The Amazing Science behind Singapore’s Urban Planning for Climate Change

Discover how Singapore’s “Cooling Singapore” project is using innovative strategies to combat the urban heat island effect and mitigate the impacts of climate change in cities.

Cities all over the world are becoming more and more concerned about the urban heat island effect. Temperatures in cities are rising, frequently by several degrees in comparison to their surroundings, as urban populations continue to increase and the effects of climate change become more evident. This is because things like asphalt, concrete, and shingled roofs absorb more heat from the sun than things like trees and vegetation do. More people die from heat waves than any other extreme weather event, which is made worse by the urban heat island effect.

A government-backed project in Singapore called Cooling Singapore has begun in an effort to combat the urban heat island effect. In order to create a digital tool that can benefit cities all over the world, the project is primarily concerned with researching urban heat island mitigation strategies.

Combating the urban heat island effect is particularly difficult in Singapore. Due to Singapore’s proximity to the equator, temperatures frequently exceed 32 degrees Celsius or 90 degrees Fahrenheit there. The urban and rural areas of the city differ in temperature by 7 degrees Celsius, and it is highly urbanized and developed.

The use of an underground district cooling system is one of Singapore’s most impressive methods. Buildings all over the city, including apartment towers, shopping centres and even the renowned Marina Bay Sands hotel and casino complex, are cooled using this system. Buildings can save 40% more electricity by using this system than they would by using conventional air conditioners. The system is also natural gas-powered, which results in significant emissions savings equal to removing 10,000 cars from city streets.

The demand for air conditioning and refrigeration is rising as the world’s temperature rises. This furthers climate change by increasing energy consumption and heat emissions. If we want to lessen the effects of the urban heat island effect and climate change, we must break this vicious cycle.

Since 2017, researchers at Cooling Singapore have been identifying design solutions to lessen the need for so much cool air in the first place. They have discovered that vegetation is a key element in reducing the impact of urban heat. In addition to offering shade and offering psychological advantages, trees, shrubs, and other vegetation can also provide evaporative cooling.

On the ground level, vegetation can be planted to create the so-called canopy layer that is above us. However, it can also climb building facades and even reach building roofs. This is a novel way to increase vegetation in urban areas and lessen the impact of urban heat.

Living roofs, also referred to as green roofs, are gaining popularity in many cities all over the world. By absorbing rainwater, lowering runoff, and offering insulation, they are intended to aid in reducing the urban heat effect. Buildings can be constructed with green roofs or have existing ones retrofitted.

The National Parks Board of Singapore provides financial incentives to building owners who install green roofs. For the installation of green roofs, they provide a subsidy of $50 per square metre, which can pay for up to 50% of the overall cost. These incentives have been very effective, and there are now more than 700,000 square metres of green roofs in Singapore, including the rooftop garden at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, which has over 700 species of plants.

Green facades are yet another ground-breaking method for boosting vegetation in cities. These vertical gardens can be installed on a building’s side to provide shading, insulation, and better air quality. By reflecting sunlight and soaking up carbon dioxide, they can also lessen the urban heat effect. The National Library, the School of the Arts, and the Punggol Waterway Point shopping mall are just a few of the Singaporean structures that have green facades.

Singapore’s success in urban vegetation is rooted in a vision that began in 1967. The then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew introduced the idea of a “Garden City” to make life more pleasant for people. Today, Singapore is known as one of the greenest cities in the world with over 50% of its land covered by vegetation, which includes parks, nature reserves, and green spaces.

Singapore’s commitment to green spaces is evident in its innovative design solutions. Kampung Admiralty, a community center built in 2017, provides more green space than the plot of land it was originally built on. The community center is topped by a roofscape of staggered terraces covered in local plants, which functions as a community park. The village green in the center of the park contains farm plots for residents to tend to. This innovative design not only provides a green space for the community but also promotes community interaction and engagement.

Singapore’s commitment to green spaces is evident in its innovative design solutions. Kampung Admiralty, a community center built in 2017, provides more green space than the plot of land it was originally built on. The community center is topped by a roofscape of staggered terraces covered in local plants, which functions as a community park. The village green in the center of the park contains farm plots for residents to tend to. This innovative design not only provides a green space for the community but also promotes community interaction and engagement.

The Parkroyal on Pickering is another illustration of innovative design approaches used in Singapore. The building doubles the potential for growing greenery on its site by being built as a hotel in a garden. Sky gardens, reflecting pools, waterfalls, planter terraces, and green walls cover 15,000 square metres of the hotel. The hotel’s architecture exemplifies the dedication of the community to sustainability and livability.

Singapore’s government also has big plans for the city’s green spaces. Over the next ten years, it intends to plant one million trees and expand green spaces. This initiative aims to reduce the urban heat island effect and foster a closer relationship between people and nature. The urban heat island effect is a phenomenon in which cities are hotter than surrounding rural areas due to heat absorption by the built environment. By providing shade and evaporative cooling, trees and green spaces help to mitigate this effect.

The value of vegetation in cities cannot be overstated. Trees, shrubs, and green spaces have numerous advantages that go beyond aesthetics. They provide shade, help to reduce the urban heat island effect, improve air quality, and promote mental and physical health. Exposure to green spaces has been shown in studies to improve mental health, reduce stress, and improve cognitive function. Furthermore, green spaces provide wildlife habitat, promote biodiversity, and contribute to the overall health of the ecosystem.

While Singapore has made significant progress in increasing its green cover, it is insufficient. Cooling Singapore researchers have been identifying design solutions that reduce the need for so much cool air in the first place. Buildings, for example, can be designed to capture and use natural ventilation, reducing the need for air conditioning significantly. This reduces not only energy consumption but also costs for building owners and occupants.

Despite these efforts, Singapore has experienced twice as severe UHI effects as the global average over the last six decades. To address this issue, Cooling Singapore has compiled a list of potential heat-reduction measures. Shading windows, for example, can help to reduce the amount of heat that enters buildings, while keeping areas clear can allow for better air flow and ventilation. Water, particularly deep water, can act as an effective thermal buffer, while building with lighter facades can help to reduce the amount of heat absorbed.

Cooling Singapore also advocates for the use of clean electricity in the city, generated from sources outside the city itself. This can help to reduce energy consumption in the city as well as greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming. In the long run, building roofs and facades could potentially be converted into renewable energy production areas, supplying up to 20-25% of Singapore’s electricity needs if all available areas were utilized.

Cooling Singapore is also using cutting-edge technology to design and test these solutions before they are implemented. They created the Digital Urban Climate Twin (DUCT), a virtual model of the city that calculates how each element of the city’s design affects the urban heat island effect. This includes not only the geometry of the buildings, but also transportation, temperature, solar radiation, local weather, microclimate, water, and people movement. Cooling Singapore can design and implement effective solutions by modelling and testing different scenarios.

Singapore’s initiatives to combat urban heat islands can serve as a model for other cities worldwide. Policymakers in other cities can use the DUCT to simulate various scenarios for mitigating the effects of the urban heat island effect. Cities can reduce energy consumption, slow climate change, and improve residents’ quality of life by combining science, technology, and urban design.

Singapore is cooling down. Singapore’s urban design agency is paving the way for a more sustainable future, positioning the city-state as a leader in combating the urban heat island effect. Singapore can continue to build on its successes and make the city even more comfortable and livable in the future by developing a comprehensive approach to urban design and using technology to test different scenarios.