Singapore and India plan to partner and share knowledge on how to build successful new cities using technology and data, following a recent visit by Singapore’s foreign minister. India’s Budget has just committed to spend US$1.2bn on building 100 new smart cities across the country. The partnership will focus on wat
Singapore and India plan to partner and share knowledge on how to build successful new cities using technology and data, following a recent visit by Singapore's foreign minister. India's Budget has just committed to spend US$1.2bn on building 100 new smart cities across the country.
The partnership will focus on water and port management, and infrastructure development, K Shanmugam, Singapore's foreign minister, has told India's regional press.
Singapore is already involved in a partnership with China for its Tianjin Eco-city, which has helped it to improve the city's quality of environment and green infrastructure. The partnership sets out to build a city that is liveable, environmentally-friendly and resource-efficient, with an estimated population of 350,000 residents by 2020.
Liew Choon Boon, Senior Director in the Eco-city Project Office of Ministry of National Development told FutureGov that “Within a short span of 6 years, Tianjin Eco-city has overcome harsh site conditions and transformed from barren land into its current lush living environment. We are especially proud of Tianjin Eco-city's progress in the area of infrastructure development as all its buildings are certified green.”
He added: “This demonstrates the possibility that it is possible to achieve high economic growth yet keep greenhouse gas emissions low.”
The ultimate vision for the city is to be “a leader in eco-development,” he said. “Given China's renewed priorities in urbanisation and fight against environmental degradation, we are confident that the developmental model of Tianjin Eco-city will be relevant to China's quest.”