Project Proposal

Topic: Providing a sustainable way of living in developing nations by merging social and
ecological measures.
Country: Singapore
Credibility and background:
At the moment Singapore doesn’t have any significant loans from the World Bank, its last
loan dates back nearly forty years. The previous loans that Singapore received were mainly
received during the first years after the economic crisis and were mainly applied in areas such as
the educational facilities of the University of Singapore, power distribution, expanding the water
supply available, and infrastructure projects including electricity facilities, sewage construction,
telecommunication projects, the creation of the Singapore Development Bank, and the most
recent being an environmental control project. These projects have greatly benefited the
Singaporean economy and have brought great prosperity to our city-state. And today has creates
one of the most stable economies in the World. Part of the ASEAN Regional Forum, the WTO and
the APEC to name a few. Singapore has forged an advanced society in which sustainability has
become a primordial focus of the administration.
Singapore has started to prioritize goals for to reduce emissions and become more
sustainable in the short term. These Campaigns have proven to be very effective. To give an
example the “building a Smart Sustainable and resilient Singapore campaign” being promoted by
the NCCS plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions between 7 to 11% by 2020, add 50ha of
skyrise greenery by 2030 by fomenting green development and granting subsidies to buildings
that qualify, and by this year as well having are least 80% of all buildings to achieve the Green
mark certification and 90% of household will have to be within a 400m walk to a park. Also, the
Punggol Eco-town project. Although Singapore has advanced a lot as a country when it comes to
sustainability it is in the nations best interest to apply similar models of sustainability in lesser
developed nations. There is a tendency in developing nations to adapt the same bad customs
that the developed world used to have. Nevertheless, the developed nations must not only invest
in sustainability within their own boarders, but also make sure that neighboring nations find more
effective ways of developing sustainably.

Local Problematic:
Place of Implementation: vulnerable communities in Bangladesh
Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable countries in the region, it not only is the second poorest
county in the region, but also one of the most vulnerable to disasters. 24.3% percent of the
Bangladeshi population live below the National Poverty line (according to the Asian Development
Bank statistics in 2016). Bangladesh is also one of the most densely populated countries in the
world, with approximately 1,100 people packed into every square meter. Even in the capital city
of Dhaka, more than 2 million people live in slums or are without any proper shelter. Although
the population living below the poverty line has improved form the 31.5% percent, it isn’t enough
to really consider the current initiatives as permanent solutions. Like the initiatives promotes by
the Habitat for Humanity Association. Most of the proposals for “fast relief” are essentially
unsustainable programs which only tend to fix the problem in the short run. Bangladesh has been
a country that has benefited a lot from this type of initiatives, especially after natural disasters,
but have lacked a sustainable plan to make sure that one of the most populous countries in Asia
doesn’t grow to be an eventually developed nation with a system that is in its core, unsustainable.
It must be considered that the systems that are normally applied in developing countries
normally are unsustainable, both in social terms and mainly in ecological terms. In Bangladesh
we can also see a very common phenomenon in developing countries, the slums. The slums
represent this unorganized, unsustainable, and unhealthy way of life very present in developing
nations. Although we have seen great progress in the economic situation in Bangladesh with the
percentage of the population being employed for less than $1.90 dropping from a 73.5% in 2010
to 14.8% in 2016 (According to the Asian Development Bank), we can clearly see that Bangladesh
is following the footsteps of other emerging economies like India and countries in the Latin
American region, in which the lack of guidance and regulation allows for an unsustainable and
unorganized growth. Therefore, a Sustainable Social Housing Project must be implemented in
collaboration with new educational reform inside the educational centres of theses communities,
to assure that the correct awareness is spread throughout the citizens of a new Bangladesh.

Proposed Project & Details:

The proposed loan will finance various infrastructure and social policies to enable the
Bangladeshi government to establish an effective and sustainable social housing program in
collaboration with new education reform, and a reforestation program. Based on the actual
Singaporean Green City model, applied in the “Punggol Eco-town program” and in the “Building
a Smart, Sustainable and Resilient Singapore”, and basing the educational model of these new
communities on the Singaporean Educational Model.

I. The loan will prioritize the social housing system to make sure that people stay out of the
conditions that are presented by slums, which normally consist of unsafe, unhealthy and
inhumane environments in which people don’t have the conditions to prosper. Therefore,
a contest will be marketed for the design of these communities, by designing sustainable
vernacular housing (vernacular: Architecture using local materials found in the nearby
environment.). Each unit of housing must be in coherence with the basic living conditions
established by the UNDP. Therefore, each unit of housing must have access to proper
sanitation facilities, access to clean water weather it be by local distribution within urban
 areas or other local methods within the unit, and some kind of insulation from the
outside. Referencing to a similar project being implemented in the City of Monterrey
Mexico, called “Vivienda Digna” which is being sponsored by state and private entities.
The housing project cannot exceed $3500 USD / Unit and must be evaluated on its carbon
footprint before being approved. This first part of the loan will also include the
urbanization fees applied to these communities and the provision of assistance services
for the relocation of locals during Phase 1 of the project. By taking advantage of the
current tendency of people migrating to urban areas and this phenomenon being one of
the main causes of unsustainable growth, the first phase of the project will take place in
the country’s capital Dhaka and will consist of a total of 43,000 units which will provide
sustainable, and organized housing to approximately 200,000 people. This will become
the model for all upcoming phases, and the experimental project to lead a much larger
initiative. With this phase the loan will cover the building of the units, urbanization of
surrounding areas and the assistance in relocating residents. This loan will be provided by
the World Bank. Total: $200,000,000 USD.

i. Sub-Initiative 1: A contest which will be accessible by any architecture firm and/or

individual. Eventually 3 proposals will be chosen and merged to provide the most
complete program possible. The competition will require funds for marketing and
will offer an economic incentive of $500,000 USD. The campaign will have the
duration of 1 year. Subtotal: $1,000,000 USD.
ii. Sub-Initiative 2: After the selected project has been completed, the urbanization
of the selected area will begin adding basic services to the area and providing a
master plan that has the minimal CO2 footprint. Subtotal: $40,000,000 USD.
iii. Sub-Initiative 3: The construction of the first 43,000 units, which will be laid out in
the new urbanized area. The units will be able to accommodate one family (Max
of 6 people) and will provide the safe living conditions desired. Subtotal:
$150,500,000 USD ($3,500 USD per Unit).
iv. Sub-Initiative 4: The relocation for approximately 200,000 citizens form nearby
affected and vulnerable areas of Dhaka to the new development in order to
complete the project within the deadline of 3 years. Subtotal: $8,500,000 USD.

II. This loan will be essential for the correct consolidation of the proposal stipulated in the
previous section and will be vital for economic growth in these new communities. This
loan will be divided into two main focuses in the growth of the economy within
Bangladesh. A great majority of the total fund will go towards the building of new
educational facilities within these new communities, which will be based around the
Singaporean Educational model promoted by the Ministry of Education. Which is
considered a key feature in Singapore’s growth from a Third world nation to a First world
 nation in a very short period of time. This educational system will be supervised by the
Singaporean Ministry Education for the first 10 years of operation and will be backed by
the institute itself regarding the educational programs provided. The remainder of the
loan will go towards a business learning centre with an included local business incubator,
which will be a key element into fomenting the creation of local Bangladeshi businesses.
This loan will be provided the World Bank’s IDA Branch, which will total to $100,000,000
USD in, with an additional $150,000,000 USD from the private sector as a set goal for
company foreign investment in these communities. Total: $100,000,000 USD.

i. Sub-Initiative 1: A selection process and evaluation will take place to determine

the amount of educational facilities needed for the specific community and the
ideal location for these. Subtotal: $1,500,000 USD.
ii. Sub-Initiative 2: The selected areas will be equipped with educational facilities
supervised by the Singaporean Ministry of Education. These facilities will provide
people between the ages of 5 and 20 with the basic education needed as stated
by the standards set by the Ministry of Education. With an addition of a technical
college to be established in each complex and a small satellite campus of the
University of Singapore to be established on each of these communities. Subtotal:
$58,500,000 USD.
iii. Sub-Initiative 3: A business incubator will be created to promote the creation of
local companies; this business incubator will have a direct link with Singaporean
companies and will provide subsidies /per job provided. This will be a key asset in
taking advantage of the newly educated workforce that will be present. Subtotal:
$20,000,000 USD.
iv. Sub-Initiative 4: Spark the equal investment of foreign companies by incentivizing
their move to Bangladesh with tax-breaks and incentives. These will be
determined by the amount of direct and indirect jobs that the company generates.
The first milestone for the incentives will be set at $150,000,000 USD at which the
incentives will be revised and evaluated. Subtotal: $20,000,000 USD.

III. A portion of the total loaned amount will be redirected to establish a reforestation
program for nearby affected areas, that will also work towards maintaining the
sustainable functioning of the community. This program in collaboration with The
Bangladeshi Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change will assure the
protection of the reforested areas plus the protection of remaining natural sanctuaries.
The total amount will be divided between the actual planting of trees and the funding for
the association that will later protect them. Total: $40,000,000 USD
 i. Sub-Initiative 1: Reforestation will begin in nearby areas setting the first goal to
500,000 trees in the first year. There will be a revision of the goals at a yearly basis.
With the same base goal of planting at least 500,000 trees per year, for the first 5
years. The association will use mainly local an international volunteer work in
order to reach this goal. Subtotal: $5,000,000 USD using a ($2 USD/Tree) Estimate.
ii. Sub-Initiative 2: An association will be created in order to keep the new reforested
areas safe and work with the Bangladeshi Ministry of Environment, Forest and
Climate Change in order to establish more protected nature sanctuaries in
Bangladesh. This association will be completely public and will receive initial
funding from this loan, however, will receive funding from the private sector as
well. Subtotal: $35,000,000 USD

IV. There will be an evaluation of the results of each program very 5 years with yearly
progress reviews. These 5-year effect evaluations will only happen during the first 4
“segments” or 5-year periods, which means that the last revision will be on the 2039. The
proposals will be evaluated in a total of 4 categories and with different conditions on
every one of them.
I. Evaluation Criteria:
a. Social Impact:
i. Communities will be evaluated by compering crime rates
from the “segment” before and the current in order to
determine the change in community safety. Scale: (%)
ii. Public areas will be evaluated by usage and by wear of the
facilities in order to determine the treatment and general
psychological ambiance of the community. Scale: (1-10)
iii. Participation of the locals in educational, social, ecological,
and UN related programs will be evaluated, comparing
previous participation rates from previous “Segments”.
Scale: (%)
b. Economic Prosperity:
i. Growth of local purchasing power. Scale: (%)
ii. Growth of local and national GDP. Scale: (%)
iii. Local and national unemployment rates. Scale: (%)
iv. Foreign investment Increase/Decrease. Scale: (%)
v. New companies entering the local market. Scale: (#)
c. Green Index:
i. 𝐾𝑚2 of reforested land area increment per “segment”.
Scale: (%)
ii. 𝐾𝑚2 of protected land area increment per “segment”.
Scale: (%)
 iii. Variation of air Pollution levels in the nearby areas to the
communities. Scale: (%)
iv. Variation in the proportion of green space to constructed
area. Scale: (%)
d. Education:
i. Student count variation. Scale: (%)
ii. Variation on the percentage of graduates employed. Scale:
(%)
iii. Variation in the Enrolment in extra curricular activities.
Scale: (%)
iv. Standardized common knowledge test result variation.
Scale: (Marks)
ii. After the 20-year period is done the administration of all programs will be handed
to the Bangladeshi government fully under an advisory supervision from the
Singaporean Government and the UNDP. Total: $25,500,000 USD which include,
materials, exams, studies, and administrative fees.
Total Amount of Loan:
The total loan will amount to $365,500,000 USD and will be given by the World Bank’s
IDA branch as an interest free loan to a coalition formed between the Bangladeshi government
and Singapore in which Singapore will promise to oversee the correct investment of these funds.
The investment will also be supervised by representatives from the World Bank. This loan will be
key to promoting sustainable, ecological and just development in Bangladesh and serve as an
example for what can be done in other developing nations.

Repayment Schedule:

• Type of Funding: USD

• Maturation Period: 25 years
• Grace Period: 1 “segment” or 5 years
• Interest Rate: N/A
Repayment Plan:
In millions (USD)

Year 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028
Singapore $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Bangladesh $0 $0 $0 $0 $9 $9 $9 $9 $9

2029 2030 2031 2032 2033 2034 2035 2036 2037 2038
$0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
$20 $20 $20 $20 $20 $20 $20 $20 $20 $20

2039 2040 2041 2042 2043 2044

$0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
$20 $20 $20 $20 $20 $20

Samples:

References:
Singapore. (2017, September 13). Retrieved February 16, 2019, from https://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2798.htm

Punggol Eco- Town. (n.d.). Retrieved February 16, 2019, from https://www.hdb.gov.sg/cs/infoweb/about-us/our-
role/smart-and-sustainable-living/punggol-eco-town

Poverty in Bangladesh. (2018, July 09). Retrieved February 16, 2019, from
https://www.adb.org/countries/bangladesh/poverty

Housing Poverty in Bangladesh: Facing Slums & Disasters. (2018). Retrieved February 16, 2019, from
https://www.habitatforhumanity.org.uk/country/bangladesh/

Gopinathan, S., Prof. (2011). The Education System in Singapore, The Key to Success (1st ed., p. 0-52, Publication).
Singapore, Singapore: Nanyang Technological University. doi: https://www.fedea.net/politicas-
educativas/The_Education_System_in_Singapore_The_Keyto_its_Success.pdf

(n.d.). Retrieved February 16, 2019, from https://www.moe.gov.sg/education

পরিবেশ, েন ও জলোয়ু পরিের্তন মন্ত্রণালয়. (n.d.). Retrieved February 16, 2019, from https://moef.gov.bd/

Frequently Asked Questions. (n.d.). Retrieved February 16, 2019, from https://www.plantabillion.org/frequently-
asked-questions/