Abstract
Before the arrival of Stamford Raffles in Singapore in 1819, Singapore was already an important trading port. Archaeology excavations, uncovering ceramics, coins and beads, among other things, highlighted Singapore’s prominence as a trading site and an entrepot, particularly in trading with China, India, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia. The Singapore port was governed by the Malay chieftains, then the Johor sultanate till it fell into the Portuguese hands in 1511, the Dutch in 1641 and the British in 1824 with the effect of the Anglo-Dutch Treaty.
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Notes
- 1.
The concern over excessive logging and deforestation prompted the government to call on officials at the Singapore Botanic Garden (founded in 1859) to set aside land for a tree nursery to preserve exotic species such as ebony, teak and mahogany (see Barnard, 2016).
- 2.
Ooi (2004, p. 58).
- 3.
In 1886, a Commission appointed to study public gambling in the Straits Settlements found police corruption to be very serious. For example, in the period between 1845 and 1921, a total of 172 cases of police corruption were reported in the local press with bribery being the most common form of police corruption (109 cases reported) followed by police involvements in thefts and robbery (42 cases) (Quah, 1979).
- 4.
For details, see Ho and Lim (1992).
- 5.
The contestation of space between the coloniser and colonised was a recurrent issue as demonstrated in Brenda Yeoh’s (2003) Contesting Space, Power Relations and the Urban Built Environment in Colonial Singapore.
- 6.
This has enabled Singapore to enjoy robust growth in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita. As Singapore moves closer to the technological frontier, the pace of technology diffusion and GDP growth rates slow down. See Hoon (2019).
- 7.
As reported in Fujii and Ray (2022).
- 8.
The Concept Plan takes on a more dynamic view in planning for the physical development of Singapore. The Concept Plan is an official statement of a geographic unit’s policies and intentions pertaining to physical development and establishes the framework to guide government agencies in their effort to assemble and develop land for public purposes. It provides general directions as to where, what, when and why with regard to all recommendations set forth within the plan. The Master Plan, on the other hand, is a statutory instrument meant to control the use and development of land use in Singapore through zoning, density and plot ratio ceilings. The Plan specifies the allocation of land for uses such as schools, open spaces, infrastructure facilities and other essential needs of the community.
- 9.
Established in 1974, the URA coordinates the redevelopment plans, including conservation of heritage buildings, shophouses and neighbourhoods.
- 10.
Ooi and Kog (1999, p. 178).
- 11.
Savage (1997, p. 189).
- 12.
Lim Leong Geok (accession No. E000015), Oran Interview on March 16, 2004, Oral History Centre, National Archives of Singapore https://www.nas.gov.sg/archivesonline/oral_history_interviews/record-details/d1509ee5-1161-11e3-83d5-0050568939ad (Accessed on 16 December 2022).
- 13.
Examples of land reclamation projects include the Kallang River in the 1960s for industrial and housing purpose, the Jurong Island in the 1990s which houses the petrochemical complex, and the 38 hectares of land reclaimed at Bayfront in 1994 to create the shore profile of Marina Bay.
- 14.
Seven islands were merged to form Jurong Island in the western part of Singapore to provide a location for the petrochemical complex.
- 15.
The Environmental Protection and Management Act stipulates that any premises that cause pollution of the environment or are injurious to public health or safety are “guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding S$100,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 months or to both and, in the case of a continuing offence, to a further fine not exceeding S$2000 for every day or part thereof during which the offence continues after conviction” [Chapter 94A, Act 39(2)].
- 16.
Yeo (2022, p. 424).
- 17.
Mutalib (2000).
- 18.
Lingle (1996).
- 19.
Case (1996).
- 20.
Means (1996).
- 21.
George (2012, p. 99).
- 22.
Saxena (2011, p. 2).
- 23.
Schein (1996, p. 23).
- 24.
Chua (1997, p. 313).
- 25.
Mahbubani (2015, p. 58).
- 26.
Lee (1998, p. 346).
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Liow Li Sa, M., Choon-Yin, S. (2023). Singapore’s Public Space Contest. In: Sustainable Urban Development in Singapore. Sustainable Development Goals Series. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-5451-3_2
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