When you think of an eco-smart city what comes to mind? Centralised cooling or heating, automated trash collection using a pneumatic system, car-free town centres and integration of nature and residential areas? Definitely, and Singapore is building one.

Singapore is a small country with a population of just under 6 million people but the country’s per capita emissions is higher than the UK, Malaysia, and even China. Its high emissions are attributed to its heavy reliance on air conditioning to cool off residence and workplaces. Use of AC accounts for one-third of the country’s energy consumption.

The Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) predicts that Singapore’s daily average temperature will rise to 34.1C by the end of the century. This could also mean increases in the use of air conditioning for Singaporeans.

To adapt to the effects of climate change and to mitigate their GHG emissions, Singapore is planning to build an eco-town consisting of 42,000 new homes in an area of 700 hectares or 2.7 square miles.

According to the CNN article features of Singapore’s “eco-smart city”, also known as “forest town” will include the following:

a 328-foot side ecological corridor in the middle of the town “providing safe passage to wildlife and connecting a water catchment area on one side to a nature reserve on the other”
a centralised cooling system will be powered by solar energy which will run cold water into pipes that runs through every home this alone will reduce GHG emissions equivalent to 4,500 cars off the road
electric self-driving vehicles,
smart lights that will automatically switch on and off depending on use,
an app on residents’ homes to monitor their water and energy usage
digital displays on each apartment blocks showing their “collective environmental impact”, which can reinforce positive behavioural changes among residents.

The project is considered a clean slate for urban planners pushing for green urban designs and smart technology.

It also applies the concept of separating traffic from people, that will move all types of transportation underground and leave the ground space level for people to walk and cycle. The streets will also be “future-proofed” to accommodate emerging technologies according to Chong Fook Loong, group director for search and planning at Singapore’s Housing and Development Board (HBD).

To know more about Singapore’s eco-smart city, click the link below:

SINGAPORE IS BUILDING A 42,000-HOME ECO ‘SMART’ CITY

Source Citation:

Holland, O. (2021, February 2). Singapore is building a 42,000-home eco ‘smart’ city. CNN style. Retrieved from https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/singapore-tengah-eco-town/index.html