Urban Planning and Settlements 

What is Settlement?
● A settlement is a general term used in archaeology, geography, landscape
history and other subjects for a permanent or temporary community in which
people live, without being specific as to size, population or importance.
● A settlement can therefore range in size from a small number of dwellings
grouped together to the largest of cities with surrounding urbanized areas.
Kinds of Settlements according to size
● A conurbation is a region comprising a number of cities, large towns, and
other urban areas that, through population growth and physical expansion,
have merged to form one continuous urban and industrially developed area.
Kinds of Settlements according to shape
● A nucleated settlement is where the buildings are grouped together.
● A linear shape is where the settlement has developed along a line.
● A dispersed settlement is where the buildings are spread apart.
Kinds of Settlements according to function
● Industrial Towns has railways and canals for transports has housing and
industry mixed together
● Newer industrial town planning ensures the housing and industry are apart.
Kinds of Settlements according to function
● Market Towns
● Found in fertile farming sites
● Many services e.g. shops and offices
● Good transport links – often they are route centers
Kinds of Settlements according to function
1. Ports
A. Found where there are sheltered harbours
B. Flat land for building on nearby
C. Modern ports need deeper water for today’s larger ships
D. Many ports has gone through a lot of redevelopment
2. Seaside Resorts
A. Close to industrial areas with large populations, with good rail and
roads
B. On the sea−front are hotels and entertainments such as pubs and
bingo
C. Guest houses are found inland where the land is cheaper to buy
D. Housing found further inland, with industry on the outskirts
E. Promenades pedestrian roads along the front of the resort

Rural Settlements vs Urban Settlements

● Urban and rural settlements differ in demographics, land area and usage,
population density, transportation networks and economic dependencies.
These characteristics are the defining differences that geographers and city
planners observe between rural and urban centres. (US Census 2000)
● Demographics
 Urban settlements contain a heterogeneous population consisting of different
ages, cultures and ethnicities, whereas rural areas contain a more
homogenous population based on family, similar ethnicities and fewer cultural
influences.
● Land Area and Usage
Urban settlements are more expansive and contain a wide range of land
uses. For instance, major metropolitan areas use density zoning to indicate
different levels of development. In contrast, rural settlements are more or less
self-contained and may not use zoning controls or have limited planning and
development regulations.
● Population Density
The U.S. Census Bureau defines urban settlements as areas with more than
50,000 people and at least 1,000 people per square mile; including
contiguous census tracts or blocks with at least 500 people per square mile.
In contrast, rural settlements contain less than 2,500 people, at a density
between one and 999 people per square mile.
● Transportation Network
Rural transportation networks consist of local and county roads with limited
interconnectivity to rail and bus lines. Urban settlements contain highway
infrastructure as well as airports and light or heavy commuter rail.
● Economy
Urban areas are dependent on a global economy of import and export,
whereas rural economies rely on a local and agricultural-based economy with
dependencies on services, such as hospitals and educational establishments
in nearby urban centres.

Urban Settlements
● Most governments define urban settlements based on one or a combination
of criteria, including population size, population density, and social and
economic factors, such as the proportion of the labor force engaged in
non-agricultural activities; the administrative or political status of a locality,
such as national, provincial, or district capitals, or census designations.
(Hardoy et al., 2001)
● Rapid Urbanization of the developing world. The developing world as a whole
has been predominantly rural but is rapidly becoming urban. In 1975, only
27% of the people in the developing world lived in urban areas. In 2000, the
proportion was 40% and projections suggest that by 2030, the developing
world will be 56% urban. Although the developed world is already far more
urban, at an estimated 75% in 2000, urban areas of developing countries are
growing much faster and their populations are larger. Rapid urban growth
reflects migration of people to cities as well as natural population increase
among urban residents. Rural areas have virtually stopped gaining
population. Among the regions as a whole, only in sub-Saharan Africa and
Oceania will rural population grow at all in the future.
Megacities
● As the population increases, more people will live in large cities. Many people
will live in the growing number of cities with over 10 million inhabitants, known
as megacities. As the map "Largest Urban Agglomerations"
shows, just three cities had populations of 10 million or more in 1975, one of
them in a less developed country. Megacities numbered 16 in 2000. By 2025,
27 megacities will exist, 21 in less developed countries. (Population
Reference Bureau)
● Growth of Urban Agglomerations, 1950–2025 (United Nations, World
Urbanization Prospects: The 2007 Revision .)

The Urban Poor

● According to Baker and Schuler (2004), “while the dimensions of poverty are
many, there is a subset of characteristics that are more pronounced for
the poor in urban areas and may require specific analysis.”
● They are the following commoditization (reliance on the cash economy);
overcrowded living conditions (slums); environmental hazard (stemming from
density and hazardous location of settlements, and exposure to multiple
pollutants); social fragmentation (lack of community and inter-household
mechanisms for social security, relative to those in rural areas); crime and
violence; traffic accidents; and natural disaster
● The World Bank estimates that, worldwide, 30% of poor people live in urban
areas. By 2020 the proportion is projected to reach 40%, and by 2035 half of
the world’s poor people are projected to live in urban areas. (Ravallion, 2001)
● Most of the urban poor live in slums and squatter settlements, without
adequate access to clean water, sanitation, and health care. While health and
child survival rates are better in urban than rural areas on average, they often
are worse for the poor than for other urban residents.
● According to Population Reports (2002) published by the John Hopkins
Bloomberg School of Public Health, there are three problems commonly
encountered by the Urban Poor. They are the following:
o Insufficient Incomes
o Inadequate Housing and Services
o Health Burdens

Current and Future Urban Challenges

● Demographic, environmental, economic and socio-spatial factors must be
studied to fully understand the development of 21 st century cities and utilize
these information for future urban planning. It also needs to recognize the
changing institutional structure of cities and the emerging spatial
configurations of large, multiple-nuclei or polycentric, city-regions. (Global
Report on Human Settlements 2009, UN Habitat)

Demographic Challenges
 ● A key problem is that most of the rapid urban growth is taking place in
countries least able to cope – in terms of the ability of governments to
provide, or facilitate the provision of, urban infrastructure; in terms of the
ability of urban residents to pay for such services and in terms of resilience to
natural disasters. The outcome of this has been the rapid growth of urban
slums and squatter settlements. Close to 1 billion people or 32 % of the
world’s current urban population, live in slums in inequitable and
life-threatening conditions, and are directly affected by both environmental
disasters and social crises.

Environmental Challenges
● It is predicted that with urbanization, climate change will negatively affect
access to water and that hundred of millions of people will be vulnerable to
coastal flooding and related natural disasters as global warming increases.
The poorest countries and people will be the most vulnerable to this threat
and who will suffer the earliest and the most.
● The dependence on oil of urban settlements is also a major environmental
concern. Sprawling and low-density settlements prove to encourage the use
of fossil fuel compared to high-density communities. Vehicle emissions
contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions and hence global
warming.

Singapore Model Case Study

● Indicators 2009 Total Population (‘000) 4,987.6 Annual Pop. Growth (%) 3.1
Population Density (Per Sq Km) 7,022 Land Area (Sq Km) 710.3 Number of
Households (‘000) 1,119.6 Average Household Size (persons) 3.5 Resident
Households living in HDB 4-Room or Larger Flats or Private Housing (%) 74.5
Labor Force Participation Rate 65.4 Source: Singapore Department of
Statistics

History
● In the late thirteenth century, a trading settlement began to form in Singapore.
This was Temasek (Tan-ma-hsi), whose people were Malays, Orang Laut and
Chinese. (Lee, 2008)
● Malays - ruling class, opened the port to foreign trade
● Orang Laut - "Sea People" manned the war fleets and harvest
products
● The Chinese traded silk, cotton, ceramics, iron and other goods with the
Malays.
● Lung-ya-men = Dragon's Tooth Strait
● Singapore river was the main artery of trade
● Singa Pura = "Lion City“
● In 1819, it became a British trading post of the East India Company
● Sir Stamford Raffles formulated the Raffles Plan that divided Singapore into
different ethnic functional sub divisions.
 ● In 1826, Malacca and Penang, the two British settlements in Malay Peninsula,
together with Singapore became the Straits Settlements, under the control of
British India. Singapore had became the centre of government for the three
areas by 1832. Under the jurisdiction of Colonial Office in London, the Straits
Settlements became a Crown Colony on 1 April 1867.
● In the late 19th century, Singapore became a centre for trade of tin, rubber
and petroleum. The Japanese also established commercial shops that
primarily offered Japanese textile.
● Singapore was renamed Syonan-to ( Light of the South) after it fell to the
Japanese on 15 February 1942. The Japanese occupation lasted for three
and a half years.
● After the Second World War, Singapore was reconstituted as an English
Colony and was still considered inseparable from Malaya.
● Singapore was granted self-rule status from Britain in 1959. It then joined the
Federation of Malaysia in 1963. In 1965, it became fully independent.

Post-war Singapore
● Control over land allocation and buildings was considered important due to
several reasons. (Yuen, 2007)
● Issues of law and order given the multi-ethnic, multi-language, multi-religion
nature of Singapore’s immigrant population. Separate housing areas were
identified for the different ethnic communities of settlers: the Europeans,
Bugis, Arabs, Chinese, Indians and Malays.
● In allocating land, first preference would be given to merchants, second to
artisans and third to farmers.
● The island’s geographical constraints of limited land area, which promoted the
need for the government to control the use of such space and to arbitrate
between competing uses.
● The third reason is the rising value of land to the new land and property
owners, and their wish to do with it as they liked. The situation led to
competing areas of self-interest between property owners and business, and
the resultant need to protect the collective community interest.

Post-independence Singapore
● High unemployment (>13%)
● High population growth (4%)
● Housing shortage and overcrowding – about 250,000 people were living in
degenerated slums and another 300,000 in squatter areas
● Labor strikes – the unions had strong communist influence
● Civil riots among different ethnic groups
● Water shortage, flooding and water pollution
● Food shortage
● Electricity shortage

Post-independence Singapore
 ● In 1961, the Economic Development Board was setup. Its job was to attract
foreign companies coming to Singapore and to find out what industry
Singapore should set up.
● The national trade congress and arbitration courts were setup to promote
peace.
● Development of new Industrial estates such as Jurong. The area it occupied
were reclaimed swamplands, thus it needed new roads and railways. It also
have its own port, reservoirs and power stations.
● Singapore began to clean up its rivers from 1977 to 1987. With this ten year
coordinated program with environment and land sectors, they made the rivers
clean.
● To tackle flood problem, they put in draining systems and working together
with land sector and build up lands so that they can make use of flood. All
these efforts are based on the belief that dirty rivers wouldn't attract investors.
In order to attract investors, they must clean up the rivers.
● Housing By deliberate urbanization (McGee, 1976), the low-rise,
predominantly shop house colonial buildings was replaced by an entirely new
townscape of high-rise, high-density buildings.
● The new government chose an interventionist approach towards urban
development, adopting a strategy of integrating social, economic, political and
spatial visions though the process of planning and legitimizing its control
through performance in the provision of public goods.
● The government established the Housing and Development Board (HDB) in
1960. The HDB built many one-room flats are rented them out at affordable
prices. In 1964, a home ownership scheme enabled people to buy their own
flats.
● The Urban Redevelopment Authority was created. It is Singapore’s national
land use planning and conservation agency.

Best Practices
● “ Given the small land area of 648km 2 , and projected large population size,
over 4.5 million people, Singapore has no choice but to go for high-rise, high
density public housing, if we are serious about providing good housing for
every citizen.” Liu Thai Ker, former CEO of Singapore’s HDB (Delius, 2000)
● The Singapore’s Sustainable Development Model (excerpt from the speech
of Minister for National Development Mah Bow Tan)
● Singapore’s overall goal is to grow in an efficient, clean, and green way. We
want to develop without squandering resources and causing unnecessary
waste. We want to develop without polluting our environment. We want to
develop, while preserving greenery, waterways, and our natural heritage.
● What does this mean? Under our long-term, integrated planning approach ,
we align our policies – from energy to transport to industry and urban
planning – and take a long-term, holistic view of our needs and
circumstances.
● We also adopt a pragmatic and cost-effective approach . We recognise our
strengths and weakness. We aim to achieve economic growth without
 degrading the environment. We strive to do so in the most cost-effective way,
recognising that public resources are finite.
● We need to be nimble and flexible . The task of maintaining economic growth
and a good environment is always work-in-progress. We have to remain
adaptable, and adjust flexibly to changes in technology and in the global
environment. We will invest in building our capabilities today to give us more
options to respond to challenges tomorrow.
● Sustainable Public Housing
● The Housing and Development Board is the largest housing developer in
Singapore.
● The majority of the residential housing developments in Singapore are
publicly governed and developed and about 75% of Singaporeans live in
such houses. They are called HDB flats.
● HDB flats are affordable for the masses and their purchase can be
financially-aided by the Central Provident Fund. The apartment flats are not
actually purchased but leased in a 99 year lease-hold.
● These flats are located in housing estates, which are self-contained satellite
towns with schools, supermarkets, clinics, hawker centres, as well as sports
and recreational facilities. These planned and developed homes promote the
building of a cohesive community and offers a quality living environment.
● “ In Singapore, high density presents not only the most viable housing
solution but also creates an opportunity to generate some of the most
innovative sustainability ideas. One of the best practices that emerged is the
incorporation of high-rise greenery into high density housing. Such
incorporation not only creates additional social interaction spaces to replace
lost ground, but also brings a unique balance of built and natural
environments. The incorporation of greenery also serves to reduce heat gain
on the roofs and allows natural rain harvesting.”, say Tai Lee Siang,
President of the Singapore Institute of Architects (Carbona, 2009)

Environmental Sustainability
● Optimization of land use HRHD buildings integrated with lush green areas
and landscaping
● Self-sufficiency of each town complete community and reduces the need to
commute
● Efficient transport network
● Use of the Green Mark Scheme under the Building and Construction
Authority. It promotes the adoption of green building design and
technologies. Buildings are assessed on energy and water efficiency, indoor
environmental quality and environmental protection. Target: 80% of all
buildings in Singapore by 2030.
● HDB’s Building Research Institute undertakes R&D on green building
technologies .

Economic Sustainability
● The public housing budget is only within one percent of Singapore’s GDP.
 ● Generous housing subsidies allow Singaporeans to service their mortgage
loans over a long term and using their Central Provident Fund account.
● HDB offers a wide range of flat types for different population segments with
different budget.

Social Sustainability
● The Ethnic Integration Policy , which in contrast with the Raffles Plan, seeks
to prevent the formation of racial enclaves by setting the maximum allowable
proportion for each ethnic group in every HDB neighbourhood and block. This
ensures a balanced mix of residents of different ethnic groups to encourage
interaction and foster cohesion.
● The housing estates are designed physically to promote interaction of
households with varying income and social profiles .
● Community involvement in upgrading and development of public housing thru
solicitation of public feedback and community events

Abundant Green Space

● Currently the city has 2,3400 hectares of parks and green areas and about
3,000 hectares of nature reserves . When Singapore bagan to develop rapidly
in the early 1970’s, city planners formed a “garden city action committee” with
members from each of the main ministries. This group ensure the city’s
long-term commitment to setting aside and maintaining nearly one hectare of
green space for every 1,000 people .
● Recently, it has embarked on a campaign to provide 245 hectares of “park
connectors” – green corridors that will eventually connect every park and
reserve on the island. The corridors will contain bike paths and hiking trails,
affording residents more options for getting around the city. (Population
Reports, 2002)

Morales, Mercado, Ildefonso

Urban Planning and Settlements
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