from the ground Up

During the summits held last week of June, a lot of issues were debated and I wrote some stories, some published, some not, and others still in point form in my notebook.

Here is a write-up of a brief interview I had with urban planning expert Marilyn Taylor of the US-based Urban Land Institute.

[Singapore, 26 June] AS THE world’s urban population rises rapidly, it is crucial that cities learn from each other in order to combat the challenges ahead.
Even a forward-looking country like Singapore cannot stand alone in the face of the global impact of urbanisation and the “trans-border” challenges it triggers, said urban planning expert Marilyn Taylor at the start of the two-day World Cities Summit yesterday.
Ms Taylor, citing an example used by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in his opening speech at the conference yesterday, pointed out that haze pollution is something Singapore cannot control but can work closely with other countries to prevent.
Singapore also has much to offer from its own experience in urban planning, added the former chairman of the United States-based Urban Land Institute in an interview with The Straits Times.
Ms Taylor is also a member of the International Panel of Architects and Urban Planners, set up in 2001 to advise Singapore’s Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) on international best practices and trends in planning and urban design.
“Even with the rapid development of Singapore, the Government was very aware of the limitations of land,” said Ms Taylor.
“There was an ability to balance high density with open, green spaces, which adds to the quality of life, as opposed to making it feel like an imposition.”
Singapore’s successful urban planning is also a result of planners who recognised the importance of seeking constructive criticism.
“Singapore has a willingness to offer itself up to go under the microscope, for others to scrutinise, and that has helped it to develop successfully,” she added.
The country shares with other Asian cities an excitement and optimism of the future, yet also has an international orientation similar to London and New York, said Ms Taylor.
But what sets Singapore apart is this “belief in the public realm, which allows many people to occupy the same space together and enjoy a quality of life”, she added.
Singapore has an ability to invest ahead of demand, she said, something that comes down to having a responsible government.
Other experts speaking at a seminar on “planning for a distinctive and vibrant city” yesterday also underlined this point.
An attractive city requires a public sector that can take responsibility for the effective use of resources, and for building sustainable infrastructure – which will lead to a healthy economy.
Achieving this, however, is is only one part of the story, added Ms Taylor.
Top cities must also define a distinct and authentic identity to be able to retain its people and talent.
Singapore in the 1980s used to bulldoze many old landmarks and this was a worrying trend, said Ms Taylor, who has worked here occasionally over the last two decades as an architect and urban designer.
This has improved since the 1990s, with URA’s conservation drive, she added. About 6,800 buildings here have now been conserved.
“People tend to respond positively to a mix of old and new. Some beautiful cities have a sense of ‘messiness’, with very old elements which turn out to be places that people enjoy, as part of the city’s identity,” she said.
This is one area Singapore could learn from other cities – how to mix the old with the new, the traditional with the modern.
“What may be visual chaos might be the key ingredient in building a distinctive, vibrant city,” she added.

Japanese firm to invest $6m in water R&D centre

JAPANESE firm Nitto Denko announced yesterday that it will invest $6 million here over the next five years in a water research and development (R&D) centre.
The centre – the first of its kind set up by a Japanese firm – will be allied to Singapore’s own growing water-treatment industry and the national water agency PUB.

More (click on link)
1. Regional hub to train urban planners
2. New $440m water fund with Asian focus
3. US giant to build $24m plant here

It says this will help Republic secure position as global clean energy hub

SINGAPORE is taking preliminary steps to set up a “cleantech” park to showcase the country’s burgeoning green energy technologies.
The Economic Development Board (EDB) said yesterday that it is talking to other agencies about the proposal.
The comments came as a high-powered global panel said Singapore could cement its position as a global clean energy hub by setting up just such a cleantech park.
This was one of the key recommendations by a panel of experts which wrapped up its inaugural two-day meeting at the Swissotel in Singapore yesterday.

HDB’s two new projects still oversubscribed but at half the level seen before change of rules

IT LOOKS like the time-wasters have got the message after the Housing Board tightened rules for flat applications.
The launch of 1,485 premium flats in Punggol and Sengkang closed on Wednesday with 4,050 applications – still oversubscribed but at about half the level seen before the new rules kicked in.
Some sales launches had become free-for-alls, with thousands of people who had no real intention of buying still lodging applications just to keep options open.
This was evident in the actual take-up rate for flats, which was sharply lower than the number of applicants.
Apart from creating an administrative headache for the HDB, such frivolous applicants also meant deserving buyers were pushed further back in the queue.

It will conduct more checks to identify those who sublet subsidised flats illegally

THE Housing and Development Board (HDB) is clamping down harder on the abuse of its heavily subsidised rental flats.
Enforcement blitzes to identify illegally rented flats will be stepped up and they will be extended across a wider area of the country, said the HDB yesterday.
Its response comes amid growing disquiet on several fronts about the abuse of subsidised rental housing.
MPs, residents of rental blocks and eligible Singaporeans who feel they have been left in the queue while foreign workers snap up cheap flats have all called for action.

by Jessica Cheam, The Sunday Times, June 1 2008

After a most spectacular year for the en bloc market last year, sales activity has finally frizzled out and for most parties involved, it is a welcome time-out. While property agents may lament the slowdown, one group of home-owners can heave a sigh of relief, as the threat of being forced to sell their homes retreats into oblivion.
Well, for most, anyway.
The recent debacle at the annual general meetings of two of the most iconic condominiums on the East Coast – Bayshore Park and Mandarin Gardens – proves that while the market has gone dead, en bloc woes have not, and will not, go away.
Some points of contention that arose at the meetings were the use of proxy votes to influence decisions, and conflicts of interest arising over the roles of management councils and sales committees.
In the course of my job, I have covered my fair share of en bloc deals, and as a non-partisan observer of proceedings, I have come to one conclusion about the “uniquely Singapore” phenomenon that is the en bloc.
It is ugly. And it brings out the worst in Singaporeans.
Recent developments have also highlighted weaknesses in the law regarding collective sales and a private property owner’s rights. This is despite the tightening of en bloc rules that kicked in last October, which ensure, among other things, that sales committees are properly elected, and collective sales agreements witnessed by lawyers.
This has no doubt cooled the en bloc fever which gripped the nation last year, with a total of 116 collective sales generating record investment sales of $13.64billion.
But some glaring flaws in the en bloc process remain. They include the distribution of sale proceeds, the role of the management council versus the sales committee, and the use of proxy votes at annual and extraordinary meetings.
Let me elaborate.
Firstly, owners should be compensated according to their flat attributes – height, cost of renovation, view.
I have found that pro-en bloc types usually own low-floor units, with average furnishings and view. Anti-en bloc types, by contrast, typically own beautifully renovated top-floor units with stunning views – it is no wonder that these owners want more compensation or refuse to sell, according to how much they have invested in their homes.
Current laws favour the average owner, who receives a pay-out equal to that of his top-floor neighbour, which is obviously unfair and has been the root of many conflicts and arguments.
The Strata Titles Board (STB) has also previously ruled that renovations, along with interest, are not a “deductible expense”, which means your renovations count for nothing in a collective sale.
To create a level playing field, provision should be made so that owners get fair value for their homes, perhaps by a government-appointed independent valuer.
Secondly, the management council and sales committee should be kept separate by law, since the role of the former is to maintain the upkeep of the estate, while the other’s role is to sell it.
Current laws allow a sales committee member to be on the management council as well, but this has caused unhappiness at many estates – not just at Bayshore and Mandarin – where suspicion breeds among residents towards those who carry both positions.
On the issue of proxy votes, it is theoretically democratic. But it also allows decisions to be skewed one way, because residents who want certain things changed will attend meetings and get proxies from similar-minded neighbours to achieve the results they desire.
Meetings currently require only 30per cent of the total share value held by residents of an estate to attend, which enables decisions to be made without majority consent.
This should be looked at. One solution could be to raise the minimum requirement of residents present to 80per cent, or instead to do away with proxy votes altogether so that voting cannot be manipulated – perhaps via an online or e-mail voting system.
My advice in the meantime?
Don’t buy into a strata-titled property if you do not want to be forced to sell your home. Current laws do not ensure you will be able to live in your condominium unit until your dying days – even though, in my opinion, you should be able to.
Most countries in the world allow this basic right, why can’t we?
Perhaps the lawmakers could take some of these issues into consideration when compiling the next set of refinements.
Beyond the economic value of urban rejuvenation or boosting shareholder value for property developers, the en bloc phenomenon has ripped apart the moral fibres and harmony of our society.
Is this a cost our society is willing to pay?
On the one hand, I can sympathise with those who want to sell: they may be approaching retirement, or perhaps have plans to move away, and want to get the best price.
But there are people who have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars beautifying their homes to be their retirement nests, plus those who value the environment they live in beyond any amount of realisable value.
Do the former have the right to determine if the latter lose their homes? Owners still have a choice to sell their homes on the open market.
In terms of “specuvestors” who swoop in to snap up units in the hope of making a quick collective sale buck, their motivation is even more inexcusable. It is okay to want to make money, but do it without hurting someone else.
It’s not just Singaporeans who become embroiled in controversial sales, but also foreigners and permanent residents.
I just hope that my estate never has to go through this nightmare. It is sure to do permanent damage to relationships which have taken years to build up, but which take only a sale notice to destroy.

With office units in short supply, condos make a good option for investors: Analysts

Singapore’s city centre is set to get bigger and bolder in the next decade, with the injection of around 23,000 homes that promise to take the buzz to another level.
And if Singapore’s urban planners have their way, more office buildings will sprout at Marina Bay, along with mixed-use developments in the Beach Road and Ophir-Rochor areas – bringing people closer to their jobs.
All this will come to pass while hotels and lifestyle hot spots in Little India and the Singapore River surroundings ensure that the city teems with activity.
And even if you need a quick getaway from the city’s frenzy, green open spaces such as the upcoming Gardens by the Bay and Esplanade Park are all within walking distance.
This vision for Singapore’s 1,650ha central area was unveiled by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) last week as part of its latest masterplan, which outlines Singapore’s land use over the medium term.
With all these grand plans and more, is it time for investors to hunt within the city for a good buy?
Property experts say this depends on the location of the property, the timing and how quickly URA’s blueprint materialises in the next few years.