Dynamic Urban Governance

Urban governance in Singapore has evolved to be more resilient through adaptive policies and deepening community participation in shaping solutions (Centre for Liveable Cities)

Following its independence in 1965, Singapore was faced with socio-economic challenges, including high unemployment, substandard living conditions, and a civil service in need of reform. Singapore’s transformation from a struggling post-colonial city to one of the world’s most liveable and competitive is anchored in its urban governance approach — particularly in balancing pragmatism with visionary planning, building high levels of trust, sound institutions, strong citizen engagement, and transformative public-private sector partnerships to deliver and sustain shared objectives.

The Evolution of Singapore’s Urban Governance  

While Singapore’s urban governance approaches remain relevant, Singapore continues to refined its approach to adapt to evolving complexities such as climate change, demographic shifts and technological advancements. In particular, Singapore’s governance has evolved into an adaptive one that emphasises the continuous refinement of policies through learning from outcomes. Characterised by a dynamic response to uncertainty, this ensures that Singapore’s governance mechanism is resilient and capable of evolving with challenges, allowing for the creation of innovative, forward-looking policies.  

There has also been a strong focus on building resilience and effective crisis management. Singapore’s implementation of governance structures and policies to effectively respond to and recover from shocks and stress contributes to building a more resilient and adaptable urban environment.  

Lastly, with the understanding that community resilience is built through participatory processes, increasing civic participation and inclusiveness in shaping the urban environment has become a key strategy of Singapore’s urban governance approach. This helps to build social capital and fosters ownership in problem-solving, ensuring that Singapore’s urban development is sustainable and resonates with the needs and aspirations of its population.  

Principles of Dynamic Urban Governance

Singapore’s governance approach is underpinned by five operating principles — leading with vision and pragmatism, upholding a culture of integrity, cultivating sound institutions, engaging and partnering with the community, and working with markets. 

Principle 1: Lead with Vision and Pragmatism

Bold vision and pragmatic policies shape Singapore's evolution into a liveable and economically competitive city (Unsplash)

Singapore’s governance model was shaped by a clear-eyed recognition of its economic vulnerabilities as a resource-limited city-state. Pioneer leaders like Lee Kuan Yew adopted a governance style that was characterised by pragmatism, and centred on economic development as well as socio-political stability as key to the nation's progress. 

Singapore's early policymaking was pragmatic and experimental, focused on learning through doing, and driven by the need to respond swiftly to changing circumstances and seize opportunities as they arose. Over time, it has evolved into an anticipatory governance approach, combining pragmatism with data-driven foresight and scenario planning to support evidence-based decision-making and a clear strategic vision.  

Principle 2: Uphold a Culture of Integrity

Singapore safeguards public trust through a strong anti-corruption stance and transparent governance (Unsplash)

Building and upholding a culture of integrity has been crucial for Singapore to maintain public trust and ensure the efficacy of its public institutions. This commitment to integrity is underpinned by the principle of meritocracy, which fosters fairness and equality. This is reflected in Singapore’s consistent ranking among the least corrupt countries globally. In the 2024 Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index, Singapore was the 3^rd least corrupt country in the world out of 180 countries, and the only Asian country ranked in the top 10. 

This is a result of Singapore’s zero-tolerance stance on corruption with strong enforcement and stringent penalties, led by agencies like the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau to pursue all instances of corruption, regardless of sum or the prominence of individuals implicated. Additionally, a framework of rules and processes has been implemented to minimise opportunities for corruption such as competitive public sector remunerations, conflict-of-interest regulations, and mandatory asset disclosures. Ongoing ethics training for public servants, transparent practices, and whistleblower protection policies all work together to strengthen accountability and public trust.

This commitment to integrity also extends to government-linked companies which operate according to commercial principles and compete for government tenders on an open and transparent basis. Over the years, Singapore has strengthened its approaches to maintain transparency and accountability through open data platforms, public consultation and engagement, and by establishing independent oversight bodies. Collectively, these measures create a governance environment where accountability, transparency and public confidence are actively upheld.  

Principle 3: Cultivate Sound Institutions

Eco-link@BKE (National Parks Board)

The establishment of robust institutions and processes is crucial in ensuring the full utilisation of available resources and expertise within a country or organisation. In Singapore, the transformation of its public service from a colonial bureaucracy into a meritocratic and effective institution has been central to national development. Talent is rigorously recruited, developed and retained, with public servant salaries benchmarked to the private sector and an emphasis placed on promoting staff well-being, morale and continuous learning. 

The expertise and integrity of the Public Service are further leveraged in effective and efficient institutional settings. The Cabinet, led by the Prime Minister, sets general strategic policy directions, and careful deliberations on policy proposals are conducted to ensure optimal outcomes. The government has also ensured that productive policy debates result in consensus based on pragmatism as seen in the decision-making process regarding the construction of the Bukit Timah Expressway (BKE). The government constructed an ecological corridor, Eco-link @BKE, to mitigate the environmental impact following stakeholder consultation and studies of overseas examples. These robust institutions and processes have not only facilitated effective policy implementation and resource utilisation, but also fostered a culture of innovation and bold decision-making. 

Principle 4: Engage and Partner with the Community

A group of residents working on a community garden as part of the Community in Bloom initiative (National Parks Board)

Creating a liveable city is a huge and complex undertaking, and city planners need the support of the city’s inhabitants for projects and policies to succeed and be sustainable. Singapore has embraced this by creating avenues for citizens to participate in policy formation, especially in areas like land use and environmental stewardship. The preservation of Chek Jawa Wetlands is a notable example of how public intervention has influenced decision-making in these areas. 

Since the 1980s, Singapore’s urban planning process has included public consultation through the development of Long-Term Plans and Master Plans. Over time, the approach evolved from mere consultation to actively canvassing public ideas. From the late 2000s, the government focused on more active engagement, emphasising co-creation in policymaking. This shift reflected a move away from a government-centric approach towards a collaborative model that values citizen participation and shared responsibility in shaping public policy.   

Principle 5: Work with Markets

Through sustained collaboration between HDB and industry partners, Singapore pioneered high-rise prefabrication technology. The Pinnacle@Duxton was largely prefabricated off-site (Zairon,(CC BY-SA 4.0)/ Wikimedia Commons)

Singapore's urban governance approach strategically enhances public service efficiency by utilising market mechanisms while avoiding market failures. The government maintains a pro-business stance, fostering an entrepreneurial environment conducive to profit generation, yet it also imposes regulations on businesses to ensure that the broader society does not unfairly bear the cost of externalities. Regulations also aim to maintain market competition for consumer protection and allow government intervention in cases of market failure. For instance, Singapore’s environmental policies leverage market principles, charging for waste treatment to prevent overconsumption and ensure sustainability, while also keeping sewerage subsidised as an essential service for public health.  

Singapore also employs public-private partnerships (PPP) that spur innovations and advancements, particularly in the water industry. For instance, Singapore’s first NEWater PPP project yielded the first major water recycling plant in the world and also led to innovations in technical design and operations, such as energy efficiency, at the Ulu Pandan NEWater plant. PPPs provide a novel way for the government to work with private firms to harness their innovative capacity, and improve outcomes over the longer term.