An urban masterclass in innovation, Singapore can offer valuable experience-based insights about living better by design. Zooming in on key focus areas – sustainability, emerging technology and systems of care – FRAME’s latest white paper distils inspiring, insightful and actionable lessons from the city-state and its design community.

Singapore isn’t a ‘City in Nature’ for nothing. Nestled between Malaysia and Indonesia, the island covers 710 km² – over 40 per cent of which is green space. But Singapore’s environmental endowments aren’t the only reason for its moniker. Credit is also due to the designers, architects and city planners who have found a rare balance between urban space and nature itself. That’s why you may already be envisioning the remarkable biophilic architecture ubiquitous to the young Southeast Asian country as you read this. Over six million people reside within this built topography, at a density of 8,058 people per km².

Yet despite its size, historical odds and geo-sociopolitical challenges – with no natural resources and a small domestic market – the country has flourished since its establishment as an independent republic in 1965. Overcoming the precarity of its early years has positioned the government as one that organically innovates and implements policies aimed at enhancing quality of life. As a result, Singapore offers insights into addressing shared challenges faced by nations globally, from climate change and inequality to food and water security. Indeed, the city-state’s unique context is essential in understanding why its design and architecture community is so well-suited to respond to that most critical question: How do we live better lives? Looking at the way the country deals with issues through design is a valuable pipeline to uncovering solutions for a more sustainable, healthier and happier world.

Photos: Darren Soh (above) and Courtesy of Singapore Tourism Board (title)

Title and above: Conceived to be Singapore’s foremost outdoor recreation space and a visitor attraction, Gardens by the Bay is a central nature park covering 105 hectares. It comprises three waterfront gardens, the largest being Bay South Garden, which is home to two conservatories that are benchmarks in sustainable engineering and energy-efficient building.

Enter DesignSingapore Council and FRAME. United by the mission to help people and the planet thrive, the city-state’s national agency for design and our team have developed a white paper, downloadable via the QR code below. We have identified three pillars for this hopeful future. The first: Sustainability. Not just environmental, but social. Second: Systems of Care. Not just healthcare, but wellness too. Lastly: Technology. A tool for greater experiences, engagement and efficiency. To explore these areas through a holistic lens, we’ve called on leading designers, architects and creatives in Singapore, who have shared inspiration and insight – as well as practical action points – for policymakers, professionals and the public. They pay testament to Singapore’s role as a laboratory for design thinking and doing. 

‘Design is a powerful tool for change – it can generate impactful outcomes for our society, our economy and the world,’ says Dawn Lim, executive director of DesignSingapore Council. The organization drives the city-state’s Design 2025 Masterplan, which elaborates on design’s importance in building Singapore not only into a liveable city, but a ‘loveable’ one, driving innovation and creating economic value, solving complex societal problems, contributing to national identity and developing strong communities. ‘At DesignSingapore Council, we believe that innovation and design are critical to create experiences that draw out emotion and care. We have a responsibility towards our environment and our future, and Singapore is the perfect place to design the solutions that will propel the world forward.’  

Singapore Design Week is an annual celebration of this promise. To take place between 26 September and 6 October, the 2024 edition will activate myriad areas within the city, drawing back the curtain on Singapore’s distinctive design community. A prelude to these festivities, the white paper hinges on the idea that without each other, we have no chance at designing a better future. And Singapore Design Week puts that ethos into practice by serving as a foundation for connection and new dialogue, the key ingredients for meaningful change.  

Ultimately, the white paper is an invitation to imagine how learning from Singapore, a UNESCO Creative City of Design, can help you give back to your own community.

It’s a collective action-oriented mindset you’re about to become very well-acquainted with. We believe it may just spark a domino effect of living better, by design.