question of manpower re- sources and the existing machinery to implement the programmes may need to be carefully looked into to evaluate the end-products to be attained.

It may well be that attitudes and views on local technical and profes- sional expertise in every field will need re-orientating. There is no shortage of technical intelligentsia willing and able to participate in and shape public af- fairs. But opportunity should be, and

indeed must be given for a greater in- volvement in the technological, social, economic and political developments of the country so that young people can be trained to the specific needs of the community.

With the great increases that have occurred in recent years in the cost of everything to which planning relates. the alarming consequences of not plan- ning have become more crucial than ever. Urban areas will continue to grow and change in future at a rapid rate, thus requiring more and more services. Planning will therefore have to be orientated to provide for and control expansion, if waste of public funds in catering for necessary services on a piece-meal basis, rather than on a fully planned basis, is to be avoided.

Technological changes in the modes of transportation require to be careful- ly studied with regards to their effect on the urban pattern. Since the various elements of comprehensive planning are so interdependent, there is a need for transportation planning to be de- veloped coincidentally and integrally with the other phases of island-wide physical planning.

Paradoxically it is not possible to foresee accurately the precise degree of development and the need for a "rapid transit" system or even for heli- copters. The history of Singapore's de- velopment has related more to what the people "want" rather than what is economical or logical.

The dilemma still to be faced in the realm of integrating transportation planning into an island-wide compre- hensive plan cannot be over-stressed. There is a danger that he who is prac- tising transportation planning, with justifiable pride and dedication, feels that that with which he is involved is paramount; that it is the end, the ultimate. This is a normal outlook, unique to no particular civilisation or country or people. This outlook may be coined as "single purpose agency" outlook, and can be one of the greatest stumbling blocks to sound comprehen- sive planning through resistance to the change of status quo.

A good planner, if he has no other one talent, should at least have the talent to see and understand the signi- ficance of the term "comprehensive," which really means all inclusive or con- sideration of all aspects.

Probably much better than those who are involved and well versed in individual rigours and techniques of other professional grounds, he under- stands the significance of pushing down one button (may be the transportation

Far East BUILDER, October 1968.