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SINGAPORE:
Urbanization 50 YEARS INTO THE FUTURE

long-term comprehensive planning of the run out of spaces to expand. They will then take on vertical Blockchain
city of the future, the country has been able expansion. The mode of transportation in such cases will be by Technology in Finance
to overcome its geographic disadvantages air. The Government of Singapore has already started testing
and become a leader in global commerce. the prospect of advanced drone programs for the future. To smoothen the development trajectory, a
But what exactly is it like to live in Drones are already being used for cargo delivery. These drones well-functioning financial market is a
Singapore? How does a 4-hour flight from are built with multiple aerospace grade navigation systems so must. Without the provision of bank loans
Dhaka take you 50 years ahead to the that if one of the drones malfunctions, the others can reach and transaction facilities, investors might
future? We explore, one by one, how the the destination properly. deem a site unprofitable. For Singapore,
city has pushed its limited resources the financial sector alone makes up 12% of
beyond its limits and turned it into Vertical Farming GDP. To make the process faster and well
something grandiose. protected from hackers, Singapore has
While the whole world ponders upon food scarcity, Singapore started using a blockchain technology
Modern Housing has come up with innovative, self-sustaining solutions. named Project Ubin. Blockchain technology
‘Sustenir’, a controlled agricultural farm in Singapore,
Tasked with the responsibility of creating simulates outdoor environments inside concrete buildings. is fast, save, and convenient for overseas
transaction. Traditionally, banks keep their
sustainable and manageable housing Plants grown inside this closed artificial ecosystem receive transaction records on their own
spaces for 5.7 million people, Singapore’s neither sunlight, nor soil. Instead, scientists control the centralized ledger, but Ubin keeps them in
Housing and Development Board (HDB) has humidity, temperature, carbon-dioxide saturation etc. and a blockchain making identical copies of the
already provided living solutions to many. produce different kinds of plants that vary in tastes. It is record and distributes them through a
But now they want to step up a gear and predicted that this type of farming is the future, and that the network of computers around the world. If
search for complex, hi-tech solutions for a idea will be replicated in all in any case a copy does not match with
better environment. Dr. Cheong Koon Hean, developed cities. others, it is rejected. For a hacker to break
Chief Executive Officer of HDB, emphasizes Accommodating But these advancements will into the system, they would need to
on design decisions that incorporate large this many urban be futile in the long run if simultaneously attack all the computers in
openings for increased ventilation. dwellers efficiently people are unable to live a life the blockchain network, which is virtually
Singapore has also reclaimed parts of the long and healthy enough to impossible.
sea to increase its land mass. The and equitably may enjoy the amenities the city
ever-famous Marina Bay is one of the most be an arduous task, has to offer. One of the most Medical and
successful engineering projects of our time. and brings major health concerns the city
It attracts businesses and Michelin star has been increasingly dealing Technological
restaurants to strike official deals amidst additional with is diabetes. An ageing Advancement
the grandeur of the city, and tourists to concerns of demographic further
behold in awe, the progressive emotion the detrimental effects exacerbates the problem. The Singapore has estabilished itself as a
city has to offer. city, however, has brought global medical hub, housing innovative
Over the years, experts in Singapore looked of technology science to its aid. Dr. Lee Mun technologies, well-trained doctors, and
for alternative ways to expand its land. over-use, Wai, a bioengineer, is top-tier hospitals. For example, an
With precise engineering and architectural environmental conducting research to create automatic, low-latency, high-precision
technology, the city is opting for expansion food that provides exact needle targeting mechanism allows for
over and under the ground. The Urban degradation and nutritional values adjusted for safer and faster microsurgery procedures.
Redevelopment Authority (URA) of loss of biodiversity individuals. The process will During crises like the South-Asian haze,
Singapore wanted to build a business include a smartwatch to Singapore's medical and technological
district that would not only serve official arising from rapid monitor health issues and a 3D capabilities allowed them to quickly design to the modern world, Singapore has incorporated technology
purposes, but also serve as a multipurpose urbanization. printer that prints out the plasma masks for children and adults. education in school curricula. The lessons are not merely
precinct where activities would be carried nutrient requirements for the Advanced technology is being used in education - they are interactive, playful, and communicative.
out 24/7. This meant infrastructural person in a jelly-like monitoring and making life better for Through trial and error, the kids are developing
development was required round the clock substance. Such innovative solutions can provide a longer life everyone, from newborn babies to the communication, language, and analytical skills. But digital
for the Marina Bay Model to work. The plan to the citizens, gradually increasing their standard of living. elderly. A startup named ‘TransferFi’ has literacy does not stop here. The benefits of digitization will
outlines undergrounds to be used for come up with a technology that transfers only be realized when the citizens are well-adapted to it. The
With the world moving faster than ever, urbanization has Among all these debates, Singapore stands at the transportation infrastructures, electrical Water Desalination electric power wirelessly through Info-Communications Media Development Authority is tasked
become a part and parcel of our lives. The United Nation pinnacle of success as a glaring example of tunnels, pedestrians, and commercial radiofrequency. Such innovation can with the responsibility of making the process easier for older
projects that in the coming decades, hundreds of millions urban life and futuristic development. A small spaces with precise designs for the next 50 As global temperatures spike, fresh water has become revolutionize industries reliant on people as well.
of urban dwellers will swarm into cities, especially country with minimal natural resources, the years. increasingly scarce. Up until now, Singapore depended on electrical devices. This will also benefit
within Asia and Africa. Accommodating this many urban city-state of Singapore was a charming pocket of rainwater to cater to their needs. But a modern city needs an electronic devices used in hospitals, Singapore really is a city of the future. Not only have they
dwellers efficiently and equitably may be an arduous urban chaos and scruffiness even in the 1960s. Transportation of the even modern solution. A desalination plant named ‘Tuas’ uses alongside facilitating other industries. achieved commendable economic growth over the last few
task, and brings additional concerns of detrimental of But, today it has developed into a city of reverse osmosis to turn sea water into potable water. But this decades, but they have also reached new heights of success in
technology over-use, environmental degradation and loss towering high-rises and immaculate cleanliness. Future too comes with challenges as it uses a lot of energy. Thus, a Preparing the Next multiple industries. Their digital adaptability, and spirit of
of biodiversity arising from rapid urbanization. From an Singapore’s ascension to one of the strongest An even futuristic idea hailing from the city company named Evoqua came up with electrodialysis to use Generation for the growth is still going strong. The rapid urbanization that we
optimistic perspective, the growing numbers could economies in the world over a span of five is the use of drones to travel. Professor electricity to remove salt from the sea water. The plant has a Future are currently facing in Bangladesh can be tackled and used to
contribute to economic prosperity. However, official decades is nothing short of remarkable. By Jason Pomeroy from Pomeroy Studio capacity of desalinating 3,800 cubic meters of water per day, our benefit if we take Singapore as an inspiration. The process
attitudes towards rapid urbanization remain broadly embracing globalization, free market capitalism, believes that cities of the world will soon with hopes of increasing the capacity to 100,000 cubic meters To make children better prepared for a can be complex, but proper planning with frequent monitoring
negative. education, pragmatic policies and, as a whole, a per day. highly digital workspace and well-adjusted and evaluation can make it happen.

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