THE SECOND SERIES ON EVERYDAY CYCLING IN SINGAPORE

Hwang Yun Hye

Cycling as a form of urban transport is gaining attention in countries throughout the world. Singapore is no exception; it aims to become a cycling-friendly nation. As part of an active mobility initiative to meet that aim, 12 students in the Landscape Architecture (MLA) program, part of the Architecture Department in the National University of Singapore, participated in a studio to develop a cycling landscape infrastructure for a site in the One-North District over a 14-week period (August – November 2016). Work included preliminary research to understand the site context, in-depth field trips to identify problems and challenges within the assigned community, and design activities producing relevant solutions and techniques. Many local collaborators, notably Limin Hee and Luther Seet (CLC), Zhang Qian and Jin Hao (JTC), Cheah Kok Ming and Terrence Tan (NUS), Michael van Eggermond (FCL), and Chen Munn Tham (PTV Asia), provided practical perspectives that raised students’ awareness of the architectural, political, and technical aspects of cyclability and walkability. Their efforts contributed to the diversification of perceptions, the raising/ highlighting of problems, the development of practical designs, and the creation of a vision for a prototype cycling network in One-North District.

This book is a compilation of work from the studio. The first half of the book documents the sequential studio process. The studio began with site analysis as group work to explain the context and motivate subsequent design topics; it went on to include field trips and ended with design suggestions. Three distinct design outcomes appear in the second half of the book:

2) Everyday Cycling: Short-distance commuters cycling everywhere;

1) Mobility Hub: Reshaping major destinations to promote everyday cycling;

3) New Urban Vision: Cycling networks as integral transportation systems and part of city revival. The book concludes with a studio chronology and reflections on what we came away with.

We hope the book will launch new discussions of an alternative mobility network that planners and designers can use to create a healthier compact city.

Everyday Cycling In Singapore 2

Hwang Yun Hye, Assistant Professor, Department of Architecture, School of Design and Environment, National University of Singapore

PREAMBLE/ ISSUE

Beyond the notion of a city in a garden, the nation’s green policy focuses on liveability, sustainability and resilience, achieved, for example, by strengthening the green infrastructure, increasing ecological and green regimes, and creating more pedestrianized streets. A green transport policy might serve as a framework for sustainable land use and transportation plans over the next 30 years. Many alternatives, including walking, cycling, transit-oriented development, stop-lights etc., could be considered as part of such a policy. Among these alternatives, the creation of a cycling friendly landscape infrastructure is a good starting point. Despite Singapore’s attempts to create bicycle routes and infrastructures, there are still many challenges for ordinary, everyday cyclists. The majority of the extensive cycling routes cater to leisure and recreation cycling; major shopping districts prohibit cycling; the PCN does not function as an optimal cycling route, as it is often bisected by physical barriers, such as highways, canals, bridges, and steps; obstacles to cycling include unlinked roadways, high speed vehicles, heavy traffic, uneven surface, a lack of safe intersection crossings, narrow passages, conflicts with pedestrians, and unshaded paths. Only 0.9% of the resident working population over the age of 15 uses bicycles to commute. This figure illustrates how undesirable everyday cycling is in Singapore.

Site

Located in the southwester part of Singapore, One-North district is designed as a technological and innovation hub hosting a cluster of research facilities and a business park space with over 400 companies and about 46,000 workers. Around 1.7milion square metres of office space are devoted to biomedical sciences, information and communications technology (ICT), media, physical sciences, and engineering. The park spans Biopolis and Fusionopolis, and connects Ayer Rajah Crescent and Rochester Park with Holland Village and Queens Town. Its combination of educational institutions, residences and communal amenities creates a work-live-play-learn environment. Efforts have been made to improve connectivity by providing shuttle buses, flyovers connecting some destinations, the test-bedding of autonomous vehicles, and a long-term master plan for the next 40 years. However, traffic woes persist - traffic congestion is an issue for the business park as is the continuing development and construction. The improvement of mobility is a priority. One-North district is selected as the ‘landing’ site of this module and serves as a point of reference for all design activities. Sites selected by students should be based on users’ demands in the district and its surrounding context. Students should work as a group based on problem statements and topics arising during the research period, aided by the various design exercises and input sessions.

Project

How do we undertake these types of challenges in the field of landscape architecture? How do we mediate between car-oriented traffic policies and an ecological vision of genuine sustainability? How do we curate the cycling routes at different scales? Ultimately, how do we enable more people get on their bicycles every day? This studio aims to address design and planning practices of cycling routes towards the establishment of a liveable city and propose ways to integrate them into our urban environments. We will capitalize on the academic nature of the studio to develop ideas and schemes free of restrictions commonly faced in practice, and beyond any constraints of political correctness. Multiple issues, such as environmental sustainability, walkability, human health, identity, multi functionality, and liveability, will be examined.

Students are expected to develop their ability to read existing landscapes, to assess the environmental impact of design and planning decisions, and to convert their vision into a feasible landscape architectural form.

Learning Objectives And Approaches

The studio has three objectives:

(1) To understand how landscape architecture drives mobility issues in a high-dense tropical context.

(2) To acquire basic knowledge related to the studio topic, for example, heat mitigation and stormwater management strategies, landscape as infrastructure, and promoting health through design.

(3) To synthesize research outcomes and site analysis into consolidated design forms through logical thinking processes.

To facilitate the studio objectives, five basic studio approaches will be emphasized throughout the semester. A high degree of invention, pragmatism, and practicality is expected in the planning and design proposals.

(1) Research centred design: there will be an emphasis on exploring the relationship between documentation and analytical research using diverse conceptual frameworks.

(2) Site specificity: designs will be based on a strong awareness of the geographical characteristics of the surveyed sites, locality, and reality.

(3)Wide ranging spectrum: the spectrum of research will range from a district-scale plan to a landscape detail profile, including a tree along a street.

(4) Mobility: mapping exercises will provide an understanding of the traffic systems and human flows; a review of design guidelines will inform design decisions.

(5) Multi-functionality: as cyclable landscapes can potentially encompass various functional layers, students will be encouraged to produce solutions that address multiple concerns simultaneously.

Activities Overview

This is the third studio in Master Programme of Landscape Architecture, with participants from NUS architecture and graduates from other universities with a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture or a degree in an associated field. The 14-week period includes three weeks of preliminary research to understand site context, with in-depth input sessions from professionals and field trips to identify problems and challenges. The next three weeks will be devoted to applied research activities (including site observation & measurements, surveys and detailed mappings) to acquire knowledge relevant to creating design strategies. The last eight weeks will focus on design application, culminating in a convincing design solution for the issues identified as a team member on each of the three subgroups. A group of experts, including transportation consultants, urban planners from CLC, and researchers in thermal comfort and walkability measurement will help students avoid the pitfalls of shallow and superficial interventions in this academic exercise. They will offer immediate and accurate perspectives on the challenges of and the opportunities inherent in increasing mobility in high dense cities, propose scientific methods to measure cyclablity, and explain how collected data can be applied to address these issues. Students will be tasked to work in subgroups according to the requirements of each stage of the studio. They may end up with one group project after discussing it with tutors.

References

1. Policies and plans

- URA master plan 2014 https://www.ura.gov.sg/uol/master-plan.aspx

- Ministry of Transport Singapore https://www.mot.gov.sg/about-mot/land-transport/cycling

- Walk Cycle Ride SG by LTA https://www.lta.gov.sg/content/ltaweb/en/walk-cycle-ride.html

- Creating Healthy Places through Active Mobility (CLC) https://www.clc.gov.sg/researchpublications/publications/urban-systemsstudies/view/creating-healthy-places-through-activemobility Creating Liveable Cities Through Car-Lite Urban Mobility (CLC) https:// www.clc.gov.sg/research-publications/publications/urban-systemsstudies/view/creating-liveable-cities-through-car-lite-urbanmobility

- One north development by JTC https://www.jtc.gov.sg/industrial-land-and-space/Pages/onenorth.aspx

- Pulse @ one-north Newsletter https://www.jtc.gov.sg/news-andpublications/publications/Pulse/2018_06/files/assets/common/ downloads/publication.pdf

- Maps - Shuttle Bus Service, - one-north Estate Map

- One North Masterplan - Masterplans - Zaha Hadid Architects www.zahahadid.com/masterplans/one-north-masterplan/

- One-north district sees healthy growth but traffic woes persist, Channel news Asia, 28 Dec 2016, Patrick John Lim https://www. channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/one-north-districtsees-healthy-growth-but-traffic-woes-persist-7657396

2. Case studies and guidelines

- Best cycling cities https://www.wired.com/story/world-best-cycling-cities-copenhagenize/

- Copenhagen cycling design strategies http://www.eltis.org/sites/default/files/casestudies/documents/copenhagens_cycling_ strategy.pdf

- Active Design Guidelines - Center for Active Design _ promoting health through design https://centerforactivedesign.org/dl/ guidelines.pdf https://centerforactivedesign.org/

- Tan, P. Y., Liao K. H, Hwang, Y. H., & Vincent Chua, 2018, Nature, place, and people: forging connections through neighbourhood landscape design, World Scientific, Singapore, Chapter 5: Designing Neighbourhood Landscapes with Landscape Services https:// www.worldscientific.com/doi/pdf/10.1142/9789813236035_0005

- Hwang, Yun Hye, Qin Jie Geraldine Lum, and Yeow Kwang Derek Chan. "Micro-scale thermal performance of tropical urban parks in Singapore." Building and Environment 94 (2015): 467-476. - Cooler Calmer Singapore http://www.fcl.ethz.ch/research/ responsive-cities/cooler-calmersingapore.html

3. Measurement methods and tools

- Urban Network Analysis Toolbox for ArcGIS - http://cityform.mit.edu/projects/urban-networkanalysis.html

- PTV Vissim - Multimodal capacity study Heidelberg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18q4is-xyI8

- Mobile MULTI – survey sensor https://www.eco-compteur.com/en/products/multirange/mobile-multi

- Kallus, Rachel. "From abstract to concrete: Subjective reading of urban space." Journal of Urban Design 6.2 (2001): 129-150. https://www-tandfonlinecom.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/doi/pdf/10.1080/13574800120057818?needAccess=true - Honjo, Tsuyoshi, et al. "Thermal comfort along the marathon course of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics." International journal of biometeorology (2018): 1-13 https://link-springercom.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/article/10.1007%2Fs00484-018-1539-x

- Forsyth, Ann. "What is a walkable place? The walkability debate in urban design." Urban design international 20.4 (2015): 274-292. 13.http://bb2sz3ek3z.search.serialssolutions.com/?sid=google&auinit=A&aulast=Forsyth&atitl e=What+is+a+walkable+place%3F+The+walkability+debate+in+urban+design&id=doi:10.105 7/ udi.2015.22&title=Urban+design+international+(London,+England)&volume=20&issue=4&d ate=2015&spage=274&issn=1357-5317

- Ewing, Reid, and Susan Handy. "Measuring the unmeasurable: Urban design qualities related to walkability." Journal of Urban design 14.1 (2009): 65-84. https://www-tandfonlinecom.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/doi/ pdf/10.1080/13574800802451155?needAccess=true

4. Ect. - Engaging Mobility (publications, big data, bike to the future, past projects) http://www.fcl.ethz.ch/research/ responsive-cities/engaging-mobility.html - More materials on IVLE > Source https://ivle.nus.edu.sg/v1/File/Student/Default. aspx?CourseID=3ad521de-7b7a-4831-9ba080bcbd1c819e

The studio started off with an introduction to the project given by the studio tutor, Hwang Yun Hye The students split themselves into 3 teams to collect related reading materials and resources including policies & plans, case studies & guidelines, and measurement methods & tools.

13 Aug | Studio Orientation

13 Aug |

Three Seminars about Cycling in Singapore

After the project introduction, the studio attended 3 seminars on topics related to the project. The first seminar that the studio has taken is transport history of Singapore given by Chen Munn THAM, Director, PTV Asia, followed by the second seminar presented by Luther Seet, Senior Assistant Director, Centre for Liveable Cities (CLC) regarding the research on walkability and cyclability of Singapore and One-North district. The day was concluded with the last seminars on thermal comfort and landscape design optimisation guided by Dr. Terrence Chun Liang TAN, Research fellow, NUS Building Science.

To prepare for the first group field trip, the students planned a cycling route that explores different segments of One-North from the old residential Ghim Moh district to the newly developed business area around Buona Vista using the existing cycling route.

17 Aug | Field Trip Management and Cycling Route Selection

17 Aug | Group Discussion and Tool Management

According to individual initial knowledge and interest of the site, 12 students were divided into three groups to do site investigation and with three different design approaches. The groups are: commuters within the district; long-distance commuters; and commuters to major destinations. Meanwhile, everyone is actively preparing for the thermal comfort tool installation for fied trip.

Prof Hwang Yun Hye and 12 students gathered for the first site visit at Holland Drove starting from 8am and cycled for more than 10km till noon to witness different types of commuters and their experiences in and around One-North region. Cycling routes includes Ulu pandan Park Connector, Commonwealth Ave, Queensway, One-North Ave, Dover Rd, Clementi Rd and AYE.

20 Aug | Group Site Visit

20

Aug |

Walkability Measurement through GIS Analysis

After the site visit, Michael van Eggermond, Senior Researcher from ETH Centre gave us an eye-opening lecture about walkability measurement with the use of GIS programming. This lecture also prepared us to anticipate what are the different approaches each team can make to analyse mobility issues.

Tutors from PTV Asia gave us a traffic simulation workshop using Vissim/Viswalk software that allow us to simulate existing and proposed traffic condition. The students have a more indepth of the traffic simulation technology through the tutors’ detailed explanation and demonstration.

23 Aug | Traffic Simulation Workshop

25-27 Aug | Site Survey

During 25th-27th August, three groups of four sudents survyed two targeted groups - cyclists and non-cyclists- about their opinions on cycling in Singapore and particularly in their neighbourhood. We got 283 valid questionnaires and recorded the travel routes of every commuters and their evaluation on connectivity, comfortability and safety of their commuting routes.

This is the first time for us analyse the collected survey data and site measurements. Analysis includes classification of roads, land use, land ownerships, public open spaces, terrain, thermal comfort, health, walkability and cycablity, etc. Accoding to this discussion, the three desginated groups clarify the data needed in the next step according to their design approaches.

30 Aug | Subgroup Pin-ups & Discussion

6 Sep Site Analysis &

Subgroup Presentation

A group studio preliminary analysis review was held so that each group could conduct sharing of gathered data while checking on individuals’ progression to learn from each other. Everyone had the opportunity to comment and give suggestions on others’ analysis, helping each teams’ work to improve and move ahead.

Every group went through and discussed the site issues with Prof Hwang and determined the group’s target site. Each group marked their target site on the map and discussed their design concept with other groups.

17 Sep | Synthesis &

Site Selection

8 Oct | Mid Review

We are very honored to have invited 8 tutors from CLC, PTV Asia and other professors who listened critically to our mid-review presentation and suggested an array of useful methods and strategies to counter our respective site issues. After the review, the tutors were very satisfied with our mid-term results and made some general advice for the next step development.

Reviewers：

Limin Hee, Director, Centre for Liveable Cities (CLC)

Luther Seet, Senior Assistant Director, Centre for Liveable Cities (CLC)

Jin Hao, Assistant Manager, New Estates Division 2, JTC

Terrence Chun Liang TAN, Research fellow, NUS Building Science

Cheah Kok Ming, Associate Professor, National University of Singapore

Yumi Lee, Visiting Professor, Seoul National University

Chen Munn THAM, Director, PTV Asia

Prof Hwang and three subgroups met at site. For the major destination group, Prof Hwang emphasized the importance of human flow in MRT junction area, Timber+ commercial area and factory area. For the long distance group, Prof Hwang suggest to pay more attention on neighbourhood community.

22 Oct | Subgroup site visit with the tutor

1

Nov

Design Development Presentation

Each student has generated detailed design on their target area according to their respective own design strategy. Some students have done physical models to better illustrate their own designs. Prof Hwang patiently answered all kinds of design questions for us and proposed some alternative suggestions.

After more than three months of hard work, we finally reached to our final review. We invited mostly tutors and professionals who attended in our mid-term review to follow up on our completed projects. The students reported their research results and designs in a professional manner

22 Nov | Final Review

22 Nov | Final Review

After finishing each group presentation, the critics comment on the group work and each student's work. All the tutors affirmed our design achievements and expressed their own vision of cycling in Singapore. We concluded with a light discussion on the possible future cycling planning in one north region and the rest of singapore.

Reviewers：

Limin Hee, Director, Centre for Liveable Cities (CLC)

Luther Seet, Senior Assistant Director, Centre for Liveable Cities (CLC)

Zhang Qian, Manager, JTC

Jin Hao, Assistant Manager, New Estates Division 2, JTC

Terrence Chun Liang TAN, Research fellow, NUS Building Science

Michael van Eggermond, Senior Researcher, FCL, ETH Centre

Cheah Kok Ming, Associate Professor, National University of Singapore

Yumi Lee, Visiting Professor, Seoul National University

Rudi Maria Frans Anne Stouffs Associate Professor, National University of Singapore