The environment has become the catch-phrase of
our times with concern worldwide focusing on the sustainability of natural
resources and nature conservation. Singapore, as a thriving island
city-state, does not have a rural hinterland or natural resources. Yet the
environment has been considered no less important and has presented the
challenge of its reconciliation with urban management. Since 1968, when the
concept of a "clean and green garden city" was first introduced through
parliament, Singapore's political leadership has taken an active role in
positively managing the environmental impact of urban growth and
industrialization, and achieving a balance between conservation and
development. The aim, in the words of then Prime Minister, now Senior
Minister, Lee Kuan Yew, is to become "a city worthy of an industrious people
whose quest for progress is matched by their appreciation for the beauty of
nature". This book is both an account of Singapore's programmes and policies
on environmental management, and a challenge to cities of the future to meet
and exceed the high standards already set by Singapore.
|
|
Ooi, Giok Ling, ed. 1995.
Environment and the City: Sharing Singapore's
Experience and Future Challenges. Singapore:
Times Academic Press for IPS.
(336 pages, ISBN 981 210 080 6)
|
