GEL 2.4 Building Sustainable Urban Neighbourhoods

How to build sustainable urban neighbourhoods?

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