S'pore emerges as most liveable Asian city in new Global Liveable Cities Index

Singapore has emerged as the most liveable Asian city in a new index. It was ranked third worldwide coming in behind Geneva and Zurich in the Global Liveable Cities Index.

Published by Singapore's Centre for Liveable Cities, the index looked at 64 cities including 36 from Asia.

When it comes to liveability, Singapore has been ranked up there with some of Europe's best cities.

In individual rankings, it came in first for domestic security and stability and third for good governance and leadership.

And it ranked 5th for economic vibrancy and quality of life.

Prestigious award for Southern Ridges Trail

In the citation, the jury - made up of real estate professionals, planners and architects - was especially impressed by how a rare recreational space was created in a densely populated city-state and how it has 'moved the concept of green links and neighbourhood parks to a new level'.

The URA will go on to compete at the global awards later this year.

Besides the Southern Ridges, condominium Newton Suites by the UOL Group was also selected as one of the winners from 35 entries.

The 118-unit eco-friendly tower has features like sun shading, rooftop plants, cross-ventilation and a green wall spanning the height of the building.

The URA is not new to the ULI Awards, having won the global award in 2006 for its conservation programme and the Asia-Pacific award in 2008 for its master planning of the Bras Basah and Bugis area.

Both Henderson Waves and Alexandra Arch have won architectural and engineering awards here and overseas.

Since its opening in May 2008, the Southern Ridges has drawn an additional 50,000 visitors a month.

Shenzhen wants to be clean, just like Singapore

The Chinese city of Shenzhen has chosen Singapore to be its guiding light in environmental improvements, particularly public sanitation, Chinese and Hong Kong newspapers have reported.

A Singapore consultancy company had earlier spent two years working with the southern boomtown's environment and sanitation bureau and compiled a report on the challenges it faced and how they should be tackled.

Shenzhen has also sent officials to Singapore on study trips in its ambitious aim to turn itself into a garden city like the Republic, the paper added.

Last month, the city announced it would continue hiring a Singapore consultancy to help it in its public sanitation quest.

As Shenzhen will be celebrating next year its 30th anniversary as a special economic zone - a designation that helped it become a modern investment hub, it is now keener than ever to move closer to Singapore's environmental standards hoping to achieve a drastic change in image by then.

Most of the changes being carried out are refurbishment and upgrading works, such as repainting the facades of buildings along the thoroughfares and re-fashioning rooftops of high-rises, like what is often done in Singapore's housing estates.

Shenzhen also wants to learn from Singapore's experience in involving the private sector in sanitation and private sector in sanitation and garbage management, and how it put and runs a mechanised public sanitation system.

Guangdong's acting Mayor Mr Wang Rong decided that it should learn from Singapore.

Mr Wang was previously the party boss of Suzhou, where he was very much exposed to Singapore's ways of management in the Suzhou Industrial Park, in which the Republic holds sizeable stakes.

Explaining why Shenzhen did not choose neighbouring Hong Kong as its model, Mr Hu Zhen Hua, a spokesman for the city's urban management bureau, said: "Hong Kong is the efficiency expert, but Singapore is a unique garden city, and nobody would be better than Singapore for environmental improvement."

The Sunday Times (15 Nov 2009)