Doing CSR by being responsible to the community and environment is commendable, but on the other hand the same company hanging or nailing signboards onto the trees or public facilities which become an eye sore is unacceptable.
However, this is happening on the street everyday.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Ugly Stories @ PJ
I have seen many instances of ugly action by individual or organisation. While many have spoken of setting a role model and good example, many of the very same people have not done what they breach. This column will try to highlight these instances. It is not to run down anyone, but to share and to rectify it. If you have come across similar encountering, please do not hesitate to share with others.
"Keeping a clean and tidy interior environment for our car is commendable, but for doing so throwing away the cigarette, paper or even plastic beg onto the road is unacceptable."
However, this is happening on the street everyday.
"Keeping a clean and tidy interior environment for our car is commendable, but for doing so throwing away the cigarette, paper or even plastic beg onto the road is unacceptable."
However, this is happening on the street everyday.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Planning Excellence
Planning excellency means not only innovative and efficiency in allocating and mobilising the scarce resources to its best use, but also bearing the social responsibility. While many developers can be excellent in optimising their land potential, not many actually manage to instill the social value which is very much needed and lacking now in the community created by developers. That explained why neighbourliness amongst members of community is fading and even though those so called high environmental quality living areas are not spared from this. What went wrong?
Urban planning now is concentrating on creating livable environment. An environment that is safe, clean and comfortable for staying or at time for playing and leisure. These hard scapes alone however, do not guarantee the creation of a good community that is sustainable and socially responsible towards the environment, climate change, sustainable lifestyle or even the surrounding neighbourhood. For example, it is none of the business of care towards squatter area next to these area.
Urban planning should have enhanced the nation building by integrating people from different divide and socio-cultural background or even economic status. This is always a desire for town planners, I believe. However, the economic factor of property development has always made this desire difficult to achieve. For example, due to cost factor, it is not feasible at all to build affordable houses on hill slope as engineering construction cost is simply too high. With due respect, state intervention is required. Government policies is needed to narrow the gap between different social groups. This include provision of affordable housing stock with cross subsidy from other type of houses. This, however is not the long term solution if house price is escalating higher and faster than the rate of construction of affordable houses and during the slow down of economic period.
Ultimately, it comes back to the spirit of planning excellence. We plan for a good and quality living environment within the carrying capacity of the Earth. While pursuing materialistic and monetary return is unavoidable with the human nature we have, trying to reduce it and reach optimisation should have become the aim of planning excellence. It is no point of having good houses, but cannot afford by the mass. It is unethical to put in so much resources for less people although the concept of 80:20 is getting real now.
Planning excellence means to strike a balance between social, economy and environment. Without one or neglect either one will result in urban sprawl and social injustice.
Urban planning now is concentrating on creating livable environment. An environment that is safe, clean and comfortable for staying or at time for playing and leisure. These hard scapes alone however, do not guarantee the creation of a good community that is sustainable and socially responsible towards the environment, climate change, sustainable lifestyle or even the surrounding neighbourhood. For example, it is none of the business of care towards squatter area next to these area.
Urban planning should have enhanced the nation building by integrating people from different divide and socio-cultural background or even economic status. This is always a desire for town planners, I believe. However, the economic factor of property development has always made this desire difficult to achieve. For example, due to cost factor, it is not feasible at all to build affordable houses on hill slope as engineering construction cost is simply too high. With due respect, state intervention is required. Government policies is needed to narrow the gap between different social groups. This include provision of affordable housing stock with cross subsidy from other type of houses. This, however is not the long term solution if house price is escalating higher and faster than the rate of construction of affordable houses and during the slow down of economic period.
Ultimately, it comes back to the spirit of planning excellence. We plan for a good and quality living environment within the carrying capacity of the Earth. While pursuing materialistic and monetary return is unavoidable with the human nature we have, trying to reduce it and reach optimisation should have become the aim of planning excellence. It is no point of having good houses, but cannot afford by the mass. It is unethical to put in so much resources for less people although the concept of 80:20 is getting real now.
Planning excellence means to strike a balance between social, economy and environment. Without one or neglect either one will result in urban sprawl and social injustice.
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