Former British colonies have one thing going for them: the usage of the english language puts them at a greater advantage to develop their economies. (Sorry Vietnam. You got the tongue of love, not economic prowess.) After a recent visit to Singapore, I now understand why people use the term "The Singapore Model" in the context of superior urban planning and infrastructure. For a society that was kicked out of its neighboring country, Malaysia, for being too poor (they were all fisherman with no natural resources) and too other (they were 70% Han Chinese), Singapore has got it going on. It's one party government demonstrates the virtues and possibilities of an autocratic system, and with 4.5 million residents and a foreign reserve clearing US$171 billion, it's in the top 20 wealthiest nations in the world.
Singapore is a theme park for grownups where they dedicate an entire month to shopping, chop up centuries old chapels into malls and restaurants, have more than just the Ministry of Sound but of Manpower too, and even pump airCon in outdoor pavilions. There's a story about Governor Nelson Rockefeller that contributes his slamming down a half eaten grapefruit on the master planning model of Albany, NY as the origination for "The Egg" amphitheater. Well, I wouldn't be too surprised if that's how Singapore's arts center came about. The spiky dome structure is commonly called The Durian, a putrid smelling fruit banned from most hotels.
Two of the top architectural landmarks recently developed are the LaSalle arts center designed by Singaporean based RSP and Vivo City, a shopping mall of course, designed by Toyo Ito. LaSalle has a Mies Bauhaus thing going on, and the rooftop park and outdoor terraces of Vivo City are very derivative of Gaudi. Yet, in the shadow of its inventive architecture, the cityscape is quite sterile and, frankly, too damn clean for me. If they could pass a law to tell you where to stand, they would. Heck, I was breaking the law everyday as I chomped on my nicorette -- chewing gum is outlawed.
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Of interest, Singapore still reveres its colonial founder, Sir Stamford Raffles, who can count both a statue and a hotel named in his honour. Sort of reminds me of Nha Trang, where the names of Yersin, a doctor in the colonial maritime communications service, and Pasteur endure. Perhaps one hallmark of healthy societies is that they revere the names of all those who have contributed to their development and well-being.
Coming from New York City, I'm more in favor of streets with functional names (numbers and letters) versus historical reverence (war heroes). And urban planners in Vietnam aren't the most imaginative, they recycle street names: there's a Hai Ba Trung in every city just about as well as a Yersin.
i'm from singapore, and i do think we are frankly too boring! but as far as rules and fines go, though we have a practical catalogue of rules, they practically aren't enforced at all, so much so that some of us don't even know they exist! oh and if anything, the chewing gum ban-- well, apparently everyone's favourite example-- isn't really a ban anymore, since we are allowed to bring gum in from other countries. well, let's just say i have a fair bit sitting in my fridge now =)
I'm glad you went anonymous cause I'd hate to see you jailed for stock piling gum.
I feel that Singapore's "clean" and"sterile" cityscape is something that sets it apart from the other cities.
Also, note that nicorette gums are not banned in Singapore. You could probably chew it all day and make Singapore "clean"-er by not smoking.
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