Many visitors – national leaders, city mayors, government officials, professionals – have travelled across the globe to find out how Singapore did it. From understanding the Republic's land use planning system to learning the best practices, many also want to know more about what this city-state’s “secret formula” is!

The URA Urban Leadership Programme

The URA Urban Leadership Programme was launched in early 2009 for URA to share its planning experience, and to offer consultancy services for planning projects in foreign cities. Reaching out to both the local and international audience, there are three areas that the Urban Leadership Programme focuses on, namely professional development courses, talks and seminars, and consultancy projects.

There is a range of professional development courses that are available, catering to the needs of different audiences. The concise and bite-size Land Use Planning: The Singapore Experience is ideal for government officials who are keen to have a quick insight on Singapore’s land use planning system during their study visits here. This can also be expanded to a one- to two-day programme if their schedule permits. For others who want a more in-depth appreciation of URA’s work, Integrated Land Use Planning would be the course for them as it delves into the details of the planning process. If these courses are not suitable, the group can also request custom-designed courses to suit their needs.

Integrated and experiential learning

Personally conducted by planners from URA, these courses are developed based on the principles, lessons and case studies from Singapore’s planning experience. The interactive nature of the courses encourages participants to interact with the lecturers and one another. Through these exchanges, many practical issues are brought up and discussed, and new ideas are highlighted to the benefit of all. Courses often have international participants from different backgrounds, adding another dimension to the discussion.

In addition, site visits also play a key part in these courses, where participants venture out of the classroom to get a first-hand experience of our fruits of labour. After all, seeing is believing, and the visits give participants a better appreciation of URA's work.

The URA Urban Leadership Programme also offers a series of talks and seminars on different topics. Not only does this keep the planning and architectural fraternity in touch with the latest developments within the industry, it is also a forum for them to engage and exchange views with other professionals. These sessions are often well-attended by planners and architects from both the private and public sectors.

Knowledge sharing with the community

As an extension of URA’s knowledge sharing platforms, the agency organises talks and seminars on a regular basis. Last year, URA invited renowned architect Sir Peter Cook to share his work with the community in Singapore. City planner Jan Ghel was also invited to speak about his work and research in public space design, while homegrown architect Tan Kay Ngee gave insights on the concept and philosophy behind his winning design for the Singapore Pavilion at the World Expo 2010, Shanghai.

In the area of development facilitation, URA organises seminars for Qualified Professionals, as well as briefings to share new policies and guidelines. A seminar on the planning of the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city was held last year, where URA planners shared the concepts and ideas behind the master plan for this flagship project.

URA also shares its planning experience with the community through its consultancy services. Having honed its expertise in strategic, long-term planning in Singapore, URA also takes part in the master planning of other cities. This can take the form of Government-to-Government collaborations such as the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city Project, or tie-ups with local companies on projects such as the Guangzhou Knowledge City and the master planning of Nantong Development Area. These are projects in China that involved integrated planning to create liveable, vibrant and sustainable townships. Other than offering strategic planning and master planning services, URA provides advisory services on the framework for development after the master plan has been drawn up.

Integrated Land Use Planning

The lecturers were experienced and painted a professional image of the URA

The inaugural run of the Integrated Land Use Planning course was held in April 2009, and this was followed by two runs later in the year, one of which was conducted in Mandarin. This four-day programme was a comprehensive course which shared about Singapore’s land use planning system in depth. Topics covered range from urban planning, urban design, and conservation, to the mechanisms that are in place to ensure that plans are implemented. Sessions conducted by URA were complemented with modules done by partner agencies, such as the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and the National Parks Board (NParks). Participants also had a chance to visit existing developments like the Singapore River, bringing planning from paper to life!

A very mind-opening course that helped me appreciate the importance of planning in shaping the urban landscape in a changing and dynamic environment

The response to the course was good, with more than 70 participants from seven countries taking part in 2009! Participants rated the course highly, and gave encouraging feedback. URA is planning more runs this year, so interested participants may keep a look out for them!

Custom-designed courses for planners from Lagos, Nigeria

Course participants often go on site
visits to places such as the Singapore
River for an in-depth understanding
of URA’s unique planning
achievements and challenges.

Over a period of six weeks in June and July 2009, URA conducted a one-day training course for 100 Lagos (Nigeria) planners and officials. The specially customised programme allowed the group to gain an understanding of how Singapore managed to transform itself from the fishing village of the 1960s to the global city we are today. They were also given a flavour of what living in Singapore is like by visiting housing estates such as Sengkang and riding on the MRT (Mass Rapid Transit), Singapore’s rail system.

The URA Urban Leadership Programme has received international participants from as far as Russia and Lagos, Nigeria.

Contact

For more information on the URA Urban Leadership Programme, please contact URA at (65) 6321 8281 or email the agency at ura_cg@ura.gov.sg.