SSA s1 UrbanDev Urban development & Biophyscial Environment in S'pore

SSA2215 Summary Notes (1) © Lim Fang Jeng

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Urban Development & the Biophysical Environment

- Almost Half of the population of the world is urbanized - In 50 years time, 2/3 of the population will be living in cities

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- Deteriorating living conditions (often caused by ecosystem imbalance, pollution, etc) - Inability in handling urban spaces

Environmental Issues due to Urbanisation

- Encroachment of farmland – Removing of farms to develop the particular region - Pollutions (air, water, soil, etc)

- Natural disaster

- Deteriorating Quality of Life – Living conditions

- Consumption of large amount of energy and raw materials

Reasons for Environment Problems

- Unsuitable locations

- City grows beyond the suitable land - Inappropriate planning & management - Human activities

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- A complex system consists of social, economic, physical and biological factors

- Urbanization will bring in effect of the elements the atmosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere and the biosphere.

- Showing interactions between city, human environment and biophysical environment

Biophysical Environment

- Physical environment

o Buildings, rivers, hills, etc - Biological environment

o Human, organisms, ecosystem, plants, animals, etc

Role of Biophysical Environments

- In urban planning, nature processes and cycles are the dominating factors in urban planning Gaseous layer that surrounds the earth

All living organisms on earth

Waters constitutes. Eg, ocean, rivers, etc.

Solid earth and solid platform for life layer

SSA2215 Summary Notes (1) © Lim Fang Jeng

2 | P a g e

- Bedrock geology, climate, hydrology, animals, plants, etc form the basis for urban planning

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o Pre-1819 (Sir Stamford Raffles arrival)

 Full of tropical rainforests and Kampung (1000 – 1700 pop.) o 1819 – 1960 ( Colonial Period)

 Plantations

 Minor urban development o _{1960 ~}

 Rapid urban development, already became Global city - Singapore:

o High population density (6000 /km²⁾ o Well- managed and planned city o Humid tropical environment - Landscape transformation

o Changes in land use

o Alteration of topography (New construction building) o Impounding rivers ( Building reservoirs)

o Canalizing streams & rivers to drains and canals o Coastal development (Land reclamation) - Urban planning in S pore

o The Raffles Plan

 Network of roads are built

 Ethnic distribution population defined in town o The Master Plan

 Identified different parts of island for different landuse purposes

 Nature Reserves and reservoirs are built o The Singapore Green Plan 2012

 To build a sustainable environment for generations to come

 Garden City, City in a Garden

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- High soil erosions rates, frequent slope failures - Lack of fresh water resources

- Water & Air pollution - Floods in lower land

- Waste management (Semakau Landfill)

Individually, built environment and natural environment cannot co-exist. It s just the matter of how we manage it. There will be one environment dominant over another if balance is not being made.

A balance is needed, this is the dream of Singapore after all. Slowly, more environmental friendly products have been produced such as GreenEngine, Green Freeze, etc.