Liveability in Singapore: Social and Behavioural issues
David Chan
Singapore: World Scientific, 2015
ISBN: 9789814667876

Cities and countries around the world are focused on enhancing their living conditions through ways that go beyond the brick and mortar of urban planning. Just like in other highly-urbanised cities, life and living in Singapore is highly dependent on many other dimensions such as health, access to various services, social interactions, inter-group relations and community bonds. Social and behavioural factors will need to be incorporated when designing and implementing policies and interventions to enhance liveability.

This invaluable book, based on the proceedings at the Behavioural Sciences Institute Conference 2014, documents an exchange of ideas among practitioners, academics and public intellectuals on liveability in Singapore. The book is organized into four parts. Part I provides an overview of liveability issues. Part II examines liveability from the perspectives of health and urban planning. Part III analyses the relationships linking quality of life to social class and social services. Part IV addresses specific questions on liveability in terms of public transport, cost of living, government's public communications, role of free market values in town planning, civil society, citizen well-being and whether there is a psychological gulf between government and people.

This book will provide the reader valuable perspectives, an increased understanding of issues related to the liveability in Singapore and many potential applications to reflect on.

Through the Lens of Lee Kip Lin: Photographs of Singapore 1965-1995
Lai Chee Kien
Singapore: National Library Board & Editions Didier Millet, 2015
ISBN: 9789814610087

In 2009 the family of the late Lee Kip Lin donated to the National Library Board of Singapore over 14,500 slides and negatives of modern Singapore that he had taken, among other items of historical merit such as maps, rare photographs and prints, and books. Over three decades from 1965 to 1995, Lee captured the many landscapes and buildings that would eventually disappear from the island and its shores. Close to 500 photographs have been reproduced in this book to showcase the exuberance and eloquence of the different built forms -- in an era when time and space in Singapore was more accommodating.

Sustainable Luxury: The New Singapore House, Solutions for a Livable Future
Paul McGillick
US: Tuttle Publishing, 2015
ISBN: 9780804844758

Singapore is celebrated as one of the most livable cities in Asia, and Sustainable Luxury shows how the prosperous, forward-looking nation is pioneering innovative solutions for environmental, economic, social, and cultural issues faced the world over. Dr. Paul McGillick, the author of The Sustainable Asian House (Tuttle, 2013), presents twenty-seven recent residential projects created by Singapore's most talented architects to address the many complex and interconnected aspects of sustainability.

Some of the homes featured here emphasize environmental needs, while others are concerned with preserving cultural traditions or supporting societal and interpersonal needs -- such as extended family dwellings. Each residence, however, exhibits solutions developed from a holistic point of view. These homes typically embrace the tropical climate rather than fight it, and illustrate how smart manipulation of air flows, light, shade, water, and landscaping sustain higher levels of comfort without resorting to air-conditioning.

In addition to profiling individual residences, Sustainable Luxury looks at the big picture, canvassing the most pressing issues -- including changing demographics and lifestyles -- and examining the available solutions. Anyone concerned with the future of our world will be fascinated by the houses presented here and the ways in which Singapore is leading the way in the development of residential architecture that is as luxurious as it is sustainable.

Sayang Singapura: Re-Imagining Singapore's Past and Present
Lee Xin Li
Singapore: Marshall Cavendish Editions, 2014
ISBN: 9789814561075

Inspired by Hergé, the creator of Tintin, Lee Xin Li blends Hergé's playfulness with meaningful nostalgia for Singapore's iconic past.

The historic Adelphi Hotel, the iconic Great World Amusement Park, the old Tanjong Pagar Railway Station and the former National Library at Stamford Road are among the nostalgic locales and moments in time lovingly depicted in beautiful and imaginative detail.

Xin Li has captured these cherished memories and immortalised them with his drawings even as Singapore continues to undergo intensive restructuring and makeovers, and heritage buildings of yesteryears make way for new and ever-modern architecture.

Garden City Singapore: The Legacy of Lee Kuan Yew
Aileen Lau Tan (ed.)
Singapore: Suntree, 2014
ISBN: 9789810787189

This book examines the first-hand experience of those involved in shaping the horticultural development of Singapore, from the 1970s to the 1990s. They are Mr Wong Yew Kwan, Dr Chua Sian Eng, Professor Lee Sing Kong, Mr Choo Thiam Siew and Mrs Pamelia Lee, whose work enabled them to make far-reaching contributions on greening policies and activities in Singapore.

The driving force and main personage behind this decades-long process of transformational greening of Singapore has been Lee Kuan Yew, who took the lead in his capacity as then Prime Minister, to steer and beautify Singapore, to serve his people and also investors and tourists. Determined and dedicated, the authors saw to the setting up of a variety of services tasked at different levels and specialties to green and beautify the island. They often had to interpret, innovate and contemplate the needs of the far future, starting as they had to, with all the limitations of a newly independent and developing Singapore. It took expert knowledge, scientific training, imagination, and the resolve to execute the vision for a truly gardened city. They worked closely with Singapore's oft-dubbed master gardener, Lee Kuan Yew.

This was an exercise that shaped the Republic's physical and horticultural attributes so exemplary and admired around the world today. Once the environment improved from the 1960s, tourism, business deve opment and investments followed in natural succession. Today, the visual evidence of Lee Kuan Yew's legacy is clear to see and enjoy, leaving no corner of Singapore untended to, dovetailing from one need to another, for pleasure or recreation and to promote tourism and business. The book celebrates the efforts of the authors and Lee Kuan Yew's early vision of a Garden City.

We ♥ Katong
Urban Sketchers Singapore
Singapore: Epigram Books, 2014
ISBN: 9789810766078

The artists from Urban Sketchers Singapore capture the conserved architecture, mouth-watering cuisine and fascinating confluence of cultures in this celebrated East Coast neighbourhood.

We ♥ Queenstown
Urban Sketchers Singapore
Singapore: Epigram Books, 2013
ISBN: 9789810766016

Originally a backwater swamp housing the Ying Fo Lut and Boh Beh Kang kampongs, Queenstown became Singapore’s first satellite town. It was named in commemoration of Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1953. As this grand old dame of an estate celebrates her 60th anniversary in 2013, the artists from Urban Sketchers Singapore capture the enduring landmarks and scenes of everyday life in the neighbourhood.

Take a trip down memory lane and imagine the late Queenstown cinema and bowling alley in its heyday. Visit Stirling Road to view Singapore’s first HDB blocks and enjoy the unique personality of each HDB terrace house. Admire the religious harmony and architectural diversity of Queenstown’s churches, temples and mosques. To escape the heat, slip into the cool oasis of Queenstown Community Library, which remains in the middle of winding Margaret Drive.

Changing Landscapes of Singapore: Old Tensions,  New Discoveries
Elaine Lynn-Ee Ho, Chih Yuan Woon & Kamalini Ramdas (eds.)
Singapore: NUS Press, 2013
ISBN: 9789971697723

Landscape is not only the visible material surface of places but also refers to ways of interpreting fluid or contested social relations and spatial arrangements. The essays in this book critically examine how material and immaterial landscapes take shape in Singapore and their impacts on the population. They further assess how different social groups in Singapore inhabit landscapes and negotiate changing societal dynamics and conditions. The book contextualises developments in Singapore within regional and international trends. A standard Singapore Studies textbook, this book will appeal to anyone seeking to understand this ever-changing island, city and state.

Down the Seletar River: Discovering a Hidden Treasure of Singapore
Eugene Wijeysingha
Singapore: Seletar Hills Estate Residents' Association, 2013
ISBN: 9789710579204

The Seletar Hills Estate Residents' Association, in commemoration of its 45th anniversary, has published a book entitled Down the Seletar River: Discovering a Hidden Treasure of Singapore. Seletar, as defined in this book, covers more specifically the area south of Yishun, encompassing Seletar Hills, Jalan Kayu, the Seletar Airbase and the Yio Chu Kang / Lorong Buangkok area.

This heritage book on Seletar documents its history from as early as the 1800s when the Seletar River was populated by indigenous river nomads called the Orang Seletar. It traces its development from the late 1800s when early Chinese migrants came up the River to farm the land and engaged first in vegetable farming and animal husbandry, later with cash crops such as pepper and gambier, to be followed by the cultivation of rubber. With the boom in the rubber industry in the early 1900s, large scale rubber cultivation transformed the area into a landscape of rubber plantations.

The book also touches on the development of the British Military Airbase at Seletar, the first of its kind in the Far East, which impacted the island state and gave rise to much needed housing development. The development of the airbase and residential housing estates to provide for the great shortage in housing, transformed Seletar, which had traditionally been agricultural, into a modern suburban landscape. The development of the new Seletar Aerospace Park, which will be a major hub for the aerospace industry, is another step towards modernization.

In exploring the region’s history, the book also reveals little nuggets of historical significance – Jalan Kayu, a food haven attracting visitors from all corners of the island, Kampong Buangkok, the last of the traditional kampongs on the mainland, Bukit Sembawang’s only rubber processing factory, and Seletar West Farmway, with its mix of mushroom and ornamental tropical fish farms.

Seletar has a rich history and charm of its own, and it is for this reason that the book has been compiled. Despite its physical transformation from a rural community to a modern suburb, it has still managed to retain its greenery and tranquility; it is a welcome retreat from the noise and bustle of city living, and is a much sought-after area to live in.

Down the Seletar River captures the nostalgic memories of many people who have been forthcoming in sharing their personal stories and recollections and expressing their sentiments of this little corner of Singapore they call “home”.

It is hoped that this book will enhance public awareness of the rich and vibrant heritage of this northern part of Singapore called Seletar, and also make interesting reading for future generations for whom it will be a chapter in the continuing tale of local heritage history.

Squatters Into Citizens: The 1961 Bukit Ho Swee Fire and the Making of Modern Singapore
Loh Kah Seng
Singapore: NUS Press, 2013
ISBN: 9789971696450

The crowded, bustling, 'squatter' kampongs so familiar across Southeast Asia have long since disappeared from Singapore, leaving few visible traces of their historical influence on the life in the city-state. In one such settlement, located in an area known as Bukit Ho Swee, a great fire in 1961 destroyed the kampong and left 16,000 people homeless, creating a national emergency that led to the first big public housing project of the new Housing and Development Board (HDB). HDB flats now house more than four-fifths of the Singapore population, making the aftermath of the Bukit Ho Swee fire a seminal event in modern Singapore.

Loh Kah Seng grew up in one-room rental flats in the HDB estate built after the fire. Drawing on oral history interviews, official records and media reports, he describes daily life in squatter communities and how people coped with the hazard posed by fires. His examination of the catastrophic events of 25 May 1961 and the steps taken by the new government of the People's Action Party in response to the disaster show the immediate consequences of the fire and how relocation to public housing changed the people's lives. Through a narrative that is both vivid and subtle, the book explores the nature of memory and probes beneath the hard surfaces of modern Singapore to understand the everyday life of the people who live in the city.

Parting Glances: Singapore's Evolving Spaces
Craig McTurk
USA: ORO Editions, 2013
ISBN: 9781935935599

Parting Glances examines a country undergoing profound development by turning a camera lens on six communities in Singapore that are at the precipice of change. As a nation grapples with preserving its precious heritage while growing its economy and housing its burgeoning population, these diverse neighborhoods are revealed through archival images, reflections of residents and merchants, and striking contemporary photographs. From the small rustic island of Pulau Ubin, to a former British air force base, to mainland Singapore's last remaining kampoing (village), a country's fading heritage is revitalized and curated for both the casual reader and the dedicated historian of Asian cultures.

Living in a Garden: The Greening of Singapore
Timothy Auger
Singapore: Editions Didier Millet, 2013
ISBN: 9789814385244

In June 1963, Singapore's prime minister planted a tree to mark the beginning of a sustained campaign to enhance the city state's appearance. No one could have anticipated the transformation that followed. This is the story of that process. Now, 50 years later, highly urbanized Singapore enjoys a green network of nature reserves, large and small parks, tree-lined streets and community gardens that is the envy of other big cities.

Singapore has had to make tough decisions. Land is scarce. There are trade-offs between maintaining the island's rich, natural biodiversity and public demands for housing and infrastructure appropriate to the 21st century. Nevertheless, the National Parks Board, and its partners in the public, private and civic sectors, continue to strive to keep Singapore green.

Lavishly illustrated, the book shows how Singapore aims to be a 'City in a Garden', reminding us that the community must engage with the greening ‘mission;, if this great achievement is to continue.

From the Blue Windows: Recollections of Life in Queenstown, Singapore, in the 1960s and 1970s
Tan Kok Yang
Singapore: NUS Press, 2013
ISBN: 9789971696504

Tan Kok Yang grew up in a small public housing estate in Queenstown during the 1960s and early 1970s. Queenstown is one of the earliest public housing estates in Singapore and over the years, has gone through immense changes. It was home to a group of low-rise government rental flats where the windows were fitted with unique blue louvers, hence the title of the book.

This account of the games, festivities, customs and lifestyle of the area as seen through the eyes of an inquisitive boy will arouse memories in many older Singaporeans. While the stories touch on the effects of race riots and student unrest during the 1960s, their purpose is neither political nor academic. Rather they are a reminder of a simple but fulfilling way of life that has all but vanished from modern Singapore.

The Singapore Water Story: Sustainable Development in an Urban City-State
Cecilia Tortajada, Jugal Joshi, & Asit K. Biswas
London: Routledge, 2013
ISBN: 9780415657839

Singapore's journey during the past 45 years is an outstanding example that, in spite of multiple hardships, pragmatic policies, clear visions, long-term planning, forward-looking strategies and political will, as well as a relentless urge to improve, can result in strong foundations for sustainable development.

This book describes the journey of Singapore's development and the fundamental role that water has had in shaping it. What makes this case so unique is that the quest for self-sufficiency in terms of water availability in a fast-changing urban context has been crucial to the way development policies and agendas have been planned throughout the years. The authors analyse plans, policies, institutions, laws and regulations, water demand and water supply strategies, water quality and water conservation considerations, partnerships and importance of the media. They assess overall how all these issues have evolved in response to the dynamic needs of the city-state.

The study of Singapore shows how a dynamic society can address development without losing its focus on the environment. In the city-state, environmental concerns in general, and water concerns in particular, have played a major role in its transformation from a third word to a first world country. How and why this transformation took place is the main focus of this authoritative book.

We ♥ Tiong Bahru
Urban Sketchers Singapore
Singapore: Epigram Books, 2012
ISBN: 9789810736255

The Urban Sketchers Singapore are an informal group of artists who draw the places they visit, capturing—on location—what they see from direct observation. In this first book in the Our Neighbourhoods series, the artists sketch the well-loved places in Tiong Bahrus, one of the most famous neighbourhoods in Singapore.

See our artists’ interpretations of the well known two-storey Tiong Bahru market; the old walk-up apartments in the conservation areas in the lovely neighbourhood, juxtaposed with the spanking new skyscrapers; and other nostalgic areas and buildings.

We ♥ Toa Payoh
Urban Sketchers Singapore
Singapore: Epigram Books, 2012
ISBN: 9789810736231

The Urban Sketchers Singapore are an informal group of artists who draw the places they visit, capturing—on location—what they see from direct observation. In this first book in the Our Neighbourhoods series, the artists sketch the well-loved places in Toa Payoh, one of the first satellite neighbourhoods in Singapore.

Pore over the pages in this time capsule of a book to admire sketches of the famous Shuang Lin Monastery; the well loved Toa Payoh Garden; or the grand old dame that is the Toa Payoh Sports Hall and Swimming Complex. Or reminisce over the smaller nooks and crannies that come in the form of the old-timer Bugs Bunny barber shop, the long-time Lee Nam Kee chicken rice shop, and the bird singing corner at Lorong 4.

A Guide to 21st Century Singapore Architecture
Patrick Bingham-Hall
Singapore: Pesaro Publishing, 2012
ISBN: 9789814428002

Singapore has been the location for a spectacular amount of architectural activity over the last decade, and is now acknowledged as one of the world's architectural hotspots. The rate of construction has not been slowed by the economic downturn that hit so many other global cities, and many of the world's best architects are now working in Singapore. At the heart of a momentous geo-political swing to Asia, the city currently occupies a unique position at the forefront of global change, and the extraordinary range of new architecture reflects this new 21st century reality.

Green House: Sustainable Design at Gardens by the Bay, Singapore
Patrick Bellew, Meredith Davey, & Paul Baker
Novato, CA: ORO Editions, 2012
ISBN: 9781935935568

The book explores the sustainable design principles and innovative engineering behind the development of two of the world's largest conditioned public conservatories or biomes. Nestled within waterfront gardens, the biomes are the centrepiece of a development that will define Singapore as the world's premier tropical garden city: gardens that are on track to become a national and international exemplar of sustainable practice.

Through a combination of photographs, graphics and narratives, the book explores the challenges of building two huge enclosures to recreate, in Singapore's naturally sunny, hot and humid environment, the ideal growing conditions for plants from cool-dry Mediterranean regions and the cool-moist conditions of tropical mountain regions.

While the thrust of the narrative will consider the environmental design and engineering approach of Atelier Ten, three other voices reflect upon the landscape, architectural and structural engineering issues that confronted the core members of the integrated design team. As environmental engineers Atelier Ten developed highly innovative passive and active environmental strategies for controlling conditions within the conservatories, while minimising energy demand to exemplar levels. Outside the Biomes the unique Supertree structures house components of the systems that provide cool and dry air to the biomes and also incorporate photovoltaic panels to generate power. The systems run mainly on tree-thinnings - waste material generated by Singapore's National Parks maintenance programme - which are being diverted from landfill to be used as a source of biomass to generate energy and heat. The landscaping incorporates extensive natural water treatment devices to control, attenuate and cleanse the enormous flows of water from the biome roof areas and the hard landscaping areas during tropical storms. These have been seamlessly integrated into the hard and soft landscaping which comes to life during the frequent deluges that are characteristic of the tropical climate. In addition, Atelier Ten have developed sustainable management matrices to establish agreed principles of design and construction to exceed benchmarks establish by LEED(TM), Singapore's BCA Green Mark scheme and One Planet Living approaches.

Perpetual Spring: Singapore's Gardens by the Bay
Koh Buck Song
Singapore: Marshall Cavendish, 2012
ISBN: 9789812618474

Gardens have always been central to Singapore's identity and global positioning. Now, a fresh era has blossomed with Gardens by the Bay. Since the 1960s, this young nation has cultivated its international reputation as a "Garden City", a city-state adorned by gardens as a high priority in urban planning. In the 21st century, a paradigm shift is being carefully nurtured - as Singapore becomes a "City in a Garden", where the whole country is one big garden, and urban development is fully integrated and immersed amidst greenery and floral. The primary icon of this groundbreaking model is Gardens by the Bay. Plants from little corners of the globe and sustainable technology at the cutting-edge are brought together and harnessed. The fruits of these efforts include botanical landmarks such as the Vertical verdure of the Supertrees and two cooled conservatories introducing "perpetual spring" to this equatorial isle. This commemorative volume tells the story of the seeding of Gardens by the Bay, from the germination of the concept to first flowering and harvest with the official opening in 2012.

A Retrospect on the Dust-Laden History: The Past and Present of Tekong Island in Singapore
Chen Poh Seng & Lee Leong Sze
Singapore: World Scientific, 2011
ISBN: 9789814365963

The book describes how Pulau Teking Island developed during the early 20th century. It describes where the ethnic groups came from, how they settled down, worked and lived together, and the relationship among different ethnic groups, like the Malay and Chinese (including Hakka and Chouchouese) over the years. Finally, the book finds out how and why the villages vanished. The final chapter outlines the outstanding citizens from Pulau Tekong and reviews how they merged with the main stream of Singapore society after leaving the offshore island.