gel 2

What is development?

The economic, social, and political process→ improvement of the standard of living for a population

Measured via:

{economic} Gross Domestic Product, GDP, per capita

{social} Life Expectancy

{social} Adult Literary Rate

What is sustainable development?

Development that meets the needs of the present population→

• achieving high standards of living for all

• ensuring the ability of future generations to meet their own needs

• 3 Key Aims: Economy, Environment, and Society

How can urban neighbourhoods achieve economic sustainability?

Ensuring a neighbourhood has a high population density→ support local businesses and to keep transport and infrastructure costs low

• Local businesses can sustain themselves as there’s sufficient demand for their goods and services

• Residents can take up employment there→ earn an income→ higher standard of living

Schools located near integrated transport hubs→ students opt to walk to sch instead of public transport→ transport costs low

Buildings and objects usually located near each other→ residents need not travel far→ transport costs low

Transport infrastructure may be located closer to one another, so connecting infrastructure is not needed to be built (over long distances) → cost to develop transport infrastructure kept low

How can urban neighbourhoods achieve social sustainability?

Ensuring residents feel included and have a sense of shared identity:

• fostered by having shared community spaces→ promote regular social interactions

• small population size in urban neighbourhood→ facilitate regular interactions amongst residents→ residents may come together to discuss issues regarding their neighbourhood→ providing solutions to their challenges → builds resilience and positive relationships between residents→ maintain a culture of open communication, mutual respect and understanding→ reducing misunderstandings and conflicts

ie, Resident’s Network (RN) was set up to promote neighborliness and community cohesiveness amongst residents: Each neighbourhood is divided into smaller designated zones where regular activities are organized at zonal level; catering to small population size in the zone→ encourages residents to voice their opinions and participate in decision-making processes regarding issues affecting their neighbourhood

How can urban neighbourhoods achieve environmental sustainability? (1/3)

Ample Protection for Nature

• wildlife can thrive in our urban spaces→ fostering human-wildlife coexistence

• concentrated efforts should be made to protect existing native species, habitats and ecosystems + re-establish extinct species

• maximise biodiversity in urban neighbourhoods→ wide variety of habitats (pocket parks, roof gardens) instead of one large patch of uniform grass

• plant and tree species in an area should vary→ adequate shelter and food for a wider variety of wildlife to thrive

How can urban neighbourhoods achieve environmental sustainability? (2/3)

Having facilities that support waste minimisation and recycling:

• locate convenient recycling facilities (blue bins) around estates→ encourages residents to recycle

• high population density in a neighbourhood→ adequate waste collected and recycled in an economically viable manner

• recycling can be encouraged through recycling activities organised by residents or town council

How can urban neighbourhoods achieve environmental sustainability? (3/3)

Energy and water-efficient design approaches for buildings and landscapes:

• minimise the use of resources

• smart technology and eco-friendly features can be installed;

  (a) Cool Paint→ lowers temperatures by up to 2°C → reducing energy consumption

  (b) Water harvested from rain is used for block washing→ reducing overall water consumption

Why are urban neighbourhoods regarded as ecosystems?

1) ecosystems consist of living communities and the non-living environment interacting with one another

2) aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems in neighbourhoods including ponds, lakes, parks and forests

ie. A man-made concrete canal in Bishan AMK park was transformed into a naturalised river, allowing more organisms to thrive in the aquatic ecosystem→ brought back wildlife back into the park→ enhancing the neighbourhood’s biodiversity

This shows that;

(a) activities carried out by people may directly/indirectly change the ecosystems in both positive and negative ways

(b) every aspect in ecosystems depends on one another directly/indirectly

What are ecosystem services?

The benefits brought about by nature to people→ critical to humans’ survival→ optimised when natural environment is healthy and thriving

They consist of;

1) Provisioning services

2) Regulating services

3) Cultural services

4) Supporting services

What are provisioning ecosystem services?

Tangible resources that people obtain from ecosystems like food, water, and wood

• Food is one of the most important provisioning services provided by nature→ obtained through agriculture and fisheries

ie, Food is grown in urban community gardens where edibles are planted on HDB rooftops

What are regulating ecosystem services?

Benefits obtained from the regulation of various ecosystem processes (climate, disease outbreak, and flood regulation):

• these processes work together→ ensure ecosystems are clean, functional, sustainable, and resilient to changes

• in an urban neighbourhood (ie, Bishan-AMK):

  (a) microclimate regulation

  • trees provide shade → lowering air and surface temperatures

  • forests cool areas → generating rainfall

  (b) flood mitigation

  • vegetation cover reduces surface runoff→ retains water in the soil (water flow regulation)

  • a key service provided by natural land cover

  (c) air and water quality control

  • trees and plants regulate air quality→ remove pollutants from the atmosphere

What are cultural ecosystem services?

Intangible benefits people obtain from ecosystems (aesthetic experiences, educational opportunities and recreational activities)

In an urban neighbourhood:

green spaces→ 1) aesthetic appreciation

2) stress-relieving activities

• May improve people’s mental and physical health

• Fosters social belonging and group identity

• ie, heritage trees, skyrise greenery, community Gardens

  ∴ Sense of place strengthened
  

ie #2, Bukit Timah Nature Reserve→ recreational activities like hiking + educational opportunities like fieldwork for geog students

What are supporting ecosystem services?

Services necessary for the functioning of all other ecosystem services ( +soil formation, pollination and photosynthesis)

(a) Soil Formation

• soil is essential for the health of all terrestrial organisms:

  1) provides habitats for billions of organisms

  2) contributes to biodiversity

  3) acts as a water filter

• Ensures human activities like agriculture can occur

(b) Pollination

• wild bees are vital for crop pollination→ ensure that crops can reproduce to provide food for animals and humans

(c) Photosynthesis

• plants absorb CO₂ and release O₂ → maintains O₂ content of the Earth’s atmosphere

  ∴ All other ecosystem services can function

What are fire hazards that occur in urban neighbourhoods?

Caused by:

• unattended cooking

• faulty electrical appliances and wiring

∴ igniting nearby flammable materials → fire

Ex. (1) In 2021, there were 358 cases of fire due to unattended cooking in SG

(2) There has been an increase in fire cases involving PMDs (personal mobility devices)

What are the impacts of fire hazards?

1) Health Impacts:

• Burn Injuries → inability to evacuate in time → possible disabilities or deaths

• Smoke Inhalation → breathing difficulties + suffocation → possibly fatal

• Irritants from fire → acid gases → damaging a person’s respiratory system

• High levels of CO₂ and CO released during a fire → CO poisoning → weakness and confusion → potential loss of consciousness and death → hindering people’s ability to escape a fire

2) Property Damage:

• Destruction of properties; goods, furniture, and important documents → economic losses

• Further costs are incurred → more money is required to repair and rebuild the properties

What are air pollution hazards that occur in urban neighbourhoods?

Caused by:

• Burning Vegetation

  • CO₂ + other pollutants released into the atmosphere → air pollution

• Industrial and Motor Emissions

  • increase in car ownership and usage → vehicles produce more exhaust emissions like CO + other pollutants → increase in air pollution

What are the impacts of air pollution hazards?

1) Health Impacts

• respiratory infections

• heart diseases

• lung cancer

• Production of pollutants (a) PM 2.5 and (b) NO₂ in an urban neighbourhood {congested areas} → poor health

  • PM2.5 can enter the bloodstream → lodging deep in human lungs → lung function declination

  • Exposure to high levels of NO₂ → higher risk of asthma in children

What are the traffic hazards that occur in an urban neighbourhood?

Caused by:

• Speeding

• Red-light Running

• Drink-driving

∴ done by irresponsible motorists who put road users and themselves at risk

What are the impacts of traffic hazards?

1) Health Impact:

• should there be a traffic accident → people suffer from serious injuries → potential disabilities or deaths

What is environmental stewardship?

(FYI) It is the actions taken by varying stakeholders to protect, care, and responsibly use the environment to pursue environmental and or social outcomes

Actions taken (govt, people, organizations):

[C] onserve natural resources

[P] reserve natural environment

[R] epair damages and negative impacts caused by humans

Achieved via 2 Ways:

(1) Promoting Volunteerism among Residents

(2) Partnership of Public and Private Sectors

How is environmental stewardship achieved? (1/2)

1) Promoting volunteerism among neighbourhood residents to share knowledge with others about the importance of healthy ecosystems

• increases awareness among residents of what can and should be done to responsibly use and protect the natural environment

Ex. The National Parks Board (Nparks) promotes volunteerism in communities through initiatives such as:

(a) Friends of the Parks → participants gain greater stewardship of their park in their neighbourhoods

How is environmental stewardship achieved? (2/2)

2) Partnership of public and private stakeholders

• Different stakeholders = different POVs, resources and expertise → crucial to come together to steward the environment

Ex. In SG, urban neighbourhoods produce tons of waste → residents and public and private sectors must all play their roles in the efficient and sustainable waste recycling process

• [RESIDENTS] Ensure they recycle their waste properly

• [PUBLIC] National Environmental Agency (NEA) → educates residents → raising awareness of waste recycling and proper recyclables

• [PRIVATE] Provision of recycling facilities

∴ via this partnership, environmental stewardship efforts can be enhanced and sustained

What is disaster risk?

(FYI) It refers to the likelihood of damage to properties, injuries and fatalities from a disaster in a given period of time

It is the product of the interaction between 3 factors:

(1) Nature of Hazard

• characteristics of the hazard

(2) Vulnerability

• conditions (physical, social, economic, environmental) that increase the susceptibility of people and their belongings to the impacts of hazards

(3) Exposure

• situations of people and their belongings located in hazard-prone areas

What is disaster risk management?

(FYI) It refers to plans and actions that are implemented to prevent new risks from happening, reduce existing risks and manage disaster risks

∴ strengthens community resilience

The 4 aims of disaster risk management:

(1) Reduce Neighbourhoods’ Exposure to Hazards

(2) Reduce the Vulnerability of People and Properties to Hazards

(3) Improve Residents’ Emergency Preparedness in Responding to Hazards

(4) Implement Monitor and Warning Systems

How is disaster risk management practiced? (1/4)

(1) Reduce Neighbourhoods’ Exposure to Hazards

• Eg. Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) is the main agency which responds to disasters

• Town Councils must cooperate with other government agencies in (a) securing public safety and (b) preventing disease or injury

How is disaster risk management practiced? (2/4)

(2) Reduce the Vulnerability of People and Properties to Hazards

• eg. Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) is the main agency which responds to disasters

• Town Councils must cooperate with other government agencies in (a) securing public safety and (b) preventing disease or injury

How is disaster risk management practiced? (4/4)

(3) Improve Residents’ Emergency Preparedness in Responding to Hazards

• eg. SCDF conducts a Community Emergency Preparedness Programme (CEPP), teaching people key lifesaving skills and important emergency procedures

How is disaster risk management practiced? (4/4)

(4) Implement Monitor and Warning Systems

• eg. SCDF has a public warning system (PWS) which warns the public of imminent threats which endanger lives and properties such as natural and man-made disasters

What is community resilience?

(FYI) It refers to the ability of a community to resist, adapt to and recover from the impacts of disasters in a timely and efficient manner

It is developed by:

(1) strengthening relationships among residents and raising their awareness of potential hazards

(2) developing residents’ ability to organise themselves and equip themselves with resources to resist, adapt and recover from a disaster

How is community resilience achieved? (1/2)

1) Strengthening of Relationships among Residents and Raising their Awareness of Potential Hazards

• disaster risk management plans may only be effective and sustainable if there is widespread support and long-term participation from residents

• residents are encouraged to know their neighbours → depend on one another during an emergency

Eg. In SG, the People’s Association (PA) organises varying community activities (active ageing, community sports, emergency preparedness) → bringing people of different backgrounds and ages together → fostering positive relationships amongst residents

During COVID, residents came together to help those in need via mask and food distribution

How is community resilience achieved? (2/2)

2) Developing Residents’ Ability to Organise and Equip Themselves with Resources to Resist, Adapt, and Recover from a Disaster

• Stakeholders involved in projects to minimise potential hazards include → residents, community leaders, civil society organisations and the government

  • residents are involved as when they actively participate in these projects, they better understand the risks and adaptation options to communicate to the government and planners.

Eg. (For country) In SG, the total defence framework is an all-round response to threats and challenges involving everyone in SG → emphasizing that everyone has a part to play, individually and collectively → building a strong, secure and cohesive nation

(For residents) Community First Responders (CFRs) volunteers help the government in search and rescue operations, relief work as well as educating the public on first-aid and basic firefighting

They also put out bin fires when alerted within their vicinity → optimises SCDF emergency resources → enabling SCDF to attend to higher-priority and life-threatening cases