Singapore’s master urban planner, Liu Thai Ker, has 2 regrets for the city state’s land-use
- Liu Thai Ker, considered the architect of modern Singapore, helped build public housing flats and oversaw the development of the city’s land-use plans
Towering skyscrapers, candy-coloured public housing blocks, and lush green spaces – Singapore has long been recognised for its meticulous urban planning.
The city state is home to a population of 5.9 million people despite spanning just 284 square miles, and much of the credit for the city’s layout goes to Liu Thai Ker, 86, an urban planner who’s often considered the architect of modern Singapore.
During his time at the Housing Development Board, (HDB), Liu oversaw the building of 20 new towns and over half a million housing units in the city. In the late 80s and early 90s, he also served as the chief planner of the Urban Redevelopment Authority, where he developed Singapore’s land-use plans.
And yet, Liu has said he has two regrets about how Singapore was planned.
“When I was in the HDB, I raised the issue of planning bicycle paths for citizens,” Liu said.
“At that time, my colleagues and I had several discussions, but eventually decided against it due to Singapore’s tropical climate, which we felt would be too hot for cycling.”
The Singapore government is planning to double the city’s existing cycling network by 2030.