COS 2016: Speech by SMS Desmond Lee "Working Together for a Liveable and Innovative Urban Environment"

Apr 11, 2016

Madam,

I will focus on 3 areas:
(a) First, working with the community to rejuvenate and transform our heartlands;
(b) Second, enhancing greenery in our City in a Garden; and
(c) Third, partnering the construction industry to transform the way we build our city.

Partnering the Community to Rejuvenate our Heartlands

Minister Lawrence Wong earlier described how newer HDB towns, such as Bidadari, Tampines North and Tengah, will be better designed. At the same time, we have been Remaking Our Heartland, under a programme started in 2007 with that name, to rejuvenate and transform our older estates.

At Dawson Estate in Queenstown, one of our oldest HDB towns, new public housing is set within a park environment.

(a) But heritage elements of old Dawson are being preserved.
(b) For example, the former wet market at Block 38 Commonwealth Avenue has been conserved and will be refurbished to house retail shops.

Over in Yishun, residents can look forward to a new integrated development comprising:
(a) shops,
(b) an air-conditioned bus interchange,
(c) a community club and Town Plaza,
all of which will add greater buzz to the town centre.

In Bedok, with the Outdoor Play Corridor:
(a) residents and park users will be able to cycle seamlessly from East Coast Park,
(b) through the Bedok Town Centre,
(c) all the way to the Bedok Reservoir by next year.

If you’ve been to Jurong East recently, you would have seen the transformation of the Jurong Gateway area,
(a) with the opening of commercial malls next to the MRT station;
(b) and two hospitals, Ng Teng Fong Hospital and Jurong Community Hospital.
(c) The Jurong Lake GardensWest, part of our 3rd National Gardens, will also be completed in two years’ time.

Ms Cheryl Chan suggested that agencies involve local communities more during town design, especially for mature estates.

We fully recognize this. Last year, we shared our plans to rejuvenate Woodlands, Pasir Ris and Toa Payoh under the Remaking Our Heartland 3 programme.
(a) Over the course of one year, HDB connected with some 400 residents and local stakeholders in these towns to consult them on preliminary concepts.
(b) It was a very fruitful exercise.
i. Some residents from Woodlands hoped that their town remains green, and asked for a larger community space within Woodlands Central.
ii. Pasir Ris residents requested for a rejuvenated Town Centre and for the existing parks and commercial spaces to be upgraded.
iii. Toa Payoh residents desired a balance between older and newer developments, and for a greener and even more senior-friendly environment.
(c) HDB has been refining these proposals based on these ideas and suggestions.
(d) The preliminary proposals are exciting, and they cover three broad themes, namely Identity, Public Spaces and Connectivity. Let me briefly elaborate.

For Woodlands Town, Residents can look forward to a transformed Woodlands Waterfront with interesting landscaping. In addition, within Woodlands Central, there will be a town plaza, which will offer a sizable space for various large scale activities, including those for the community.

For Pasir Ris, we plan to introduce a mixed-use development integrated with a new bus interchange in the town centre, and upgrade the parks in the town.

In Toa Payoh, we are looking to revamp the pedestrian mall in Toa Payoh Town Centre, with more greenery, rest areas and covered shopping streets at selected stretches, for residents to enjoy, even when it rains! We will also introduce dedicated cycling paths throughout the town to improve connectivity.

Enhancements to the Revitalisation of Shops (ROS) Scheme

Let me now move on to our HDB shops and the Revitalisation of Shops Scheme, or ROS, which a number of members have asked about. Since 2007, the scheme has benefitted about half of all HDB shops in town and neighbourhood centres, with upgraded shop fronts and funding support for business promotional activities.

Last year, we announced that we would revise or review the ROS scheme. HDB shops play an important role in building our heartland communities, and we want to support them better.

(a) As Mr Saktiandi said, they make our estates a much livelier place to live in.
(b) They are where we buy our daily necessities and groceries; where we get our nasi lemak, chicken rice or kopi-o.
(c) And the shopkeepers in our heartlands are often familiar faces that we grow up with.

In carrying out the review, we consulted the heartland retail community.

(a) We set up the Revitalisation of Heartland Shops Committee, comprising representatives from various Merchants Associations (MAs), retailers and grassroots organisations, to tap on their experience.
(b) We also conducted focus group discussions with MAs across the island, to hear their views.

I thank the Committee, previously under the leadership of Mr Lee Yi Shyan, for their many suggestions.

We have evaluated suggestions carefully. And this is what we plan to do:
(a) First, for upgrading works under ROS, we will adjust the co-funding ratio between Government, the HDB shopkeeper and the Town Council. What this means is that our shopkeepers pay less, while Government and Town Councils pay more.
(b) Second, we will provide some start-up funding to support the formation of new Merchants’ Associations.
(c) HDB will announce the details before launching the next batch of ROS soon.

Our review is still continuing, and there may be more in the pipeline.
(a) For instance, we are collaborating with MTI and SPRING to explore other areas of support for our local HDB heartland shops.
(b) We are also studying very carefully whether to introduce a requirement for polling for ROS upgrading. Let me explain:
i. Mr Ang Wei Neng makes a valid point that one of the challenges preventing higher take-up of ROS upgrading is the need for unanimous, or near unanimous support from shop owners before upgrading works can commence.
ii. One possible solution is to set a threshold – if a certain percentage of shop owners polled want ROS upgrading, then this binds all the shops in the neighbourhood centre.
iii. On the other hand, some retailers have also shared that upgrading works are less useful to them.
iv. Therefore, while they understand it could benefit other retailers and residents, they were less inclined to support the programme.
v. So we are looking carefully at whether we should make legislative amendments to make polling a requirement.

Ms Cheryl Chan said we should ensure a right mix of businesses in the heartlands, and asked whether SMEs and start-ups can be encouraged to set up shops there.
(a) In fact, we are already seeing a trend of an increasing number of young entrepreneurs setting up shops in the heartlands, such as ice cream parlours, artisan bakeries and hipster cafes.
(b) HDB is also partnering MTI and SPRING to tap current schemes to better support these young entrepreneurs.

Green spaces for the community, by the community

Immersive greenery for liveability

As we rejuvenate our heartlands and develop our urban spaces, we must also remember that we are special because we are a City in a Garden.

Let me now move on to the second of my three points. Not only do we have an extensive network of parks and park connectors, we’ve also incorporated greenery wherever we can, from walls to rooftops, to make it pervasive.

But we can do better. Let me outline briefly some ways.

Community-centric greenery

First, we will make our parks more community-centric.

In the next few years, we will continue to roll-out inclusive playgrounds in our parks.
(a) They enable all kids to have fun together, whether they are physically able or have disability.
(b) The first was launched last year at Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park with the support of the National Council of Social Services.
(c) NParks will launch eight more in the next few years.

We will also use greenery as therapy, especially for seniors.
(a) A study conducted by NParks and the National University Health System (NUHS) showed improved mental health in participants who participated in ‘horticultural therapy’.
(b) Seniors and their caregivers can look forward to an upcoming network of therapeutic gardens, with contemplative spaces and activity zones, to support dementia and post-stroke patients.

Second, with rapid urbanisation, we recognise that Singaporeans are also concerned about green spaces rich in our cultural and natural heritage.

Community-driven greenery

One such space is the Rail Corridor. Ms Low Yen Ling had asked about URA’s plans for the development of the old Bukit Timah Fire Station as a key attraction and gateway to the Rail Corridor.

Indeed, the winning proposal for URA’s Request for Proposals last year shows how we can sensitively adapt the former Bukit Timah Fire Station as a hub for nature activities, to provide seamless access to the nearby Nature Parks and the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve.

As we implement these plans, we want to

(a) involve people who live, work and play along the Corridor,
(b) and create opportunities for them to lead community-based initiatives along the Rail Corridor.

This is why URA recently embarked on an unprecedented effort to consult residents along the Corridor, from Tanjong Pagar Railway Station in the south to Kranji in the north, through a series of local exhibitions and dedicated workshops.
(a) Residents told us about the types of trails and landscapes they wanted to see,
(b) and how to retain its rustic charm while making improvements so it can be enjoyed by all Singaporeans.
(c) Many workshop participants also tried their hand at master-planning, drawing out their own ideas for each area. So different residents with different interests had to debate and discuss with each other.

With such localised feedback, URA and the designers will review and refine our current plans to make the Rail Corridor an inclusive green space, with the community as active stewards.

Another area is the Sembawang Hot Springs.

(a) Dr Lim Wee Kiak asked if it can be developed into a park.
(b) As he rightly pointed out, the springs have an interesting history and are currently on MINDEF land.
(c) We are studying if we can sensitively enhance the area, in line with existing natural features, heritage and land use.
(d) Where possible, we want to retain and enhance such places, with the community, for everyone to enjoy.

Community stewardship of greenery

Beyond creating new green spaces with the community, we also want to support ground-up greening efforts. Today, we have about 1,000 Community in Bloom (CIB) gardens and 20,000 community gardeners.

Some of these gardeners have gone the extra mile, contributing their harvests to disadvantaged families in the neighbourhood. Others use the gardens as an outdoor classroom, to teach the younger generation about nature and how life used to be like in the past, passing down knowledge and values along the way.

The CIB programme is no longer just about spreading the love of gardening, but also the spirit of neighbourliness. They are about how communities come together to generate a greater social good.

We’ve seen organic communities form at other parks too. Brisk walkers, joggers, exercise groups, cyclists, nature lovers, heritage buffs, educators, and so on. And that’s why NParks launched the Friends of the Park scheme two weeks ago. Through this, volunteers can be even more involved in our parks, for example by organising their own activities and partnering NParks in park management.

We are happy to have some of our long-time volunteers step up to lead these communities. For example, Mr Sivasothi will chair the community for the Friends of Chestnut Nature Park, which we just opened. Well-known in the nature fraternity, he has been volunteering for over 20 years, conducting coastal clean-ups and nature walks. He is also an avid cyclist. We are grateful to have him on-board.

Over time, I believe we will see more people like him coming forward, to jointly create and sustain a green and liveable environment for all Singaporeans.

Partnering the industry for a better built environment

Coming to my third plank of my speech, so this spirit of partnership I spoke about earlier to rejuvenate our heartlands and enhance our green spaces also extends to our ongoing efforts to transform our built environment sector and how we build our city of the future.

Over the years, we have progressively raised the professionalism, safety and quality in the sector through initiatives such as licensing builders, regulating buildability, and raising workmanship quality through CONQUAS and Quality Mark. From 2010, we have also put in significant effort and resources to raise construction productivity.

The transformation that we are seeking is slowly taking shape.

(a) The level of prefabrication for building structural systems and wall systems has increased significantly.
(b) Safety and quality will also be enhanced with more prefabrication.
(c) Site productivity, or the amount of floor area completed per man day, has steadily increased by an average of 1.3% per year since 2009.
(d) In fact, for the last 2 years, we saw a 2.0% annual improvement.
(e) While this is positive, we should make a big push for even higher productivity gains over the next five years.

Vision

Our vision of the future built environment sector is one that is efficient and collaborative, where industry stakeholders jointly go through the design and construction of a project in virtual reality first to finalise details and minimise abortive works.

The building components are then manufactured and prefinished offsite in factories and then transported onsite for clean and quiet assembly. Meanwhile, autonomous drones are used to complete other tasks concurrently.

Our built environment sector of the future will be one that is highly advanced, highly skilled and highly integrated. Buildings will be constructed faster with higher quality and lower impact on the surrounding neighbourhood.

As both Engineer Dr Lee Bee Wah and Mayor Teo Ho Pin have rightly pointed out, the Government has to very closely partner the industry and the entire eco-system if we are to effectively change the way we build, because there are different industry players involved in every project – developers, consultants, architects, contractors, sub-contractors, and there are many moving parts. Jobs will have to be re-designed and processes will have to evolve and change as part of the transformation. Critically, there needs to be more collaboration between key stakeholders upstream, as Engineer Dr Lee quite rightly pointed out. Everyone has to play their part and be prepared to break out of our comfort zones.

To date, we have seen a handful of projects in the public and private sectors adopting the Design for Manufacturing and Assembly approach, or DfMA, and embracing game-changing technology.

NTU’s North Hill – a hostel, and OUE’s Crowne Plaza Extension were the first projects to adopt PPVC or Prefabricated Prefinished Volumetric Construction in Singapore.

Such projects can be built quite quickly, with less disamenity to people living and working in the surroundings because the modules – the entire rooms so to speak, are prefabricated, sometimes with all finishes and fittings complete, before being brought on site for installation.

But besides PPVC, there are many other productive technologies on the DfMA spectrum that the industry can adopt as Engineer Dr Lee mentioned. These include as advanced precast, structural steel and cross laminated timber, which can bring about productivity gains and a reduction in manpower as compared to traditional methods.

Challenges

At the same time, we recognise that there are challenges. Workforce upgrading, regulatory hurdles, and logistics issues are some of the teething problems that the early adopters have faced. We value the industry’s feedback and will do what we can to help the industry quickly overcome this learning curve. So, let me share some of the work in progress.

Construction Productivity and Capability Fund

First, we have set up the Construction Productivity and Capability Fund, or CPCF, and set aside a total of $885 million, over two tranches, to help firms raise their productivity in the immediate term. Today, over 8000 firms have already tapped onto this fund to either invest in more productive technologies, mechanise their processes or upskill their workforce.

Capability Building

BCA has also formulated a Sectoral Manpower Plan to ensure that future manpower demand can be met. With the support of our firms, we will continue to attract, retain and upgrade our workforce.

For example, companies can partner BCA in its suite of scholarship and sponsorship programmes which aims to bring in new Singaporean entrants to the built environment sector.

(a) More than 2,000 students and job-seekers have been brought in through these programmes since 2010.

Further, through Earn-and-Learn Programmes under SkillsFuture, our diploma and ITE graduates can continue learning while working – through on-the-job training, mentorship and upgrading courses.

BCA also works closely with the industry associations such as SCAL to conduct regular Productivity Clinics since 2011.

(a) About 350 companies have benefitted from these one-on-one sessions with BCA as they embarked on their productivity journey.

Clearing the way for industry

To encourage the wider adoption of DfMA and Virtual Design and Construction, or VDC, and smoothen their implementation, we have taken the lessons learnt from the early adopters and set up a taskforce to look at building up an ecosystem. Dr Teo Ho Pin spoke earlier about having a whole-of-ecosystem steering committee and here we have set up a taskforce to drive the entire eco-system. The industry will be consulted on its recommendations as part of the process.

We have also reviewed regulatory requirements where necessary.

(a) For example, SCDF has relaxed height requirements for the majority of Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) building use types from 12 metres to 24 metres.
(b) To facilitate optimal design for prefabrication and modularisation, LTA is reviewing requirements for the escort of oversized loads being transported, without compromising road safety.
(c) We are also considering setting aside land for PPVC production in Singapore.

To fast track the regulatory approval process for innovative technologies new to Singapore, we have set up the multi-agency Building Innovation Panel since 2011.

R&D Roadmap

For the long term, we are scanning the horizon for potential technologies and new ideas.
(a) A Construction Productivity R&D Roadmap is currently being developed together with industry players and will be launched in the second half of this year.
(b) Promising areas include 3-D printing, robotics, info-comm technologies (ICT) and data analytics in the built environment sector.
(c) The Roadmap will help guide our R&D efforts for the sector and can provide valuable insights for the Committee on the Future Economy.

Just like how prefabrication and precast have now become prevalent, we can expect DfMA and VDC to become the norm in future. With the public sector leading the way and closely partnering the industry, I am confident that our vision of a highly integrated, advanced and skilled built environment sector is achievable.

Addressing other cuts

Let me now briefly address the remaining cuts.

On the Lift Upgrading Programme, Mr Png had mentioned some concerns about Block 314, which I presume is in his area. Please raise it to HDB or MND so that we can have a better look.

Mr Low Thia Khiang spoke about lift maintenance, lift parts and lift breakdowns. On lift breakdowns, there is a tele-monitoring system in every lift in HDB which provides data remotely to Town Councils so you can establish the cause of the fault. So I urge members to take a look at the Town Council data to have a sense of what the cause of these lift breakdowns are. Some of them could be the nature of the use of the lift, some could be the frequency of the Town Council maintenance regime or the capability or competence of the engineers they engaged, amongst other reasons. So I think it is good to drill down and analyse what the problems are.

As for the cost of maintenance which Mr Low said is high as some parts are owned by lift manufacturers, this is something that depends on the complexity of the parts. There are over 20 lift brands used in HDB estates – with a variety of parts, and small parts or simpler parts that can be manufactured by others, to those that are more specialised and specific to the lift. Mr Low also talked about the high costs of lift maintenance and replacement.

MND is reviewing ways to help Town Councils to better manage their lifts, and to plan ahead for the lift replacement needs. Given that lift replacement is a major Sinking Fund expenditure, Town Councils should monitor their long-term financial sufficiency. MND is also considering ring-fencing part of the Town Councils’ Sinking Funds to cater for such expenditures. Even so, my ministry has provided Town Councils with additional assistance schemes. For instance, in Sep 2014, HDB rolled out the Selective Lift Replacement Programme (SLRP) to help Town Councils replace older lifts that lack key features such as energy efficient motors, infra-red door safety sensors and vision panels found in modern ones.

Mr Low also asked about the outcomes of the Greenprint programme. HDB launched the first two HDB Greenprint projects at Yuhua in 2012, and Teck Ghee in 2015 respectively to introduce sustainable living concepts into existing HDB estates. The Yuhua project was just completed last November, and we are still assessing the effectiveness of the project, the components of the project including the pneumatic waste system that Mr Low brought up. Based on HDB’s preliminary survey, Yuhua residents welcome the green features, including the secured bicycle parking and hobby farming zones.

Mr Low also asked if the Pneumatic Waste Conveyance System will be extended to all suitable HDB estates. We plan to do so in new BTO developments where viable, including in Tampines North and Punggol Northshore. It may be more challenging to do so in existing older estates, due to site constraints and high costs, but we will assess the performance of the system at Yuhua first before deciding on the next step.

Finally, Mr Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap asked about cases involving GRA (Goodwill repair system) in his constituency. I listened to what he said, and I think it would be better if he raises specific cases to us, for us to be better able to assess what the problem is.

Closing

Sir, engagement takes time and effort. Working with diverse stakeholders, especially those with conflicting viewpoints, may not be the fastest way of getting things done, but it is necessary if we are to ensure that:
(a) we as Singaporeans take ownership of the kind of Singapore we want for ourselves and our children,
(b) that we hear and understand the differences in views from the diversity of interests making up our plural society,
(c) and respect the choices then made to create not only a liveable environment but also a sustainable one.

I believe the process of engagement, collaboration and joint stewardship can bring us closer together as a national community, as a plural but cohesive nation. This must be the foundation upon which a better, brighter future will be built in the decades to come. Thank you.