This past summer of 2024 I had the good fortune of visiting Singapore, a city-state that challenged my notions of what is possible in a city in multiple ways: If its blending of modernity and tradition was impressive, the diversity of tradition to begin with across the Han, Malay and Tamil ethnic groups was even more so. The Sultan Mosque in Kampong Glam, the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple in Chinatown, and the Sri Veerakaliamman Temple in Little India represented the religions, cultures and architectures of the three groups well. Rather than forming into a homogenous culture, these communities have preserved their unique character while coexisting in harmony through the common language of English and a shared Singaporean identity. Though they had their cultural centers in the city, it was evident observing the demographics of the ample public space that these were not three segregated groups. My first experience with this began in Changi Airport, where the Jewel represented an investment in memorability not just for Singaporeans, but the international travelers passing by the city. Even if I had only had a layover at the airport, I would still have been impressed by Singapore and wanted to see more. Fortunately, I did get to see more: from the opulent Marina Bay to the serene Botanic Gardens and the lively Clarke Quay, I would be hard-pressed to think of a person who would not find something they would enjoy in the city.
An important element in enabling this public space is the Mass Rapid Transit system (MRT), which links the entire country in less than an hour’s commute. Yet despite its highly modern, technological and efficient planning, Singapore also manages to coexist with nature flawlessly, describing itself as a garden city. Many architectural and urban design projects involve vertical gardens, doing away with the distinction between natural and built environment. This integration of nature became particularly impressive to me when for my Freshman Writing Seminar on socioecology, I discovered that more than 95% of the city’s vegetation had been cleared since its colonization by the British in 1819.
Another element of Singaporean urban planning that has enabled its success and which I learned about firsthand from locals is its public housing initiative. This policy completely did away with slums and increased the homeownership rate to one of the highest in the world. A feature of this housing is the ethnic quota system, which combats segregation by seeing that all three ethnic groups are represented in any given block. Though surprised at first, I came to understand this policy well when I saw its effects and compared it to multiethnic contexts in the countries I had lived in. Indeed, I can imagine that in a few generations, the words slum, ghetto, and gentrification will no longer form a part of the Singaporean’s vocabulary.
Though I admittedly did go sightseeing, my fondest memories were of walking through neighborhoods and observing everyday life. I avoided taking the MRT on a couple of occasions, even when it would have been much faster, to enjoy the less touristy areas of the city. On my last day I entered a store after seeing a shirt that caught my attention, but quickly became fixated on the song playing: “We, the citizens of Singapore, pledge ourselves as one united people, regardless of race, language or religion, to build a democratic society based on justice and equality so as to achieve happiness, prosperity and progress for our nation… We are Singapore, Singaporeans.” How could I not fall in love with this city?
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