Mayur Kanaiya
Architect
157w ago
Singapore would be very high on the list due to its excellent infrastructure, parks, gardens, public transport, leisure options, well laid out neighbourhoods and great clean public spaces.
In addition to other great cities, here is an offbeat smaller one, purely for its interesting concept of a commune: Auroville
Auroville (City of Dawn) is an "experimental" self sustainable township near Pondicherry in South India. It was founded by Mirra Alfassa from France (also known as "The Mother"), drawing inspiration from the vision and work of the renowned Indian seer and spiritual visionary, Sri Aurobindo and designed by architect Roger Anger.
Auroville is a universal township-in-the-making for a population of up to 50,000 people from around the world. As on date, Aurovilians come from some 45 nations, representing humanity as a whole. The population of the township is constantly growing, but currently stands at around 2,200 people.
It has the backing of UNESCO which passed a unanimous resolution commending it as a project of importance to the future of humanity, thereby giving their full encouragement.
Auroville is recognized as the first and only internationally endorsed ongoing experiment in human unity and transformation of consciousness, also concerned with - and practically researching into - sustainable living and the future cultural, environmental, social and spiritual needs of mankind.
The master plan resembles some kind of a galaxy. In the middle of the town is the Matrimandir, a spiritual centre for meditation, unlike modern cities where centres are normally commercial or government zones.
Radiating from this center are four "zones" of the City Area: the "Residential Zone", "Industrial Zone", "Cultural (& Educational) Zone" and "International Zone". Around the City or the urban area, lies a Green Belt which is an environment research and resource area and includes farms and forests, a botanical garden, seed bank, medicinal and herbal plants, water catchment bunds, and some communities.
Goranka Medhi
Co-Founder, www.ezroadtrips.com - One stop solution to all your trip planning needs!
120w ago
Singapore would definitely rank amongst the best planned cities in the world! The city rates high because of its infrastructure facilities and perfectly designed neighbourhoods. Not to forget, it has great clean public spaces too.
Business Friendly
Singapore is one of the easiest places to do business. The efficiency of the government is well known all over the world. You can literally start working in your own new company in less than a week's time from the time of conceptualizing it. Creative planning has enhanced the layout design and optimised the size of these buildings for office efficiency. These buildings stand out as prominent landmarks with their distinctive architectural designs, giving Singapore a new and modem skyline. They also command a panoramic view of the Marina Bay.
Living Spaces - Public Housing
Public housing in Singapore is managed by theHousing and Development Board (HDB). Today, more than 80 per cent of Singaporeans live in HDB flats. These flats are located in housing estates, which are self-contained satellite towns with schools, supermarkets, clinics, hawker centres, as well as sports and recreational facilities. The Government ensures that prices of new HDB flats are kept within reach of the masses through substantial pricing subsidies. Lower income families are given housing grants to help them afford a home. Subsidised rental housing is also available for those who face extreme financial difficulties.
Living Spaces - Private Housing
Singapore has some of the most luxurious homes in the world. About 20 per cent of the Singapore population live in private housing, such as apartments, condominiums and landed properties. These are considerably more expensive than public housing and cater to the higher income households.
Garden City
In the 1960s, then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew mooted the creation of a clean and green environment to mitigate the harsh concrete urban environment and improve the quality of life in the city. This was the beginning of Singapore’s development into a Garden City. It is a bustling metropolis nestled in a lush mantle of tropical greenery. Which other city in the world has 74 hectare botanic garden in the heart of the city? The Singapore Botanic Gardens is a 156-year-old tropical garden located at the fringe of the Singapore's main shopping belt. It is one of three gardens, and the only tropical garden, to be honored as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. And any road you take in Singapore would be lined with trees on both sides.
Public Transport
Singapore has one of the most efficient Singapore’s public transport system is fast and efficient and will whizz you to most places without fuss. Singapore has one of the most cost-efficient public transport networks in the world, based on a study conducted by London consulting firm Credo.
The study praised Singapore for its high capacity system to meet current demand, and "highly integrated governance" which has created sufficient plans to meet future demand.
Entertainment
Whether it’s riding a roller coaster or skydiving indoors, there’s no shortage of fun activities to experience in Singapore. Singapore has multiple entertainment hubs spread all over the city. It has been planned in such a way that people can get to these hubs close to their home without everyone ending up in one central location in the city.
Water Resources
Singapore has little land to collect and store rainwater. Still, through investment in research and technology, Singapore has found an integrated, effective and cost-efficient way to solve their water challenges. Over the last 50 years, through strategic planning and investment in research and technology, Singapore’s national water agency PUB has built a robust and diversified supply of water known as the ‘Four National Taps’. The water supply comprises of
(1) Local Catchment Water
(2) imported water
(3) highly-purified reclaimed water known as NEWater , and
(4) desalinated water
Both NEWater and Desalinated Water augment our water supply, allowing Singapore to be more resilient to weather variability.
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