Reading Tip: summary completion
In one type of summary task, you have to complete a gapped summary of part or all of the text using words from a box. Don't always expect words or phrases in the box to be the same as in the text. They may be words with similar meaning or the same word in a different form, so read both the text and the summary carefully.
Urban planning in Singapore
British merchants
established a trading post in Singapore in the early nineteenth century, and
for more than a century trading interests dominated. However, in 1965 the newly
independent island state was cut off from its hinterland, and so it set about
pursuing a survival strategy. The good international communications it already
enjoyed provided a useful base, but it was decided that if Singapore was to
secure its economic future, it must develop its industry. To this end, new
institutional structures were needed to facilitate, develop, and control
foreign investment. One of the most important of these was the Economic
Development Board (EDB), an arm of government that developed strategies for
attracting investment. Thus from the outset, the Singaporean government was
involved in city promotion.
Towards the end of the twentieth
century, the government realised that, due to limits on both the size of the
country's workforce and its land area, its labour-intensive industries were
becoming increasingly uncompetitive. So an economic committee was established
which concluded that Singapore should focus on developing as a service centre,
and seek to attract company headquarters to serve South East Asia, and develop
tourism, banking, and offshore activities. The land required for this
service-sector orientation had been acquired in the early 1970s, when the
government realised that it lacked the banking infrastructure for a modern
economy. So a new banking and corporate district, known as the 'Golden Shoe',
was planned, incorporating the historic commercial area. This district now
houses all the major companies and various government financial agencies.
Singapore's current economic
strategy is closely linked to land use and development planning. Although it is
already a major city, the current development plan seeks to ensure Singapore's
continued economic growth through restructuring, to ensure that the facilities
needed by future business are planned now. These include transport and
telecommunication infrastructure, land, and environmental quality. A major
concern is to avoid congestion in the central area, and so the latest plan
deviates from previous plans by having a strong decentralisation policy. The
plan makes provision for four major regional centres, each serving 800,000
people, but this does not mean that the existing central business district will
not also grow. A major extension planned around Marina Bay draws on examples of
other 'world cities', especially those with waterside central areas such as
Sydney and San Francisco. The project involves major land reclamation of 667
hectares in total. Part of this has already been developed as a conference and
exhibition zone, and the rest will be used for other facilities. However the
need for vitality has been recognised and a mixed zoning approach has been
adopted, to include housing and entertainment.
One of the new features of the current
plan is a broader conception of what contributes to economic success. It
encompasses high quality residential provision, a good environment, leisure
facilities and exciting city life. Thus there is more provision for low-density
housing, often in waterfront communities linked to beaches and recreational
facilities. However, the lower housing densities will put considerable pressure
on the very limited land available for development, and this creates problems
for another of the plan's aims, which is to stress environmental quality. More
and more of the remaining open area will be developed, and the only natural
landscape surviving will be a small zone in the centre of the island which
serves as a water catchment area. Environmental policy is therefore very much
concerned with making the built environment more green by introducing more
plants - what is referred to as the 'beautification' of Singapore. The plan
focuses on green zones defining the boundaries of settlements, and running
along transport corridors. The incidental green provision within housing areas
is also given considerable attention.
Much of the environmental
provision, for example golf courses, recreation areas, and beaches, is linked
to the prime objective of attracting business. The plan places much emphasis on
good leisure provision and the need to exploit Singapore's island setting. One
way of doing this is through further land reclamation, to create a whole new
island devoted to leisure and luxury housing which will stretch from the
central area to the airport. A current concern also appears to be how to use
the planning system to create opportunities for greater spontaneity: planners
have recently given much attention to the concept of the 24-hour city and the
cafe society. For example, a promotion has taken place along the Singapore
river to create a cafe zone. This has included the realisation, rather late in
the day, of the value of retaining older buildings, and the creation of a
continuous riverside promenade. Since the relaxation in 1996 of strict
guidelines on outdoor eating areas, this has become an extremely popular area
in the evenings. Also, in 1998 the Urban Redevelopment Authority created a new
entertainment area in the centre of the city which they are promoting as 'the
city's one-stop, dynamic entertainment scene'.
In conclusion, the economic
development of Singapore has been very consciously centrally planned, and the
latest strategy is very clearly oriented to establishing Singapore as a leading
'world city'. It is well placed to succeed, for a variety of reasons. It can
draw upon its historic roots as a world trading centre; it has invested heavily
in telecommunications and air transport infrastructure; it is well located in
relation to other Asian economies; it has developed a safe and clean
environment; and it has utilised the international language of English.
Quiz created by Veronika Bebekh with GoConqr
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