Singapore is considered one of the best-designed cities in the world. The man who masterminded it has 2 regrets.

During his time at the Housing Development Board, or HDB, Liu oversaw the building of 20 new towns and over half a million housing units in the city. In the late 80s and early 90s, he also served as the chief planner of the Urban Redevelopment Authority, where he developed Singapore’s land-use plans.

And yet, Liu has said he has two regrets about how Singapore was planned.

Creating bicycle paths for the city

“When I was in the HDB, I raised the issue of planning bicycle paths for citizens,” Liu told Business Insider. “At that time, my colleagues and I had several discussions, but eventually decided against it due to Singapore’s tropical climate, which we felt would be too hot for cycling.”

“Creating bicycle paths is crucial for sustainable cities and would benefit Singapore by reducing traffic congestion, lowering emissions, and improving public health through increased physical activity,” Schroepfer said.

Additionally, bicycle paths can boost local economies, as cyclists are more likely to stop at local businesses, he said.

Preserving squatter huts for the younger generations to see

Singapore’s skyline today includes some world-famous builds.

There’s the Marina Bay Sands and its infinity pool. There’s the Oasia Hotel in downtown Singapore, which has been called a “living tower” for the greenery that’s intentionally overgrowing its 620-foot facade. And there’s Esplanade, a theater by the Singapore River that’s nicknamed “The Durian” for its resemblance to the tropical fruit.

But in the 60s, Singapore looked drastically different.

According to the Ministry of National Development, an estimated 300,000 people lived in semi-permanent shelters in squatter areas, while another 250,000 were in rented partitioned cubicles in old shophouses.

Indeed, Singapore’s public housing apartments are home to about 80% of the country’s resident population today.

While there are no squatter settlements in Singapore anymore, other old architectural features, such as shophouses and black-and-white colonial bungalows, have been conserved.

However, the purpose of preservation should be to encourage the younger generation to think about who they are as individuals and as a society, Rita Padawangi, an associate professor at the Singapore University of Social Sciences, told BI.

“Squatter huts are probably a reminder of the need for supporting infrastructures so that people do not take for granted the basic standard of living that is almost universal in Singapore, which is a tremendous achievement,” she said. “But we must also think about the people who live in these old homes when they are preserved, because preservation is only meaningful when the place is lived in.”

In recent years, the government has been ramping up its efforts to improve the city’s district cooling system, in which a centralized chiller plant is used to cool multiple buildings through a network of underground pipes carrying chilled water.

However, to future-proof the city for challenges such as climate change and population growth, there are other measures that Singapore can take, Schroepfer added.

This includes reducing waste generation and lowering water consumption, as well as enforcing higher sustainability standards for all new buildings while retrofitting older ones, he said.

“Urban planning should prioritize sustainability, inclusivity, and resilience. Integrating green spaces, efficient public transport, and renewable energy sources are crucial,” he added.