Seascape the Landscape of Singapore, Repurposing Land in a Land Scarce Nation

Abstract

Singapore’s economy is founded on sand. From ports to airports, offices to factories, from refineries to shipyards, hotels, casinos, roads and homes, the contributors of the national GDP owe their existence to the sand on which they are erected. According to the UNEP this tiny nation state is the world’s largest importer of sand. It needs more land but faces challenges: sand mining is banned. Shallow waters have already been reclaimed. The damage to the marine bio-diversity is undeniable. Sea levels are rising. This paper discusses the viability, modus operandi and merits of “floating out” land-guzzling and out-dated industries on very large floating structures (VLFS) in the sea. The plots of land they currently occupy would be better used if repurposed for 21st century cutting-edge technology and easing the housing pressures. The economic output of the land can also be increased by embracing industries that can go multi-storey. A side benefit to putting industries on VLFS is that roads are not needed for maritime transport. Land needed for road expansion is reduced. Greenhouse emission is also reduced. Rising sea levels would be an irrelevant issue. Marine biodiversity would not be decimated. This strategy is more sustainable than land reclamation. The author invites the government to take leadership in the formation of a R&D Group to flesh out this concept. The time is not far in the future when the Master Plan for this nation has to treat both land and sea as one developable continuum for work, live and play.