Learning "Sustainable Urban Development" from Singapore's Urban Development and Environmental Design (Part 1)

What perspectives and ideas are essential for realizing a sustainable society? To find clues, members of Dentsu Inc.'s Sustainability Consulting Office, which supports companies in creating sustainable business, visit next-generation opinion leaders for insights. For the second installment, Ryusuke Nanki from the Sustainability Consulting Office interviewed Kenya Endo, a landscape architect active in both practice and education in Singapore, a city championing the 'Garden City' concept of harmony with greenery. This interview is presented in two parts.

Moving from "confronting nature" to "working with nature" in urban planning

Nanki: Mr. Endo, you've long worked as a landscape architect focused on Singapore, creating urban environments in harmony with nature. You currently serve as a lecturer in the Department of Architecture at the National University of Singapore. Actually, we've been friends since junior high school. I studied architecture and have been involved in design and construction projects at Dentsu Inc. I design commercial facilities and school spaces, direct architecture for kindergartens, and work on urban development and station projects in the Sustainability Consulting Office. There's some overlap with Endo-san's work, so I was really looking forward to talking with him today. First, could you tell us what a landscape architect actually does?

Endo: What most people probably think of first is someone who designs outdoor spaces like parks, plazas, and gardens—places with water and greenery where people can freely enjoy themselves. In Japan, this might correspond to the term "landscape designer." However, over the past 20 years or so, the mindset has shifted. A trend has emerged that emphasizes sustainability and ecological perspectives, effectively incorporating nature's diverse forces into urban development. Consequently, it's no longer just about designing outdoor spaces; perspectives like infrastructure development and integration with medium-to-long-term urban planning have become essential. My work has also become increasingly complex, requiring me to consider diverse elements.

Nanki: So, while urban development was once carried out in isolation from nature, current urban development aims to integrate with nature and utilize it effectively. You describe this shift as moving "from confronting nature to 'appeasing' it," correct?

Endo: My research focuses on landscape and disaster prevention, which naturally led to that phrasing. Traditional urban development reset the original natural environment—for example, by concreting riverbanks. But such places become static and uninspiring, and eventually, nature strikes back with a vengeance. I believe both urban development and infrastructure construction are beginning to shift "from confronting nature to appeasing nature" after turning points like disasters. Even international financial institutions funding development now prioritize resilience and sustainability, increasingly valuing designs that harmonize with nature. In Southeast Asian cities, where development potential is vast and progress occurs at a dizzying pace, I believe development will proceed with a fundamentally different approach—one emphasizing sustainability from the outset—distinct from that of developed nations like Japan or the West. I sense a growing urgency that Japan must not fall behind this trend.

"Garden City" as a Branding Strategy for International Competitiveness

Nanki: Singapore has been promoting urban greening since the 1960s under a state-led "Garden City" initiative. Its most compelling feature is the beautiful landscape where greenery and buildings blend seamlessly through rooftop and vertical greening.

Endo: Singapore is said to be one of the world's most densely green cities. In the early stages of the Garden City concept, the primary goal seemed to be improving the city's appearance for external presentation. The focus was simply on increasing the quantity of greenery. However, around the 1990s, the phase shifted towards pursuing quality. It moved beyond merely having abundant greenery as a landscape feature towards creating spaces where citizens could interact with nature, feel its nourishment, and live enriched lives. Now, it's evolving further toward incorporating nature's inherent principles into the city. For example, by planting a mix of native species—from tall to short—along roadside trees, a "corridor" is created where diverse organisms can pass through. Or, projects to renovate concrete-lined urban rivers into so-called "multi-natural" rivers are another example. This approach contributes to biodiversity while reducing unnecessary maintenance and mitigating the urban heat island effect. The current trend is to skillfully incorporate natural systems to achieve such multifaceted benefits. Singapore may be a country that effectively puts the opening phrase into practice.

Nanki: "Garden City" has become a symbol of Singapore and seems to define the identity of its residents. What was the original purpose behind this approach to urban development in harmony with nature?

Endo: As a resource-poor nation, Singapore's leaders possess an acute sense of urgency about enhancing the city's international competitiveness. Since "people are the resource," they constantly focus on elevating Singapore's appeal to attract top talent globally. I believe that skillfully integrating greenery and water into Singapore's urban fabric, creating an environment where people can feel close to nature, is part of this strategy. In other words, the "Garden City" concept is both Singapore's growth strategy and its branding.

Singapore: Top-Down, Experimental Greening Projects

Nanki: It's fascinating how Singapore is essentially experimenting with ways to integrate nature's functions into the city, isn't it?

Endo: I think this is possible precisely because Singapore is a highly agile city-state. That agility likely allows them to boldly undertake government-led, high-risk large-scale projects. In fact, even with rooftop greening alone, there are still many unknowns: what kind of soil and plants are suitable, how much the thermal environment improves as a result, and what level of benefit developers actually gain. In Singapore, they actively pursue such projects experimentally, gather feedback, and apply it to subsequent projects. It appears they engage in this kind of positive trial and error.

Nanki: So Singapore's sustainable development approach is about creating more attractive cities by refining precision through repeated experimentation, right?

Endo: Landscape architecture is a profession inherently tied to development. It's not just about protecting the natural environment. Whether you're a designer, someone monitoring precision, or a policy maker advancing plans, having a sustainable mindset is fundamentally the same as considering urban development from a landscape perspective. Living in Japan, where population decline is a problem, it's easy to forget, but most countries in the world are still developing. Southeast Asia still needs development, and this will continue. I think the importance of landscape architecture is growing precisely because we need to consider how to pursue sustainable development within this context.

In Part 1, we discussed the shift from confronting nature in urban planning to "appeasing" nature, Singapore's harmonious urban development under its "Garden City" vision, and experimental greening projects. In Part 2, we ask Mr. Endo about key points for future urban planning and corporate sustainability initiatives.