Singapore CEO wins JC Nichols Prize for Visionaries in Urban Development

Source: HDB. Dr Cheong.

Dr Cheong Koon Hean, an architect and urban planner credited with shaping much of Singapore’s urban landscape, has received the Urban Land Institute (ULI) JC Nichols Prize for Visionaries in Urban Development.

The prize honours the legacy of Kansas City, Missouri, developer JC Nichols, a founding ULI member considered to be one of America’s most creative entrepreneurs in land use during the first half of the 20th century. It is the highest honour bestowed by the ULI, a global, member-driven organisation dedicated to responsible leadership in land use and the creation of thriving, sustainable communities.

Dr Cheong, the 17th Nichols laureate and the first from Asia, is CEO of Singapore’s Housing & Development Board (HDB), which builds and manages public housing for more than 80% of the city-state’s population. Since taking on this position in 2010, she has overseen one of Singapore’s largest residential building programmes to help address high housing demand. She has also introduced HDB’s Roadmap to Better Living in HDB Towns, which guides HDB’s development of well-designed, sustainable and community-centric towns.

In 2014, HDB announced a Smart HDB Town Framework that maps out how HDB intends to introduce the “smart” element in HDB towns and estates, and named a number of new towns which would test-bed smart technology such as Punggol Northshore. "We want to leverage on information and communication technology to make HDB towns and estates more liveable, efficient, sustainable and safe for our residents,” Dr Cheong said at the time.

Smart planning technologies deployed included:

• A tool that helps planners to assess the effectiveness of various initiatives such as LED lighting and solar energy so that they can decide on the best combination of initiatives to achieve sustainability goals cost-effectively. 
• An intelligent parking demand monitoring system that can automatically increase the number of available lots during non-peak hours for visitors by allowing non-residents to park in lots earmarked for long-term parking, as residents are likely to be out at work in the day. 
• Using the Internet of Things sensors to capture real-time information on environmental factors such as temperature and humidity so that they can be automatically adjusted to achieve a more comfortable environment. Data from sensors is also used to optimise maintenance cycles and pre-empt problems for infrastructure such as lifts and lights. 

The smart environment concept was expanded in 2016 with Tengah, the first HDB town planned with smart technologies town-wide from the onset, making it HDB’s largest smart and sustainable development to date. Smart technology which will be applied include the Urban Microclimate Multi-physics Integrated Simulation (UM-MIST) software in the planning of Tengah. This integrated software platform uses 3D city models to simulate the interaction of urban microclimatic conditions such as wind flow, temperature fluctuations, and solar irradiance with each other, as well as their combined effects on the surrounding urban landscape (such as buildings, water bodies, and vegetation). Previously tested out on a smaller scale in some areas in Punggol, this smart planning software will now be employed at the town level with Tengah.

Dr Cheong became the first woman to be named CEO of Singapore’s Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) in 2004. She had worked there as an urban planner since 1990. In that capacity, Dr. Cheong played a key role in several transformative developments, including Marina Bay, a live-work-play destination that created a signature skyline for Singapore. She has championed the concept of creative placemaking to inject greater vibrancy not only at Marina Bay, but also in downtown areas such as the Singapore River and the civic and museum district at Bras Basah-Bugis.

She was, additionally, instrumental in the development of new growth reas at Kallang Riverside and Paya Lebar, as well as Jurong Lake District, transforming an industrial area into a new regional centre with a vibrant community by introducing new housing, retail, and commercial uses.

ULI Foundation President Kathleen Carey said, “What Dr Cheong has accomplished in Singapore exemplifies what the Nichols Prize is about — being an urban visionary, taking chances, weathering the risks and producing ever better results.

"Cities face enormous challenges, and visionaries by definition bring a longer-term view that extends far beyond a single political term or a single process or project to achieve transformation.”

Dr Cheong’s approach to successful city building consists of being visionary and creative, and being willing to introduce new ideas and persevere with missionary zeal to see them through. “Singapore’s story is about how a land- and resource-poor city-state has managed to develop a highly livable, high-density city,” Dr Cheong said. “Long-term, comprehensive planning, thoughtful urban design, and responsible governance has helped us become more sustainable, livable and economically vibrant, bringing jobs and a better quality of life for our people.”

“Doing this has not come easy. It requires collective effort, innovative policies and plans, and dedicated and capable people, all supported by strong leadership. It is heartening that the Urban Land Institute recognises the role of urban planners, many of whom work behind the scenes, to shape cities for a better future.”

In selecting Dr Cheong as the recipient, Nichols Prize jury members pointed to Dr Cheong’s successful efforts to improve the quality of affordable housing — not just increase the quantity — for Singapore’s residents, with a special emphasis on keeping extended families closer together. In raising standards for housing design, she guided the transformation of Singapore’s public housing into award-winning projects, including The Pinnacle@Duxton, Waterway Terraces at Punggol, as well as SkyTerrace and SkyVille @ Dawson.

“She has been very effective at finding new ways to make housing for families attainable, and at accommodating the many different cultures and ethnicities in Singapore in socially harmonious communities,” said jury Chairman Marilyn Taylor, Professor of architecture and design and former dean of the University of Pennsylvania School of Design in Philadelphia, US.

Dr Cheong frequently shares her expertise as a participant on planning and urban design panels around the globe. She helped to formulate the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco City Master Plan, and conceptualised the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize, a biennial international award that recognises cities and the leaders responsible for urban initiatives that display foresight and thoughtful governance.

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