Tracing Singapore's Urban Futures: A Review Essay

The City Rebooted: Networks, Connectivity and Place Identities in Singapore. Heng Chee Chan and Harvey Neo (eds). World Scientific Publishing, Singapore, 2024. pp. xxv + 320 pages. ISBN 978-9-811-28783-1 (hbk). Reimagining the More-Than-Human City: Stories from Singapore. Jamie Wang. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, USA, 2024. 280 pages. ISBN 978-0-262-38141-3 (ebook). Cities are complex socio-material entities shaped by an inextricably tangled web of human and non-human interactions, materiality and spatial practices. In recent urban geography literature, the more-than-human turn and relational approaches to urban networks have gained traction, challenging anthropocentric paradigms and rethinking urban connectivity (Jacobs, 2011; Van Patter, 2022). The City Rebooted: Networks, Connectivity and Place Identities in Singapore and Reimagining the More-Than-Human City represent two contributions to the scholarship. While the former examines the impacts of COVID-19 on Singapore's urban fabric, the latter takes a more critical stance towards the state's eco-modernist approach with regards to sustainable urban development and reorients urban studies in relation to greater consideration of more-than-human actors. While distinct in their thematic foci, both books offer insights into the complex interplay between space, place, networks, human and non-human actors. Focusing on Singapore, The City Rebooted analyses the socio-spatial transformation of the city-state during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Brought together by scholars of various disciplines, this interdisciplinary book centres on the impact of digital technologies and network infrastructure on Singapore's spatial organization and place identities. It has been organized into 10 chapters and categorized into four sections. The introductory chapter explores urban resilience and recovery through two types of urban disasters: health crises (SARS) and terrorism and their implications for the post-COVID-19 context. By framing urban challenges as opportunities for actionable strategies to further enhance urban resilience, the introductory chapter sets the stage to narrow in on the Singapore context. The first section of the book explores the impacts of the pandemic on Singapore's city centre. In the first chapter, Nicholas and Yap concur that despite the rise of remote working, Singapore's Central Business District (CBD) will continue to remain relevant in the future, although this might be accompanied by shifts in industry composition, with technology firms replacing banks as key tenants. Considering this, the authors emphasize the importance of mixed-use development in the CBD, pointing towards a more integrated and vibrant urban core that remains adaptable to evolving conditions. Examining the virtual realm, the next chapter by Jayasekara and Hansson examines the digital economy's key traits, challenges for Singapore and other leaders, and post-COVID strategies for its success. Although the chapter is rich and informative, particularly in terms of how different cities have succeeded in digital integration, it seems to offer little discussion of the risks associated with digitalization. Issues like data privacy and cybersecurity are briefly mentioned but not explored in depth. Personally, I would have appreciated a more critical discussion, particularly on digital governance challenges, for this can offer a more nuanced understanding of what a digital economy truly entails. Nonetheless, the chapter emphasizes the growing entanglement of technology and urban life, illustrating how cities must adapt to and incorporate digital economies into their landscapes (Maalsen, 2024). Focusing on the smaller scale of the office, the next section, The Future of Office examines the rise of hybrid and remote work and the evolving role of physical office spaces. Joyce advocates rethinking office design to enhance antifragility spatially, temporally and socially. He argues that the pandemic has created a social debt in workplaces, necessitating more intentional planning to support both organizations and employees amid ongoing uncertainties. While Joyce does not detail how office spaces can adapt to post-COVID work patterns—such as remote work and increased reliance on technology—while maintaining social interaction, I appreciate the inclusion of Singaporean office workers' perspectives, as public opinion is largely overlooked in other chapters. Building on Joyce's chapter which illustrates people's desire for combined Work-From-Home (WFH) and Work-From-Office (WFO) options, the following chapter by Joyce and Ibrahim studies how hybrid work (re)shapes workplace interactions. Agent-based simulation reveals that spatial (fixed versus flexible seating) and temporal (number of in-office days) factors significantly affect workplace connectivity amongst workers. Unsurprisingly, the authors advance that there is no one-size-fits-all model that promotes social interaction and call for organizations to align their spatial and temporal work arrangements with their goals, workforce composition and task requirements for maximum productivity and worker satisfaction. The next section of the book turns the reader's attention to a different scale. Scaling up to a larger unit of analysis (polycenters and regional centres in Singapore specifically), the chapter by Neo and Li examines the relationship between polycentricity, place-making and identities. Analysing travel data of research participants from Jurong, Woodlands and Tampines, findings suggest that following the rise of WFH post-pandemic, regional centres will continue to play a pivotal role in providing an integrated live-work-play-learn landscape for residents, where facilities and amenities are conveniently located in proximity. Importantly, the significance of place identities and attachments are made prominent; that in the internet era, polycenters cannot merely be functional spaces, but must 'exhibit a sense of place and identity that will resonate with residents such that they are rooted in place' (p. 80). Evidently, this presents an increasingly urgent and persistent challenge for Singapore, as the weakening of the so-called Singaporean identity remains a growing concern amid ongoing globalization (Kluver & Weber, 2003). Providing a more granular view of Singapore's everyday landscape, the subsequent chapter by Chng examines cloud kitchens and cloud stores – spaces that enable our daily conveniences yet remain largely invisible from our physical experience of the city. It is interesting to note that despite and alongside the rise of cloud kitchens, the number of physical food and beverage establishments has been increasing consistently as well. This again reiterates that in-person social interaction remains integral in Singapore's increasingly digitalized urban fabric. Building on the importance of social relations established in the previous section, the last section examines the value of software and social relations in keeping Singapore vibrant. The photo essay chapter by Chan and colleagues chronicles the impact of the pandemic on Singapore's cityscape and everyday life. Using the looking glass metaphor to show how once familiar and taken-for-granted quotidian environments and practices have changed drastically following the Circuit Breaker, this chapter revolves around the key themes of control, jiak (eating), work, the outdoors and the tourist gaze. The themes have been chosen strategically, as these are indeed facets of everyday life that have seen the most marked change in the wake of the pandemic (besides healthcare). Wittingly captioned and strategically chosen, the images effectively illustrate how (the lack of) social interactions shape urban spaces, reaffirming their essential role in creating vibrant, dynamic cities. In the next chapter, Chee et al. explores the modernity (defined as the use of science and technology) that has made Singapore the global city that she is today. Although this particular chapter seems slightly out of place in this section (since the prior and subsequent chapters focus more on software while this chapter looks at hardware), the authors rightfully concur that increased digitalization warrants critical considerations by the state and that understanding what kind of technologies Singapore will require to remain relevant is crucial to bolstering Singapore's attractiveness. However, the chapter gives rise to a new question: As Singapore becomes increasingly tech-reliant, what are some dangers and unintended consequences that we are unable to foresee? The section ends with a chapter by Martinez and colleagues, who argue that social relations and software are 'indispensable' (p. 298) in maintaining the attractiveness of cities. Analysing three case studies, they advance that often taken-for-granted quotidian spaces are integral in contributing to the overall vibrancy of cities, as they are important spaces where everyday interactions and cultural expressions occur, hence fostering a sense of belonging amongst residents. By foregrounding the significance of everyday spaces in cultivating the magic of city centres, Martinez et al. challenge the tendency to privilege grand urban developments over the ordinary yet vital spaces of daily life, reinforcing the importance of acknowledging their contribution to and alongside larger, planned urban projects and social interactions (Carr et al. 1993). The next book, Reimagining the More-Than-Human City: Stories from Singapore by Jamie Wang critiques Singapore's anthropocentric approach to sustainability, which disregards ecological, social and temporal complexities. The book challenges the state's singular, linear and forward-thinking narrative of progress and advocates for alternative urban imaginaries that consider multiple temporalities and interspecies entanglements. The book opens with a conceptual framing of eco-modernization, more-than-human communities and futuring. Wang posits that Singapore's vision of sustainable development is underpinned by economic imperatives and human-centric governance and cultivates a partial, linear vision of the future. Expanding on this argument, Chapter One takes Singapore's City in a Garden vision as a form of authoritarian nature and highlights a paradox; while the state's sustainability initiatives are lauded globally, they depend on high-energy, technologically intensive projects that may ultimately undermine environmental goals. Wang critiques the practice of biodiversity offsetting particularly in Gardens by the Bay for the state's overvaluation of nature's instrumental value over its intrinsic worth, neglecting the intricate interconnections and temporal rhythms of nonhuman lives for human convenience and pleasure. In Chapter Two, Wang introduces the concept of double erasure to critique Singapore's linear urban development approach, illustrating how the removal of physical sites also erases the cultural practices, histories and nonhuman actors within them. Assessing Lorong Buangkok (Singapore's last kampung) and the Kampung Balik project revealed contradictions in the state's portrayal of the kampung spirit being romanticized as a cultural treasure, while simultaneously being portrayed as unsanitary and backward, making them incompatible with Singapore's vision for the future. This chapter also argues that spatial management functions as a mechanism of temporal control, determining which aspects of the past are to be remembered and which futures are considered im/possible. The arguments presented in this chapter are particularly compelling given their relevance to everyday life; as the government repeatedly invokes the kampung spirit as an ideal to be revived, there is a tendency to accept this narrative uncritically. However, this chapter serves as a crucial wake-up call, urging readers to interrogate the state's objectives and recognize the potential exclusions embedded in such nostalgic framings. Chapter Three examines urban movement. Drawing on two examples — the Cross Island Line (CRL) and the Eco-Link@BKE —the chapter frames the mobility of humans and nonhumans within the tensions of national development and ecological preservation. Personally, Wang's interpretation of the state's unwavering stance to reduce commute times on the CRL as a 'political necessity' (p. 98) despite environmental ramifications was impactful, accentuating the politicized nature of urban mobility decisions within wider environmental debates. These case studies illustrate the politics of visibility, revealing how underground spaces and nonhuman communities — often considered insignificant and invisible — can be easily sacrificed for new infrastructural developments. This critique also underscores the book's central argument, that the state's anthropocentric approach to sustainable urban development frequently overlooks and oversimplifies complex ecological interdependencies. Delving into Singapore's water governance strategies, Chapter Four examines the nation's reliance on desalination and NEWater as technological solutions for water security. Here, Wang invokes the concept of cruel optimism, contending that Singapore's quest for water autonomy perpetuates a cycle of dependency on energy-intensive technologies that undermine genuine sustainability. Questioning how truly sustainable the city-state's water practices are, Wang concurs that the state's construction of water as a controllable and predictable entity reinforces a modernist illusion of environmental mastery, legitimizing its role as a successful leader in meeting the needs of its citizens and nation. However, Wang leaves her readers with the bigger question: Is the state fostering a false sense of security since Singapore's water strategies are energy-intensive and are likely to further exacerbate environmental issues? In Chapter Five, Wang looks at urban farms, examining tensions between Singapore's state-driven approach to urban farming and alternative, community-based ecological practices. The chapter problematizes the state's narrow approach in prioritizing technocratic efficiency and crop yield over intricate ecological relationships. Wang critiques this reductionist framing and advocates for urban agriculture rooted in 'thick localism' (p. 166), a framework that emphasizes interdependent relationships between humans, nonhumans (e.g., plants, insects, technology) and the natural environment. Drawing on feminist theories, she calls for an ethics of situated care in urban farming, where food production should not only be an economic endeavour, but also an interconnected practice that nurtures the wellbeing of the diverse more-than-human actors that sustain it. Concluding with an epilogue which summarizes each chapter, Wang reflects on the multifaceted urban environmental challenges facing Singapore through a more-than-humans lens. Critiquing the prevailing sustainability narrative that is driven by high-tech futurism and continual economic development, an essential question is asked: What type of sustainable futures are envisioned and at whose expense? In closing, Wang stresses the need to critically rethink human-environment dynamics in Singapore, championing for a more relational understanding that moves beyond anthropocentric perspectives to include both human and nonhuman actors and acknowledges time-space intricacies. Taken together, the two books are complementary in contributing to our understanding of Singapore's approach to urban governance and spaces. The City Rebooted: Networks, Connectivity and Place Identities in Singapore outlines the state's successes and highlights areas for future consideration, though occasionally leaning towards state-endorsed messaging. On a separate note, while its title suggests a focus on place identities, some chapters engage with this theme more effectively than others. Conversely, Reimagining the More-Than-Human City adopts a more critical stance, deconstructing prevailing state narratives and encouraging alternative imaginaries of possible futures. Although Wang's critique may at times appear hypercritical, such an approach is necessary to foreground perspectives that are often sidelined, omitted, or silenced by the state. Its title is particularly apt, as the book not only reimagines futures beyond state-aligned visions but also traverses complex time-space relations. Moreover, its emphasis on the more-than-human—incorporating nonhuman actors such as animals, ancestors, technology, soil and water—reinforces its argument that the city is constituted by more-than-human agencies. Nevertheless, both books leave us with important questions. As Singapore continues to lead in sustainable urban development, how must sustainability be reconceptualized to integrate greater social equity alongside technological innovation for both human and nonhuman actors? Can the city-state afford to keep sidelining interconnected socio-cultural networks and temporalities deemed unimportant within its urban landscapes? And what might the long-term consequences be for future generations in Singapore, Southeast Asia and beyond? Envisioning more inclusive and sustainable futures for all will require addressing these uncomfortable questions. The author declares that there is no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this review essay.