The Sixth Megacities lecture
28 November 2002:

Urbanising Singapore, Optimising Resources
Dr. Liu Thai- Ker

2002 Megacities Lecture

The 2002 Megacities Lecture did not take place in the 'Rolzaal' in The Hague, as in previous years, but in the brand-new headquarters of the ING Group in Amsterdam. The lecture was given by Dr Liu Thai-Ker from Singapore. Next came a co-review by Prof. Dirk Frieling, followed by a discussion moderated by the former Dutch government minister Dr Jan Pronk.

Dr Liu Thai-Ker
As an architect and urban planner Dr Liu Thai-Ker was director of the Housing Development Board, before becoming head of the Urban Redevelopment Authority in Singapore. In 1992 he founded his own consultancy firm, RSP. In his lecture Dr Liu explained how the process of urbanization has been handled in Singapore. The main factors contributing to its success have been the clarity of goals, the explicit priorities and the pursuit of practical solutions. In this way a city has been created which is dense but not claustrophobic. In spite of the need for space, one third of the surface of Singapore is kept free of construction. In order to enforce such a policy a strong, if not authoritarian, government is indispensable. Road traffic, for instance, is strongly discouraged and there is an excellent public transport system, including business class buses for commuters. Other ingredients are the emphasis on public housing and the importance of long-term planning. The administrative structure, which includes five regions and 55 districts, combines a clear central government framework with as much self-sufficiency as possible.

Prof. Dirk Frieling
Prof. Dirk Frieling is Professor of Urban and Regional Planning at Delft University of Technology. He is the main initiator of the concept of the Delta Metropolis, which interprets the cities and their agglomerates in the west of the Netherlands as a single integrated urban region. In his co-review he stated that what is still a concept in Holland has already been realized in Singapore. What is more, it is a concept that is partly composed of dilemmas, such as the dilemma between ambitions and conditions. While economic integration appears to take place on a European and even global level, the conditions tend to become more and more local. This is attended by an increasing competition between cities and urban regions, whereas the level of national government becomes less relevant. To disclose the issues at stake, Dirk Frieling made use of a questionnaire containing items like the desired development of Schiphol Airport and the most appropriate administrative structure for managing the Dutch Delta Metropolis.

Discussion
The discussion that followed was moderated by Dr Jan Pronk, who was the Dutch Minister of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment until last summer. Jan Pronk said he had found the confrontation between the two lectures fascinating, because they showed different perspectives on planning a 'megacity'. Yet he was curious to know if Liu Thai-Ker, who gave such a positive image of urban planning in Singapore, had ever met any constraints. Liu Thai-Ker responded that his main constraint was convincing his bosses. Besides being a good planner the head of the Urban Redevelopment Authority needs to be an excellent advocate when dealing with government officials.

Jan Pronk asked Dirk Frieling what the Dutch 'Delta Metropolis' could learn from Singapore. According to Dirk Frieling Singapore offers an interesting example of planning cities which form part of a megacity; the size of Singapore's regions roughly corresponds with the size of the urban agglomerations in the west of the Netherlands. However, there is a major difference: Singapore has been helped by the fact that since 1965 it has had to prove itself as an independent nation. Here that incentive is absent; too many people take the position of the Netherlands in the world for granted.

The moderator pointed out another distinction. While the Netherlands owes its prosperity to its enormous hinterland, Singapore has no hinterland whatsoever. Liu Thai-Ker thinks that, in a way, this has made planning simpler, because there is hardly any pressure generated by migration from rural areas. It has also stimulated Singapore to think and act internationally. On the other hand the absence of a hinterland implies a limitation of resources.

Dirk Frieling fears that the Dutch hinterland has lost much of its significance. Indonesia ceased to be a colony more than half a century ago and the German Ruhr Area is no longer the economic giant it used to be. Since positions on the European market are no longer secured by nation states, the urban regions are the real competitors. "I think that the position of the Netherlands is not that strong anymore."

Then it was the audience's turn. One question concerned the possible effects on planning of Asia's economic crisis in the 1990s. Liu Thai-Ker replied that Singapore escaped the worst of the crisis, thanks in part to the stability of the government. Moreover, urban planning has to be aimed at the long term. At best only minor adjustments should be made in response to short-term market conditions.

Someone else was interested in the way Singapore accomplishes the integration of different ethnic groups. Liu Thai-Ker stressed that the city is in need of immigration, due to the low birth-rate. Public housing offers a way of realizing a mixture and minimizing the risk of ethnic ghettos. This could mean that the government might restrict the number of, say, Malays in a certain area.

Dirk Frieling's plea for a new authority for the Delta Metropolis by merging the two provinces of North Holland and South Holland raised the question of whether this would only serve to make the system of different layers of government even more complicated. Frieling said we should not be too afraid. Times have changed, he emphasized, and the nation state is no longer the most appropriate layer of government for a large metropolitan area like the Delta Metropolis.

The last question concerned the great power enjoyed by the Singapore government in the domains of public housing and land prices. Public housing has a share of 87% and land for development has to be sold to the state for the original 'agricultural' prices. To someone from Europe that seems like paradise. Although such policies imply a restriction of the free market, in the end they appear to provide an effective market stimulus, concluded the guest speaker from Singapore.

(report Olof Koekebakker)

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