Abstract
This chapter provides an analytical description of the Singapore model of public space. Highlighting specific aspects such as Singapore’s Asian value system, the rule by consensus approach of the Singapore government and its multiracial society, this chapter argues that Singapore public space is enacted through public-space-in-practice, with spatial practice as the communicative site of conflictual consensus. This chapter introduces new paradigms in Singapore public space that would enable new connectivities and sociabilities to respond to trajectories in Singaporean urban life, such as the impact of an aging population and an increasing reliance on a foreign worker population. It also provides suggestions for the future design of public space, which includes more collaboration between the state, private agencies, and individuals, increased engagement in smart technologies, and biophilic design. This chapter concludes by proposing the Singapore model as an adaptive, emergent model that is an alternative to classical western conceptions of public space, as exemplified by Jürgen Habermas’ model based on “rational-critical discourse”. Thus it could serve as a frame of reference for public spaces under similar systems where a strong, dominant state, weak civil society and pluralistic entities exist.
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Notes
- 1.
I use Habermas’ pre-transformation model as the classical model for discussion. In the discussion of Habermasian “public space”, the abstract idea of space is evoked, more in the form of an ideal public sphere than actual space. It is also clear that Habermas describes the subsequent disintegration of the public sphere in the course of modernity.
- 2.
Here I use the term space to embody notional as well as the physical space of being.
- 3.
CMIO is often used as a short form for describing the racial groups: Chinese, Malay, Indian and Others.
- 4.
This is mentioned in Chap. 2—as part of the “City in the Garden” concept.
- 5.
Democracy is indeed a problematic term as there are many forms of democracies, and the discourse within this realm is plentiful. As I do not intend to engage in a prolonged discourse on democratic forms, Habermas’ deliberative form of democracy is referred here.
- 6.
This refers to associative space described by Hannah Arendt in The Human Condition (1958), as opposed to the agonistic space of appearance that she also describes.
- 7.
This is generally the case, however the Malay community, as a minority group, has strong ties within.
- 8.
See PUB’s fact sheet the use of water level sensors/CCTVs to manage flash floods. http://www.pub.gov.sg/managingflashfloods/WLS/Pages/WaterLevelSensors.aspx.
- 9.
The Active, Beautiful, Clean (ABC) Waterways project is an initiative to capitalize on Singapore’s extensive water catchment networks, which amount to two-thirds of Singapore’s land area. The project integrates drains, reservoirs, and canals to create a system of waterways which complement public park space, resulting in picturesque community spaces for exercise and recreation.
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© 2017 Springer Science+Business Media Singapore
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Hee, L. (2017). Rethinking Public Space: The Singapore Model. In: Constructing Singapore Public Space. Advances in 21st Century Human Settlements. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-2387-3_5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-2387-3_5
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