Liveability Framework: Part 6 - Collaborative Ecosystem

Having a Collaborative Ecosystem is one of the three systems underpinning the liveability framework. Explore the key principles guiding Singapore’s partnership processes over the years here.

The Government has engaged and consulted Singaporeans on issues related to green spaces and nature areas like Pulau Ubin. Source: Sop Y/Unsplash

Introduction

Liveability in urban environments is not a static concept. It is a continuously evolving construct that changes with each city’s development phase and is shaped by emerging individual perceptions and aspirations on urban lived experiences, as well as dynamic external forces. Responding to current and emerging challenges, the LF serves as a practical but non-prescriptive reference for city leaders, policymakers and planners to plan liveable and sustainable cities of the future.

In the above LF diagram, the three critical liveability outcomes – Competitive Economy, High Quality of Life and Sustainable Environment - are represented as intersecting circles. Collectively, they establish a holistic urban ecosystem that contributes to overall liveability in a city over the long run. Surrounding these is a "ring" structure consisting of three complementary systems - Integrated Master Planning and Development, Dynamic Urban Governance, and Collaborative Ecosystem - that provide the enabling conditions to achieve and sustain these outcomes.

Collaborative Ecosystem

Singapore is a city and nation in perpetual motion. As new generations come of age, the nature of governance and how the government engages its citizens on urban issues must necessarily evolve.

Over the last decade, the advent of social media has led to increasing polarisation of views worldwide, which Singapore has not been immune to. At the same time, as society matures, there has also been a parallel trend of Singaporeans wanting to become more engaged in shaping the policies that affect their living environment.

The government has recognised this as a positive manifestation of citizens’ greater desire to play a more active role as “stewards” of Singapore’s future direction and limited resources. As such, there has been a conscious effort to move away from top-down approaches towards a more consultative and collaborative ecosystem of governance.

Two implicit principles underpin Singapore’s collaborative governance approaches —

1. Collective stewardship as a foundation for transformative collaborations; and

2. Strong partnerships with the international community on cross-border issues.

Principle 1: Collective Stewardship as a Foundation for Transformative Collaborations

A key approach in the evolution of Singapore’s new collaborative ecosystem is the goal of having citizens and the government work together as co-stewards of the city-state's shared future.

Launched in June 2022, Forward SG was an extensive undertaking by the government to engage and work with residents to arrive at a broad consensus on our new social compact and Singapore’s key directional thrusts for the future and illustrates this principle well.

The Forward SG Exercise was conducted over a period of 16 months and solicited inputs from more than 200,000 Singaporeans, through 275 partnerships and engagement sessions, as well as surveys, roadshows, and digital platforms. It culminated in the publishing of the Forward SG report on 27 Oct 2023, which articulated how the government will collaborate with Singaporeans to refresh the national social compact for the path ahead.

Government collaboration with residents has also become a norm for key issues of the day like nature and greenery in Singapore. In that regard, the National Parks Board’s Friends of Ubin Network consists of residents, volunteers and members of nature and heritage groups coming together to develop new initiatives for the rustic offshore recreational island of Pulau Ubin, including a code of conduct for environmentally and socially responsible behaviour on Pulau Ubin known as the “Ubin Way”.

In addition, neighbourhood and community partnerships have also gained traction in recent years, such as CLC’s 2019 multi-stakeholder effort to address issues of climate change with residents of Cambridge Road estate, a low-lying neighbourhood that has been historically prone to flooding. The exercise enabled the residents to develop and implement spatial interventions, in partnership with grassroots organisations, government agencies and technical experts, to future-proof the estate, and cultivate a culture of active citizenry and resilience.

Planting the green corridor at Cambridge Road. The exercise also provided opportunities for community bonding. Source: Building Community Resilience (2022)

Principle 2: Strong Partnerships Beyond our City’s Boundaries

Even as Singapore’s local governance moves towards more citizen-centred collaborations, in an increasingly fraught international environment, there has been greater recognition that Singapore would be well-served by stepping up its partnerships beyond its national boundaries.

Closest to home, Singapore continues to work with its neighbouring countries and cities. A clear example of such cross-border collaboration is the relationship between Singapore and the southern Malaysian metropolis of Johor Bahru. Cooperation between the two cities was most recently manifested in Singapore and Malaysia signing an Agreement on the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone on 7 January 2025. Under the Agreement, Johor and Singapore will compete for global investments together by improving cross-border goods connectivity between Singapore and Johor, enabling freer movement of people and strengthening the business ecosystem within the region.

Source: Malaysia, Johor Bahru, RTS Link. Drhao/Shutterstock

Within Southeast Asia, Singapore has forged partnerships with its close regional neighbours on the Lao PDR–Thailand–Malaysia–Singapore Power Integration Project (LTMS–PIP), a pathfinder project aimed at enhancing regional power connectivity and energy security in Southeast Asia. The project involves the utilisation of existing cross-border transmission infrastructure to facilitate the export of hydropower from Lao PDR to Singapore through Thailand and Malaysia.

Finally, one of the key pillars of Singapore’s approach towards international partnerships is its consistent commitment to multilateralism, which has become even more crucial in helping Singapore and its partners deal with the negative impact of climate change, as well as preserving natural environments worldwide that are under threat.

This collaborative approach to multilateral partnerships is achieved through the work of agencies and notable individuals like Rena Lee, Singapore’s Ambassador for Oceans and Law of the Sea Issues. As the president of negotiations at the Intergovernmental Conference on Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ), Ambassador Lee oversaw talks among more than 190 countries leading to the historic United Nations High Seas Treaty on 4 March 2023.

Conclusion:

Singapore’s journey from a fledgling nation grappling with severe urban challenges to becoming a globally recognised liveable city has been underpinned by dynamic governance, strategic planning, and extensive collaboration. As Singapore grapples with complex challenges like climate change, evolving socio-political expectations and a shifting demographic landscape, it needs to rely not only on robust urban systems but also strive for more collaboration and unity within Singapore, while working to engage and cooperate with like-minded countries and international organisations abroad.

For more information on the Liveability Systems in the Liveability Framework, please refer to Chapter 3: The Supporting Systems, here.

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