Sustainable Development and Urban Environment

Without a doubt, electric cars are more beneficial to the environment compared to the conventional car. With a large number of the population being more environmentally conscious now, we have seen the electric car evolve from initially a poorly designed aesthetic to the stylish range that is currently on offer. Partly due to Tesla’s contribution to their dedication of rolling out electric cars. Excuses that were valid to pick a conventional car is no longer viable now. With similar or better performances, run time, and aesthetics, the electric car is quickly gaining momentum.   Hopefully, this momentum continues, and we are able to see a generation where electric cars completely replacing conventional ones. Being able to achieve that would see a tremendous benefit to our environment.

Singapore’s Housing Development Board (HDB) has recently announced the plans of developing a new estate. The new development named Tengah, will be built within a forest fringe and the new estate will be incorporating the neighbouring forest’s ecosystem. With 42000 new homes, the surrounding greenery would be continued within the estate centre, boasting a car-free central area. Even though the estate is still currently in early stages of development. Singapore has proven that estates can be designed with sensitivity to its surrounding. Being in a tropical area, Singapore has incorporated the lush greenery and used it as a periphery for the estate. Not to mention the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions with the estate being car-free. This eco-friendly and sustainable estate could be a stepping stone for Singapore’s HDB to further push the idea of an environmentally sustainable estate. With future developments to have a sustainable benchmark, and progress further from that.

On 2013, Singapore passed a white paper named Population White Paper (PWP). The Population White Paper projected an increase of 1.6 million people, capping the increase at 6.9 million. This drastic increase of population was partly due to policies passed limiting the number of children in households middle this century. Singapore’s current population of approximately 5.6 million, has seen severe effects. Overcrowding, lack of jobs for locals, lower wages, and increasing property and vehicle prices. After moving to Sydney, the drastic effects of the PWP can be felt. Vehicle and property prices are considerably lower compared to Singapore, people generally has an easier time securing a job. The PWP was passed in consideration of boosting Singapore’s economy with a stronger work force. However, this as in turn sacrificed the social sustainability of Singapore. The PWP is a good example of a poorly thought out motion by the government, and with little to no considerations about the d...

As a Singaporean, I’ve grown up around a city that has been progressing fast with its new technological advances over the years. The difference from my childhood days in the 90s to its current standing. In Singapore everything and everywhere is automatized. With newly implemented systems, even hawker stores are going cashless. The country also has car parking payment systems that are integrated within the car itself. This payment system also allows easy toll payments. Singapore’s addition of technology it its development has been growing exponentially and has proven itself as a leading nation. After moving to Sydney, I’ve realized a similar development within the city. However, Sydney is still lacking in certain aspects of technological advances compared to Singapore. Not to mention, certain rural areas of Australia has significantly less development. Smart cities have benefitted many and greatly increases the convenience of many people. With the fast pace of technological adva...

Not many students around the world can proudly say that their institutes are helping to save the planet. UNSW has reached an agreement with Maoneng Australia and Origin Energy to have 100% of their energy needs supplied by photovoltaic solar energy. This energy agreement will allow UNSW to go fully      energy carbon neutral by 2020. This initiative coupled with UNSW’s prominent standing as a world leading university not only allows the university to benefit the environment but most importantly sets an example for universities and institutions world wide to strive for a more sustainable future. This creates opportunities for other institutes to have a case study as the university progress forward with the initiative. Other practices and institutes other than universities can also start thinking of different beneficial initiatives that could benefit sustainability as a whole. Environmental sustainability is a collective effort and not only requires brilliant ini...

We have seen an increase in debates over years about male privilege. In Australia’s context, are genders truly equal? Needless to say, there are certain sectors in the workforce that shows dominant numbers in one gender. Aged care, child care, and health and community sectors has a higher number of females working within the sector. Australian women also account for 68% of primary carers for older people and people with disability. These numbers show females are often considered as caretakers. As a western society, the roles of a male and female has been inherited generation and generation leading to these numbers. With the current generation we are living in, I believe females have the opportunity to move out of the western stereotype, to not have the role of a caretaker burdening her. As a male, I often take for granted the assurance of safety as I walk through a quiet street at night. However, females do not have this similar privilege. Worrying about rape, harassment, and robbe...

As a Singaporean, I’ve grown up in a relatively safe country. From a young age, worry about safety for staying out late has never been an issue. There were also no neighborhoods that were known as unsafe and worrying about being a victim of crime was unlikely.   Sydney’s city has relatively achieved a great deal with safety. The past half a year residing here I have yet to experience any crime within the main CBD. I was told by some friends about certain neighborhoods to avoid but ultimately, safety in Sydney was not a huge issue. Looking at countries like Brazil, Mexico, and even certain parts of the United States, many people do not have the privilege as many of us here in Sydney, or Singapore. With high homicide rates, theft, violent crimes, rape, and many other criminal activities happening within the cities. This is extremely unfortunate and detriments the social development of the city. I believe such issues requires more than a government police that is predominant i...

Over the past centuries, mankind’s action has seen a great number of other species being driven to extinction. These creates a huge problem to our environment as we are destroying vital parts of every ecosystem. This has proven consequential to our environment and personal well-being. Taking for example deforestation. Deforesting a single ecosystem and causing a cascade effect to its neighboring ecosystems, we are seeing a huge number of ecosystems being damaged due to our actions. At the point that we are, we need to not only combat against this, but also attempt to restore ecosystems that we have already damaged. Furthermore, land area that has been cleared for the purpose of agriculture has seen great degradation, and to be able to restore ecosystems within those areas would be a long and tough task. I believe with current technological advances, older conventional methods are no longer viable, for example, agriculture does not require to happen on conventional farms, and can ...

I recently came across a phrase, “everyone wants to save the planet, until it costs them money.” Upon hearing the phrase, I realized how true it is. Money and convenience are enormous factors of why sustainable initiatives put in place by the government is progressing at a very slow rate. Knowing that the planet could be in a much better condition if it was not due to our selfish needs is disappointing. As we move towards the coming decades, government bodies are pushing out more initiatives, these initiatives propose a number of actions to progress sustainably. However, these initiatives are unlikely to succeed without the citizen’s assistance. As individuals, our commitment to helping out in sustainable initiatives could help progress forward faster. But how do we convince everyone to put self-gain behind responsibility. This seems like an almost impossible task. It seems that areas that deals the greatest visible impact to the environment is often tucked away where people do n...

I recently stumbled upon a video that demonstrates a guy named Dave Hakkens recycling used plastic at home. He created a machine that shreds used plastic items and using the shredded residue, to create new products. This innovative product not only reduces plastic waste contributing to landfill, but also creates a unique way of recycling and reusing plastic items within the comfort of his own home. He demonstrated a wide range of different end products such as rock climbing wall rocks, bowls, pots, vases, furniture, lamps and many more. Another interesting thing about this is that he shares his design online for free, allowing other people to do the same thing. Such innovativeness allows the idea of recycling and reusing to reach a completely different level. It brings recycling and reusing to a more personal level, allowing people to bring about personal contributions to sustainability in a more productive way rather than conventional recycling. It not only reduces plastic waste b...

Reduction in greenhouse gases, carbon emission and footprint, fresher and healthier produce, less water wastage. These are opportunities that urban agriculture is providing as alternatives. A company named Aerofarms have converted multiple old buildings turning them into an agriculture area within cities. Aerofarms uses old empty buildings and turning the interior into layers of agriculture plots. The produce allows for less transportation and importation time from grocers to farms and cuts out the carbon emissions from the transportation, whilst providing fresher and more nutritious options to consumers. Their technology cultivates the crops by sitting them in oxygenated water. Their system also allows them to use 95% less water compared to a conventional farm. The crops are also grown from a reusable cloth made from reused plastic instead of soil, also replacing sunlight with specialised LED lights. With a controlled agriculture area, their controlled climate system allows crops ...

With development of automobile in the last century, its understandable the urge to indulge in purchasing a new vehicle knowing the status, comfort, and convenience that it comes with. With this inclination to purchasing a vehicle, we have seen a majority of main mode of transport shifting towards a personally owned vehicle. Being one of the main reasons for our environment to plummet to its current state. However, with congested roads, lack of car parking in dense urban areas, and a conscience to save the environment, cycling as a main mode of transport is making a return. Cycling provides users with a healthier alternative, it cuts down transport time in heavily congested areas, reduces the trouble of looking for parking, and it benefits the environment. Dismissing it as an option due to convenience is no longer viable. While cycling does not provide the convenience of a vehicle, it proves to be the best option with the other benefits it provides. Though recognizing this would tak...

It is upsetting that nearly every week, you come across news and videos of people openly discriminating another based on their race, gender, and even sexual preferences. In recent years, tolerance for such discrimination has been slowly dropping, but yet, such incidents still happen frequently. Racial discrimination is detrimental to our society, creating animosity, breeding bigotry and hinders social sustainability development. Ridding racial discrimination might be ways in the future, but I believe it is time that everyone takes a stand. Often stereotypical comments or jokes on racism are marginalised and dismissed but I believe these are often the roots to such problems. This creates a barrier in which one race views differences in another, and leaves room for it to develop into further resent or distaste. When such jokes and comments are made, though often not offensive due to its neutral delivery, it is important for those on the receiving end to speak up and mention its inapp...

Since the industrial revolution, progress of our species has been improving exponentially, while the planet’s environment has been doing the opposite. Production has been increasing greenhouse gases, air pollutants and draining resources. However, certain production has been benefiting economies, reducing poverty, and improving the life of people in certain ways. Making production sustainable, it is important to retain a balance between the triad of environmental sustainability, economic sustainability, and social sustainability. When it comes to production, environmental sustainability as mentioned above, is often the one which suffers. Being economically viable in our time and age is no longer enough, part of the focus has to be shifted to the workers and the environment. Ensuring a healthy environment for both the workers and people around its surrounding context is extremely important, while also providing socially rewarding outcomes to its workers. The control of air pollu...

Poverty is currently one of the hardest obstacles we as a people have to overcome to achieve sustainable development. With nearly half the population living in poverty, eradicating it seems a distant way in the future. Poverty greatly affects both economic and social sustainability. With those living in abject poverty unable to receive appropriate living and sanitation conditions, affecting their health and well-being, a lack of social support, community resilience and many more. The current capitalist system has seen to benefit many countries over the past few decades. With countries like South Korea, India and China, who has opened up their markets, they have seen a great deal of progression within their nation to move away from poverty. Though starting out with a miniscule pay, people of poverty has been given opportunities to pick up skills and increase productivity within the nation. Economic growth within the free-market would also benefit those in poverty by retaining oppo...

As someone born and raised in Singapore, one of the major problems we face and something that is taken for granted by many around the world is water security. Singapore being an extremely small nation has had trouble finding a sustainable resource of water for its residents since the island country was still under the colonisation of the British. For the past century, Singapore’s main resources of water has been a water agreement between their neighbouring country of Malaysia and Singapore. This agreement allows Singapore to purchase water off the Malaysian state of Johor. Since then, Singapore has been looking for alternatives to not heavily rely on its neighbouring country for such an important resource. Singapore currently has four different sources of water, the first being the current trade agreement with Johor. The second is NEWater, a form of water treated from used water (including sewage water), clean enough for drinking purposes. Thirdly, water catchment areas, where ra...

In the recent years, there has been initiatives of reforestation around the globe as an attempt to achieve environmental sustainability. The benefits of planting trees within an urban area is tremendous and not only to the environment but the health and well-being of the residents. Trees as we know, assists in reducing the carbon dioxide and air pollutants found in our urban cities. This contributes to an environmentally sustainable environment and helps mitigate climate change. Similarly, the potential of reforestation within urban areas can help reduce the overall temperature in cities which in turn can reduce the power usage for cooling systems within households. The potential of larger plantation areas might also mean more suitable environments within urban areas for the plantation of fruits and vegetables, further reducing greenhouse gases admitted from transportation of produce from agriculture areas far from the city. The reduced air pollutants within the city also contrib...

I stumbled upon a video recently that briefly puts to the test of a couple of people as to which part of a standard coffee cup (plastic lids with paper cups) is recyclable. Many of them stared blankly into the cup with confusion evident in their eyes, places both parts of the coffee cup amongst the recyclable contents. This had me realise, despite learning about recycling since young, knowing what to recycle and what not to recycle beyond the common paper, cupboard and aluminium cans, is an enormous question mark. After decades of advocating recycling, I believe it has reached the conscious side of people where majority of people would actively attempt to sort their trash into recyclables and non-recyclables. However, many contaminated articles frequently end up falling into the recycling bins, articles such as plastic and garbage bags, garden waste, rubbish and food scraps. This causes a problem as these contaminants will affect the recycling process. Most recycling management c...

With scientific advance, renewable energy is becoming more accessible. Biofuel, biomass, geothermal, hydropower, solar energy, tidal power, wave power, and wind power are examples of different forms of renewable energy. A complete switch to renewable energy would mean energy security for the present and the future, less greenhouse gas emissions, improved public health from reduced air and water pollution, and possibly more stable energy prices, all contributing factors for a sustainable future. However, what is the possibility of the world running solely on renewable energy? If so what are the issues we may face? Many cities have a sustainable plan for the future to be able to run completely on renewable energy within the time frame of 2030-2050. These plans might sound ideal, but there might be an underlying problem to it. The average energy consumption in cities are immense, this means two possible scenarios. The first being, a huge amount of energy saving policies would have to ...