10 September 2019

According to the Meteorological Service Singapore, rapid urbanisation has led to the exacerbation of the urban heat island effect. Furthermore, by 2030, the population aged 65 and above is set to double.

A common perception is that Singapore simply needs to pour more resources into improving technology to develop solutions. But these are ultimately changes enacted on a micro level. In order to create a truly sustainable Singapore, our communities and living spaces need to be completely redesigned from the ground up.

According to the National University of Singapore’s School of Design and Environment (NUS SDE), the right way forward is a people-centric approach. SDE calls this approach Well and Green thinking. As the name suggests, it aims to redefine the way community design is approached, by placing emphasis not just on environmentally-friendly and sustainable design, but also on the well-being of residents.

NUS SDE hopes to take this concept of the sustainable integrated development and expand it into entire districts — effectively making it the future of the whole nation.