Singapore, an urban planning model to address the effects of climate change – rts.ch

Singapore has been ramping up programs over the years to reduce the effects of urban heat and global warming. Parks, gardens, greenery and eco-buildings: the city-state is a model today.

However, the island is one of the most urbanized areas in the world. But everywhere, concrete and skyscrapers rub shoulders with greenery. It is thus nicknamed the “Garden City” of Southeast Asia.

Here’s the result: In this part of the world with a tropical climate, Singapore records an average temperature of 28 degrees throughout the year.

A smart building

These green spaces, on the ground but directly in buildings, help reduce the effects of heat without increasing energy costs.

In some hotels, customers can even stroll through the gardens surrounding the building on the fifth floor.

These gardens and other green terraces protect buildings from sunlight. Combined with openings that allow natural air circulation through the floors, this type of architecture can reduce indoor temperatures by two to three degrees.

Science and awareness

Since 2006, Singapore has been bringing together scientists, urban planners and architects to design a city capable of resisting the effects of climate change.

Shirin Taras, a German architect who has lived in Singapore for 20 years, has an urgent need to see these new housing models emerge. “We cannot continue to act as if nothing has happened and continue to build our cities and our environment as we have done in past centuries,” he declared at 7:30 p.m. Monday. “We now have billions of people, and that’s a new challenge that requires new solutions.”

In its ambitious plan, Singapore plans to make 80% of its buildings “green” by 2030, meaning buildings with low energy consumption.

Television report: Antoine Védeilhé

Web adaptation: jop