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Sustainable development
a) meet the needs of the present population by achieving high standards of living for all
b) ensure the ability of future generations to meet their own needs
Make a guess of the countries with their GDP per capita in 2021 (USA, China, Japan, Singapore)
https://quizlet.com/876186085/match?funnelUUID=cb4c8494-c4b6-41fd-bdee-c570b1203ee2-
How do we measure development?
Economic indicator
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita
GDP refers to the total value of all final goods and services produced by a country in a given year divided by the total population.
Developed countries usually have higher GDP per capita than developing countries.
This is because countries with higher GDP will usually have a larger number of productive industries and a well-developed service industry.
For example, Switzerland, a highly developed country, has one of the highest GDP per capita in the world of about USD87,000 in 2020.
Social indicators
Life Expectancy
Life expectancy refers to the average number of years a person born in a country is expected to live.
This is influenced by the quality of healthcare, access to clean water, sanitation, food supply and living conditions in a country.
Developed countries usually have a higher life expectancy than developing countries than developing countries.
For example, Japan, a highly developed country, has one of the highest life expectancy of 82.7 years.
Adult Literacy Rate
Ault literacy rate refers to the percentage of those aged 15 and above who can read and write a short, simple statement on their everyday life.
Countries with higher literacy rates tend to generate more professionals who can contribute their skills and expertise in driving the country’s economy.
Developed countries usually have a higher adult literacy rate.
For example, New Zealand, a highly developed country, has a high adult literacy rate of 99%.
Sustainable development refers to development that:
Meets the needs of the present population by achieving high standard of living, andthe consumption of goods and services by an individual or group t
Ensures the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals
Since 2015, many countries under the United Nations have adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It is a shared goal that aims to achieve high standards of living and peace for current and future generations. In order to achieve the Agenda for Sustainable Development, 17 Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) were introduced.
With the increase in urban population, there would be greater demand for transport services in urban areas. This means there is a need to increase the number of bus or train services to enable people to access town centres.
Many people in Southeast Asia shop online, which might, over time lead to less need for physical shops in town centres. In 2021, more than 60% of respondents in six Southeast Asian countries shopped online at least once a month.
An increase in urban population is likely to give rise to more diverse needs, hence leading to greater demand for a wider variety of service
You would probably have seen one of these parcel lockers conveniently located near MRT stations, malls and HDB areas. These are growing in popularity due to e-commerce as many people now turn to online shopping.
2. Economic and social sustainability in urban neighbourhoods
a) high enough population density to support local businesses, and keep transport and infrastructure costs low
b) small population size to enable regular interaction among residents and to discuss decisions affecting the neighbourhood
Economic Sustainability
One of the ways to achieve economic sustainability is by ensuring that a neighborhood has a high enough population density so that
local businesses are able to sustain themselves as there will be sufficient demand for their goods and services.
residents can also take up employment at these shops, earning income and increasing their standard of living.
transport and infrastructure costs are kept low within the community.
the cost to develop transport infrastructure are kept low.
The bus interchange is built next to the MRT station and reduce the need to build roads or bridges to link thethem.
This lower the cost of transport and the cost to the people living in the urban neighbourhood.
This interactive map is tons of fun! It calculates population around any point. There are 405,152 people a 3km radius in the Punggol-Sengkang, which shows how densely populated the area is.
Look at the transport amenities - 239 bus stops and 28 metro and train stops (MRT and LRT stations).
How does this show economic sustainability of an urban neighbourhood?
Locate another point on the interactive map e.g. an area in central Africa.
Why would the population size be lower and fewer transport amenities available?
Social Sustainability
To achieve social sustainability in an urban neighbourhood, residents should feel included and have a sense of shared identities. This can be fostered by
small population size to facilitate regular interactions amongst the residents to build resilience and positive relationships between residents
having shared community spaces for residents to come together and foster positive relationships. Parks and other nearby green spaces within the neighborhood may serve as common meeting places for residents from different backgrounds and hobbies gather, interact and engage in recreational activities.
Residents’ Networks (RNs) were set up in 2018 to promote greater social mixing between residents across all ages, races and all estates.
Like the Residents’ Committees (RC) and Neighbourhood Committees (NC), RNs promote neighbourliness, social cohesion and acts as a bridge between the people and the Government.
3. Environmental sustainability in urban neighbourhoods
a) ample protection for nature and facilities that supports waste minimisation and recycling
b) adopts energy and water efficient design approaches for buildings and landscapes
Nature Ways are routes which
planted with specific trees and shrubs to facilitate the movement of animals like birds and butterflies between two green spaces.
connect areas of high biodiversity to urban communities, creates immediate habitats and bring nature closer to Singapore residents.
create a greater appreciation of the rich biodiversity in our City in Nature.
https://www.nparks.gov.sg/gardens-parks-and-nature/nature-ways
The following are the 44 nature ways. How many of them have you encountered?
Facilities to support waste minimisation and recycling
Residents may be encouraged to recycle when there are recycling facilities and infrastructures conveniently located around their housing estates.
Residents must be educated on the importance of the recycling bin and not to dispose items which cannot be recycled.
Energy and water-efficient design approaches for buildings and landscapes
Plants on top of many bus stops in Pasir Ris near downtown east. Great initiative in cooling the area from urban heat. One way to mitigate raising temperatures from climate change. This can lower the surrounding air temperature by 2 degree Celsius!
Several buildings in Tampines central may soon be retrofitted with a cooling system that is more energy efficient. This can lead to 17 to 18 % reduction in electricity consumption. Known as distributed district cooling, the proposed network for Tampines involves having the existing cooling systems of selected buildings produce chilled water to serve the building and others around it.
The buildings will all be interconnected via insulated pipes that can distribute and circulate the chilled water in a closed loop.
Greener system of cooling buildings pave the way for more eco-friendly towns. Sustainable towns and districts are essential for Singapore to meet our sustainability goals under the Singapore Green Plan 2030.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/sustainability/tampines-cooling-buildings-eco-friendly-towns-2122426
A new type of heat-reflective paint will be used on some 130 Housing Board blocks in Tampines, under a pilot project that aims to reduce ambient temperatures by up to 2 degree Celsius.
Heat-reflective paint will be applied to all existing Housing and Development Board (HDB) estates as part of efforts to reduce urban heat and enhance residents' comfort.
How does the cool paint reduce ambient temperature?
What are the benefits of the cool paint?
Where will this cool coatings initiative be rolled out?
At the end of January 2025, over 4,300 blocks have had solar panels installed to power common services such as lifts, lights, and water pumps in HDB estates.
How do solar energy and cool coatings initiatives help to fight climate change?
Electric vehicle charging station being installed in the HDB carpark in Hougang. Under the Singapore Green Plan, the authorities are aiming by 2030 to have all new car and taxi registrations to be of cleaner energy models, and for 60,000 charging points to be deployed nationwide. A step ahead towards zero carbon emision.
Look at the plan for Hougang. Can you see how it support economic, social and environmental sustainability?
The following photograph shows a small garden in the neighbourhood. How can such a green space promote environmental and social sustainability?
Greater communal and green space.
Environmental sustainability: The lush greenery of the park lowers temperatures and reduces urban heat. The pedestrianised areas and cycling tracks on park connectors encourage walking and biking, reducing the use of motor vehicles.
Social sustainability: There are ample open spaces and communal facilities that encourage residents to interact with each other in the park. The residents can book the BBQ pit and carry out social gathering at the shelters or the benches nearby. There are also areas where the local community can exercise together and have conversations regularly at the
Test yourself how well you know about the three types of sustainable development.
Drag the card describing sustainability to the correct vortex (,type of sustainability).
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