NUS partners government agencies to study sustainable development

09 Sep 2009

NUS has inked Research Collaboration Agreements to study issues on sustainable urban development with the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) in collaboration with the Housing Development Board (HDB), Land Transport Authority (LTA) and National Parks Board (NParks) on 8 September 2009.

Funded by a total of $7 million from the Ministry of National Development Research Fund, the seven research projects will be conducted over a period of three years. The research initiative is one of the proposals in Singapore's Blueprint for Sustainability, which include strategies and initiatives for Singapore to achieve economic growth and a good living environment over the next two decades.

On the objectives of conducting the research projects, URA Chief Executive Officer Mrs Cheong Koon Hean said: "The research studies will seek to discover new insights, initiatives and strategies that can be applied to our planning processes, policies and development plans for Singapore. As part of the research, we will also identify and analyse existing best practices around the world and see how we can adapt these to improve our sustainability strategies."

NUS Deputy President (Research and Technology) Prof Barry Halliwell said: "Taken together, these projects will examine critical aspects of city living from a multi-disciplinary perspective, and will seek to improve city efficiency, functionality, liveability and quality of life. Insights from these projects will help us better understand and prepare for more intensive urban growth and development in Singapore in the future." He added that he hoped that the outcomes will be applicable to other cities in Asia and elsewhere.

The research projects are conducted by Principal Investigators from NUS and are being coordinated by the Centre for Sustainable Asian Cities, School of Design and Environment, NUS. The NUS researchers will draw on the specialised knowledge of academics from overseas tertiary institutions which include the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the University of Kassel in Germany as well as the Yale University and the University of Cambridge.

The research projects are:

• Benchmarks, Best Practices & Framework for Sustainable Urban Development & Cities
  PI: Prof Heng Chye Kiang, Dean, School of Design and Environment, NUS.
  Lead organisations: URA and NParks. Partner Agency: HDB.
• Climatic Mapping Studies
  PI: Associate Professor Wong Nyuk Hien, Department of Building, School of Design and Environment, NUS.
  Lead organisation: URA. Partner Agency: HDB.
• Urban Greenery Studies
  PI: Associate Professor Hugh T W Tan, Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, NUS.
  Lead organisation: NParks. Partner Agencies: HDB and URA.
• Urban Space Studies
  PI: Assistant Professor Hee Limin, Department of Architecture, School of Design and Environment NUS.
  Lead organisation: URA. Partner Agencies: HDB and NParks.
• Urban Transport Modelling
  PI: Associate Professor Lee Der-Horng, Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, NUS.
  Lead organisations: LTA and URA. Partner Agency: HDB.
• Sustainable Housing Typologies
  PI: Professor Heng Chye Kiang, Dean, School of Design and Environment, NUS; Dr Malone-Lee Lai Choo, Director of Centre for Sustainable Asian Cities, School of Design and Environment, NUS.
  Lead organisation: URA. Partner Agency: HDB.
• Urban Metabolism
  PI: Dr Kua Harn Wei, Department of Building, School of Design and Environment, NUS.
  Lead organisation: URA. Partner Agency: HDB.