Land reclamation in Singapore : a history of governmental approaches to coastal development and management

• Main Author: Kang, Clarence Ming Hua
• Other Authors: School of Humanities and Social Sciences
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2016
• Subjects: DRNTU::Humanities
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/66281
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Tensions between human development and the environment are always at play, no more so than for Singapore, given its scarcity of available land for use. While land reclamation provides Singapore with an avenue for further expansion and growth, the nation’s unprecedented levels of economic development in its journey from third world to first has seen widespread ecological destruction of its marine and coastal environments due to land reclamation. However, such degradation is surprising, given Singapore’s reputation as a “Green City”; yet, that is hardly inevitable. A study of historical and current governmental policies and structures reveal that there is much room for improvement, especially considering the will and support in other areas of environmental protection and conservation, such as water and primary rainforests.