Liveable Cities Best Project Competition
The Liveable Cities competition kickstarted in AY23/24 Semester 1 and was established to encourage students to build better and liveable cities through their group project within the course.
In AY23/24 Semester 1, two teams were awarded as the best projects in the cohort, namely: Project TRANSIT and Ripple Effect: Reimagine, Revitalise and Rejuvenate Singapore River. The awards were kindly sponsored by DP Architects and the Urban Land Institute.
(Top Photo; Left to Right) Mr. Benett Theseira (Managing Director, Head of Asia Pacific, PGIM Real Estate), Ms. Chan Hui Min (Director, DP Architects), Verrell Evan Chandra, Seah Ching Xi Chloe, Goh Bing Jun, Calvin Khoo Wei En, Ms. Yeung Lee (Studio Leader), Dr. Loke Wai Chiong (Studio Leader).
(Bottom Photo; Left to Right) Mr. Benett Theseira (Managing Director, Head of Asia Pacific, PGIM Real Estate), Ms. Chan Hui Min (Director, DP Architects), Goh Nuoxu, Ho Tiong Teng, Sean, Lee Kai Xuan, Seah Jin Bao Darren, Chen Jing Yi, Vanessa, Mr. Lee Kwong Weng (Studio Leader).
Project TRANSIT
The team developed their project to answer the following problem statement: "How might we improve commute experience for Transit Users within Punggol Town where they experience crowd congestion and safety hazards at transit areas during peak periods." This project exhibited a strong systems thinking approach by integrating three isolated solutions into one. This was done through the proposal of an app that focuses on crowd sensing, and act as an enabler to reduce overcrowding and improve safety.
The creation of an app would show people which are the less congested routes in Punggol Town, helping to redirect the flow of commuters. This app's GPS would provide crowdsourced data to inform the authorities where stop signs should be implemented to nudge people on the roads to be more careful. This app would also enable residents and visitors to book autonomous vehicles as an alternative mode of transport. By doing so, it will help to reduce congestion and discomfort on the Light Rapid Transit (LRT). This solution integrates three components: Transit! App, Autonomous Vehicle, and Slow Down! Nudges.
The project displayed originality through the combination of solutions as an integrated and holistic solution addressing two main problems: LRT congestion and the safety of pedestrians vis-à-vis delivery riders.
Ripple Effect: Reimagine, Revitalise and Rejuvenate Singapore River
The team came up with the following problem statement: "How to redesign the Singapore River to be more interactive, significant and cleaner to all the city inhabitants?". This project provided an attractive solution by naturalising parts of the Singapore River with greenery while creating more social spaces. The team also elaborated on how the solution will be implemented.
Four solutions were proposed by the team, namely the construction of terraces, increasing step areas, developing the surrounding area, and improving water quality. The solutions were planned to work in concert to revitalise the waterfront, with aims to boost tourism and local businesses, to create spaces to cater to a range of interests and hobbies, to improve water quality, and to strengthen social connections among residents. The team demonstrated detailed evidence-based thinking through the presentation of primary and secondary data collection. References were also made to international case studies which were all carefully chosen for specific reasons, guiding their solutions development to address their identified problem statement.