A Seafood Supper in Singapore

After a bustling first two days of extensive research and field investigation in Singapore, our third day was devoted to summarizing our findings and reflecting on the interactions we had shared with various government agencies, academics and locals. As we started to work more specifically in our interdisciplinary groups for the first time, it was interesting to see how our different academic backgrounds and skills came into confluence to enable difficult issues to be solved through multiple angles and frames of thinking. Far from creating technical barriers, working with group members of different knowledge bases helped me greatly in beginning to understand the intricate social and economic factors that dictate Singapore’s strong public housing policies.

As we moved into the afternoon, we were given an eye-opening discussion of housing issues within an Asian and Australian context from Dr. Peter Armstrong, an architect, academic and expert on urban planning. Interesting points were raised surrounding the transformation and adaptability of housing policies amidst migrant preferences and multigenerational trends, and parallels were drawn between Singapore and other major Asia-Pacific cities such as Tokyo, Seoul and Sydney. Peter’s presentation was followed by group presentations on our preliminary findings into housing in Singapore’s different regions and by the end of the afternoon, I found myself struck at how important housing and urban design policies really were to the successful growth of a city.

After an intense day of thinking and learning, we visited a seafood restaurant for dinner where we were joined by Singaporean students who shared with us amazing insights into their life and thoughts on Singapore and Australia. As we talked, laughed and bantered late into the night over crab claws and expensive alcohol, it was amazing to realize how different some aspects of their life were (such as their mandatory 2-year service in the military), yet how similar some of their values and beliefs were to us as young adults. As I write this post after a wonderful night with complete strangers, I feel amazed at how globally connected our world has become and feel excited to continue learning about Singapore knowing that it will benefit both my professional and personal development.

This blog was originially published on Sydney Life: Student experiences at the University of Sydney.

Tim Le
Current student at the University of Sydney Business School and participant in the New Combo Plan, a short-term interdisciplinary field school in Singapore where students work together to understand and analyse the Singapore government’s housing policy 

Hot, humid and a table of seafood

After 24 hours of first visiting our designated regions, we delivered our first group presentations today. The presentations were mostly factual, concerning the architectural, demographic, commercial and social aspects of each region. It was interesting to observe that each group had approached the task differently, some focusing on a single estate whereas others chose to adopt a broader overview. The presentations helped to distinguish the characteristics of each region which would be valuable in moulding our final research question. Through this exercise it was evident that our presentation skills could be improved, in particular, our time management and coherence as a team. But I’m confident that our next presentation will be better!

The evening took on a different twist to the more academic day, as we were joined at dinner by ten Singaporean students who will soon be studying at the University of Sydney. Definitely one of the highlights of the trip so far, we devoured a luxurious (and some exotic!) array of seafood dishes including chilli crab, shark’s fin soup and jellyfish. Talking with the Singaporean students enabled us to acquire a local perspective of the housing policies and the regions we were studying. The conversations also enlightened us to some cultural features of Singapore, while the Singaporeans were interested in our Sydney tales. The night has made me more culturally sensitive and aware of the unique cultural composition of Singapore. We look forward to seeing our new friends back in Sydney!

This blog was originially published on Sydney Life: Student experiences at the University of Sydney.

Betty Huang
Current student at the University of Sydney Business School and participant in the New Combo Plan, a short-term interdisciplinary field school in Singapore where students work together to understand and analyse the Singapore government’s housing policy

Moving beyond Marina Bay Sands

Today was the first official day of the trip and involved an extensive introduction into not only the Singaporean housing policy, but also aspects of culture and politics. This contrasted immensely with our first afternoon which was spent swimming in the pool overlooking Marina Bay Sands. However, such a rigorous introduction afforded unique insight into the ‘real’ Singapore and the history and dynamics of this unique city-state beyond the façade of tourist attractions.

We spent the morning at the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) where we were lucky enough to be given a guided tour of the Singapore City Gallery. One factor that really stood out to me, and is something of paramount importance to housing policy, is the fact that Singapore is a city-state. The miniscule area of 716 square kilometres requires intricate urban planning and control, and permeates all aspects of Singaporean public policy. Changes in their economy to a services based industry, quotas on cars - which involves residents requiring a permit that can be in excess of $60,000 – the reclaiming of land and a Master Plan which plans years in advance the urban development of the island opened my eyes to the pervasiveness of Singapore’s size on all aspects of Singaporean life. This contrasts greatly with policy and the economy of Australia and is a factor that will dictate the direction of our research in the next two weeks.

A model of the city at the Singapore City Gallery

In the afternoon we were given a tour of parts of the city and a public housing apartment by Daniel, a professor in sociology from the National University of Singapore. Being offered unparalleled insights into Singapore from a local opened my eyes to cultural aspects of the city. For example, Singapore’s ‘Chinatown’ was gentrified by the Singapore Tourism Board which included the building of a large outdoor theatre and even a new temple, with actual Chinese residents moving out of the area into apartments behind Chinatown. Daniel highlighted that the somewhat artificial tourist areas were separated from the actual Chinese community that remained by the ‘invisible barrier’ of the outdoor theatre. With Daniel’s insight and help we were able to recognise such barriers and were given new perspectives into the true culture of Singapore – as well as knowledge of the cheap eateries called Hawker centres away from the tourist hotspots. I am excited to continue exploring and understanding the ‘real’ Singapore and know that comprehension of this economic powerhouse will benefit my career prospects in business as Southeast Asia becomes increasingly important to the global economy.

A highway near Daniel’s apartment, notice how clean and orderly the streets are (the up to $1000 fine for littering is definitely working!)

This blog was originially published on Sydney Life: Student experiences at the University of Sydney.

Alexandra Meek
Current student at the University of Sydney Business School and participant in the New Combo Plan, a short-term interdisciplinary field school in Singapore where students work together to understand and analyse the Singapore government’s housing policy