St-Laurent-La-Vernede + region (SLIV+) through the lens of Handprints...

What a beautiful part of the world, and what a joy it was to stay with our friends Sophie Verrechia and Garry Bray in their exquisite home they have tended and mended, as they renewed and regenerated it :-) This is such a broad area that we visited on in such a small way, I will focus only on what we experienced in this short time.

Garry, John, Sophie + puppy in front of the Pont du Gard near Nimes

How does SLIV+ bring the story of place to life?

The story of this place is huge, long and seriously diverse… which story to bring to life? Or which parts of this story? We enjoyed many pieces, and felt nurtured and cared for in this place :-)

• centre Country* in design? 

• The whole of Europe seems to have been shaped by people, many times over, for their benefit. The priority of Country does not seem to have been a focus at all. That said, the people of this place - many of whom are farmers and/or are connected with farming - do seem to understand the importance of Country in their lives. How does this play out in placing Country first? Not sure. Would be interesting to see.

• enhance its context, connections and culture?

• The richness of this place of tight, dense villages held in the landscape of farms and trees with rich cultural influences is omnipresent. From a visitor’s point of view - it is delightful. 

• This is certainly enhanced in the way many of these places are managed, and the cars relegated to the outskirts so people can enjoy the places and culture in relative peace.

• The separation of these villages does necessitate cars to connect to each other - is there another way? 

• positively contribute to its watershed? 

• Not sure on this one…

How does SLIV+ celebrate resourcefulness?

I will speak about the house of our friends that we stayed in - such a joy!

The garden areas of the house, full of art, care, love and plants providing delightful places to enjoy at different times of the day and year :-)

• achieve net zero carbon in its life cycle?

• Sophie and Garry’s house where we stayed was a delightful exposé on this issue. A house with sheds that are many hundreds of years old, have been lovingly and joyfully updated to work for the current way of life. They have used as much of the existing as possible, bringing its inherent beauty to life, while amplifying this with the inclusion of artistically recycled materials and insertions. Much of the work was done by our friends and local craftsmen. This has certainly minimised the embodied carbon of its creation. 

• I am unsure of the energy efficiency of the operations of this home, but feel that for much of the year it would be naturally comfortable. 

• incorporate lean design for optimal resource use? 

• Such lean design! No heroic gestures asking materials to do anything they shouldn’t do, and appreciation of the beauty of their nature :-)

• balance economic measures of cost and value? 

• It seems this has been very much at the heart of this creation :-)

How does SLIV+ enable communities to thrive?

The defensive nature of the original construction of many of the villages suggests that past times might have been a lot more aggressive than now… what are they really like now?! I am not able to comment on this much at all, other than to say that the villages we enjoyed visiting seemed to be thriving and wonderful places for people to be :-)

• improve the communities physical and psychological health and well-being? 

• provide equitable and affordable access and resources to diverse communities? 

• empower community members to realise their potential and flourish?

The communal washing area in Saint-Laurent-la-Vernede, where people used to gather together to do their weekly washing - something we could consider again?!

How does SLIV+ foster ‘long now’ thinking of good ancestors?

This is definitely a place of ‘long now’ being - but is it one of ‘long now’ thinking? I am not aware of the politics or planning decisions of this place enough to comment, other than the short responses to the dot points below.

• respect and value existing communities and buildings? 

• There are so many existing buildings and villages still around, very much respected and the basis of life and tourism in this area. 

• It seems that some villages are more intact with regards to communities while others have changed and evolved. How does this relate to respect? Farming life has changed, but the need for many different people to keep a village functioning is clear, and there seems to be work for lots of different people…

• enable future communities to endure and adapt to changing climates and needs? 

• It will be very interesting to see how these villages and their buildings cope with changing temperatures… Great heat for long periods might be hard for heavy masonry buildings to cope with… And as for flooding - this is something that has happened in the past but perhaps not with the ferocity and in all locations as is happening now. 

• regenerate resources as we use them? 

• Food seems to be right at the forefront of people’s interest. Recycling facilities are all over the place - not sure how successful this is in practice. I saw very few PV panels and I am not sure at all what happens with water and sewerage in these places. 

Saint-Laurent-le-Vernede

How does SLIV+ inspire and enable capacity and agency?

For us, this village and this home were super inspiring and we saw they had absolutely enabled the capacity and agency of Sophie and Garry as they tended and mended their home. Living in dense villages, with small private space and generous public space where people are prioritised, and with people who know and care about you, does seem to offer some great ideas for the future :-)

• help us understand and want to be in relation with and care for Country?

• Sophie and Garry’s home was so well connected from inside to outside, with a beautiful garden calling for care. As is the beautiful landscape within which this place is located. I felt very called to be in relation with and care for Country.

• support and promote healthy and fair supply chains? 

• Not sure about this.

• inspire with stories that help us and others in our work? 

• There are many stories of lovely lives being lived in this area. Are they all sustainable? Not sure - but I do think this place offers real inspiration on how one can live lightly and with joy :-)

Extraordinary light show in the linestone quarry of Les Baux-de-Provence - so inspiring!

Barcelona through the lens of Handprints....

Wow - Barcelona is an amazing place :-) We certainly did not have enough time there, even with 8 days… The biggest thrills came from seeing the extraordinary work of Gaudi, who weaves nature, faith, spirituality together as inspiration in his architecture that is so intelligent, resourceful and most of all delightful! Another great thrill was from seeing the great streets that enable such life as they accommodate people and their other-than-car movement and congregation, along with lots of trees. We have a lot to learn.

View to the city from the front of the Palau Nacional

How does Barcelona bring the story of place to life?

Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia, is very focused on understanding and celebrating its culture, connections and special attributes. Country seems to be a helper rather than a focus, and the issues of the watershed are very apparent as the current drought sees the local dam levels drop to 18%…

• centre Country* in design? 

• As with most of Europe, nature might be honoured as part of this, but it seems to be something to be manipulated to ensure people and their needs are addressed in the first place. Perhaps this is changing? Would be great to see the further enrichment of this place with such a focus.

• enhance its context, connections and culture?

• Barcelona seems to excel at this, in so many ways :-) 

• Its culture is very central to so much of this place - its buildings and their expression, its streets and communal spaces designed for people, its food, its music, its art… everything together! Such a joy to experience, even if only on the surface.

• positively contribute to its watershed? 

• I am not sure what its role is in this, except that the dam levels are currently at 18% and they are planning to bring in water by either boats or transportable desalination plants, which as SOOOO energy intensive… While there are warnings on the street about the drought, there were none in the hotel and our attempts to stop towels being unnecessarily washed every day did not work. Clearly a lot of work to be done in this area…

How does Barcelona celebrate resourcefulness?

I am not sure at all about this, as I am not familiar enough with what is happening, and my Spanish is non-existant… 

• achieve net zero carbon in its life cycle?

• As noted above - not sure, but believe there is good work being done here. While I am not sure what the policy on keeping buildings rather than rebuilding is, many buildings from many past eras abound, and that embodied carbon retention is good :-) 

• incorporate lean design for optimal resource use? 

• There is evidence of really smart design all around - especially from Gaudi :-) There is also evidence of less optimal resource use, so must be a work in progress. We did think that the plazas with heroic steel devises would have been much better served with good trees - from carbon, human and other species view points…

• balance economic measures of cost and value? 

• With a focus on making this place work for so many people now and in the future, and the investment in great transport and streetscape infrastructure, it does seem that there is a reasonable positive focus on this.

View of the ceiling of Sagrada Familia showing the extraordinary celebration of natural structural systems that are efficient, effective and gloriously beautiful. And built to last!

How does Barcelona enable communities to thrive?

As for Bilbao, it is hard to know how this has been approached no a very short visit. However, it does seem that there is a strong diverse community enjoying the town at all times of the day, together. The investments in infrastructure and well recognised buildings seems to be paying off for a wide cross section of the people of Barcelona and the many tourists who keep coming there… 

It is interesting to note that Barcelona seems very dependent on the tourists who come there. The many signs saying “Tourist go home” would indicate that not all people there think it is great. The various tours we took seem to be shaped to reduce their impact in various ways (especially noise), but we were aware that we are part of this problem… We loved coming here and finding out about the ideas and richness of this place… What to do about the problems of tourism? Good question that I am interested in exploring!

• improve the communities physical and psychological health and well-being? 

• Lots of walking and cycling in streets that are increasingly being planted out with trees and plants.. 

• Lots of places for people to gather and share together.

• Not sure about much else!

• provide equitable and affordable access and resources to diverse communities? 

• I am not sure about this.

• Our Australian tour guide noted he can afford to live “well” in Barcelona, while he found Australia too expensive to consider moving back to…

• empower community members to realise their potential and flourish?

• Clearly the beneficial impacts of design and the many arts are well appreciated and encouraged here - and I see the creative powers of these skills as imperative to the future. Others? There does seem to be room for many different people to be in Barcelona and realise their potential. It would be good to find out more.

The Mercado de la Boqueria - full of people and food and life!

How does Barcelona foster ‘long now’ thinking of good ancestors?

As a place with thousands of years history, it would seem to be self evident that this is happening… Again, it would be good to spend more time there and find out more.

• respect and value existing communities and buildings? 

• There seems to be huge respect for existing buildings - we were there mainly to explore the work of Gaudi and the many other wonderful architects who have worked in this town. 

• As for communities? I am not sure. There seems to be a history of varying degrees of tolerance of some communities (the Jews, some Catholics, etc etc) but I am not sure what is happening now. There do seem to be many migrants from Africa, but I do not know how they are being respected and valued…

• enable future communities to endure and adapt to changing climates and needs? 

• Interesting question. Hard to answer with so little time and so little contact with people who know about this.

• regenerate resources as we use them? 

• Again - not sure. There does seem to be lots of positive things happening with regards to local food and wine and there are many recycling bins everywhere. 

• We hardly say any PV panels on roofs of buildings, and there clearly is a water problem. Why and what to do about this? Not sure…

The cathedral built among the ancient Roman walls of the original town - all kept and celebrated :-)

How does Barcelona inspire and enable capacity and agency?

Barcelona is definitely inspiring! Especially the work of Gaudi :-) 

• help us understand and want to be in relation with and care for Country?

• I found the architecture that has been so inspired by nature, and the wonderful landscaped outdoor areas so fabulous, and wanting to be in relationship with this place. And then there were places that didn’t… we can always do better :-)

• support and promote healthy and fair supply chains? 

• Not sure about this.

• inspire with stories that help us and others in our work? 

• Lots of great stories coming from this place. I was particularly inspired by the work of the IAAC at the Valldaura Labs, where students go to live in as they learn about forests, gardening, and making and how these are integral to their architecture. I would love to be part of such an approach in Australia :-)

Walking with Laia Pifarre around the grounds of the IAAC Valldaura Labs - Collserola Park outside Barcelona. Live in students learn about forestry, food, making and creating as equally essential parts of architecture.

Stained glass windows bring light, colour and inspiration into the Sagrada Familia!

Bilbao through the lens of Handprints....

What a wonderful place Bilbao is - we would love to go back there and spend more time getting to understand it better. We went there mainly for the purpose of seeing the Guggenheim museum and understanding how this has impacted the town. We found so much more :-)

How does Bilbao bring the story of place to life?

Bilbao seems to be a place where its continuing and evolving story of place is very much brought to life in all that is happening. It would be great to have time to better understand the place in more detail and how this is being addressed.

• centre Country* in design? 

• Not sure that it does… very human centred in all that it does

• Integrating street trees and gardens in many places

• enhance its context, connections and culture?

• The town really acknowledges its ancient and industrial past as it creates a new and different future, based on its culture and connecting it to its wider place in the Basque Country. The question of how it fits with Spain is interesting :-)

• positively contribute to its watershed? 

• I am not sure how the watershed works, but did hear that big measures were put in place after a devastating flood in 1983 to control the river to avoid flooding… no idea where the good drinking water comes from or what happens to its stormwater and sewerage.

How does Bilbao celebrate resourcefulness?

It would be great to better understand how Bilbao approaches these issues in detail. 

• achieve net zero carbon in its life cycle?

• Not sure about their energy consumption patterns

• Lots of existing buildings retained and continue to be used

• New buildings seem to be very carbon intensive, but are built for a long and extremely well used future

• Issue of embodied carbon arose at Guggenheim, for both the art and building… possible solutions also found there in the art:

• How can we better salvage materials for use in new work

• This could include engaging the many underemployed refugees (who look to be really resilient and strong) to help with this, rather than selling illegal rubbish we don’t need

• incorporate lean design for optimal resource use? 

• Some buildings look really lean (Santiago Calatrava bridge) while others seem wasteful (Frank Ghery museum)

• balance economic measures of cost and value? 

• Invested in good and expensive infrastructure of railway to connect many towns and the Guggenheim Museum to ensure a strong future for the town

How does Bilbao enable communities to thrive?

It is hard to know how this has been approached no a very short visit. However, it does seem that there is a strong diverse community enjoying the town at all times of the day, together. The investments in infrastructure and well recognised buildings seems to be paying off for a wide cross section of the people of Bilbao.

• improve the communities physical and psychological health and well-being? 

• provide equitable and affordable access and resources to diverse communities? 

• empower community members to realise their potential and flourish?

How does Bilbao foster ‘long now’ thinking of good ancestors?

This seems to be something that Bilbao is doing really well at :-)

• respect and value existing communities and buildings? 

• The existing town and its buildings are very much at the centre of this place, and is valued by locals and visitors alike.

• The focus on making this work for the future seems to have been very focused on valuing the people of the area

• enable future communities to endure and adapt to changing climates and needs? 

• The big changes the city engaged in after the  recession of the 70’s, the loss of the industrial businesses and the devastating flood of 83 were all about ensuring the community was well placed for the future. Which seems to have proven to be right.

• regenerate resources as we use them? 

• I did not have time to find out about this… 

How does Bilbao inspire and enable capacity and agency?

The story of Bilbao is inspiring. The reason we travelled there was to see what happened around the museum - and are so impressed with the whole, wider town. We saw a town that is thriving, with loads of people having the capacity to enjoy all that is on offer and participate in the wider community activities.  We did not have enough time to get into the detail of the following dot points. 

• help us understand and want to be in relation with and care for Country?

• support and promote healthy and fair supply chains? 

• inspire with stories that help us and others in our work? 

London through the lens of Handprints....

Having lived in London for 2 years in the late 1980’s, I was interested to see how it has developed since then. And catch up with a number of people. London is a huge, huge system and it is almost impossible to understand how it works… I still find it overwhelming and not sure how to manage the quantities of things happening there. That said, there is so much to learn from the people and place.

The following observations are only that - they cannot be more thorough after only 5 days. If I have anything wrong or have missed significant issues - please let me know:-)

How does London bring the story of place to life?

What a complex place London is! I have no idea how to read its many aspects or the evolutions and revolutions it has enjoyed/endured over time. The number of people wanting to live there indicates that the story is rich and attractive to many.

Gordon Square Garden, London

• centre Country* in design? 

• I don’t think Country has been seen as the focus of development - much more the people and their needs. 

• What would this look like going forward? An interesting question that is really worthwhile thinking about in every project.

• enhance its context, connections and culture?

• These issues seem to be central to this place, making it such a vibrant place that so many people want to be in.

• positively contribute to its watershed? 

• Not sure on this one…

How does London celebrate resourcefulness?

This is really difficult to comprehend in such a big place. Especially one that supports both some of the greatest resource consumers in the world alongside some of those with the least resources to use. Vast inequality does not seem to engender care and concern, which is needed to celebrate resourcefulness. 

• achieve net zero carbon in its life cycle?

• There does seems to be a strong focus on this in building design, development and use, with a particular interest in embodied carbon at this time. However, this is not a lay down misere, with struggles on every level evident.

• I am inspired by the work done by LETI, Architects Declare and ACAN in this arena.

• incorporate lean design for optimal resource use? 

• With costs escalating for all construction, one would assume this would be par for the course. It is hard for me to tell exactly what is happening in such a short time.

• balance economic measures of cost and value? 

• Again - hard to tell in such a short time.

How does London enable communities to thrive?

This is a tricky one - there does seem to be much community unrest in the UK at the moment, as discussed in the newspapers and TV. While it is not too evident in the (privileged) areas we explored in London, we were told many stories of the unevenness of care for people across the country, and for refugees in particular. A successful future does seem to need wide ranging communities to be able to thrive together.

I am not sure how the following dot points are being addressed at the moment. 

• improve the communities physical and psychological health and well-being? 

• provide equitable and affordable access and resources to diverse communities? 

• empower community members to realise their potential and flourish?

How does London foster ‘long now’ thinking of good ancestors?

There seems to have been many unsuccessful short term political decisions made of late, which are helping give a sense of unease to the country. As a place that has dominated the world over much of the past 200 years, it does not seem to be either well placed or able to continue in this role. As this has been one of domination, colonisation and inequality, perhaps a new future based on different ways of being in the world is required? How can this country, rich in people, ideas and history, help create the better future we need? Organisations such as Architects Declare, LETI, ACAN, Doughnut Economics, Macarthur Foundation etc are very much stepping up to this challenge and leading the way.

St Pancreas Station

• respect and value existing communities and buildings? 

• There are so many buildings from all times in this city’s history that make it so interesting to visit and walk around. The blue plates on many buildings that tell the story of its buildings and people are a wonderful glimpse into the rich history of the place.

• The retention and updating of existing buildings is a big and open debate at the moment, which is great to see.

• enable future communities to endure and adapt to changing climates and needs? 

• I see many interesting buildings being designed, but am not well placed to see how they are dealing with change that will be coming in the future.

• regenerate resources as we use them? 

• Again, I am not well placed to comment on this. 

• The issue of energy is clearly huge, especially with the instability of energy supply from Russia and much of Europe. While there is little sun, there are a lot of wind and tidal energy possibilities that I understand are being explored. 

• I am not sure how the issues of food production and supply, or water capture and treatment are big approached.

How does London inspire and enable capacity and agency?

London continues to be a centre of interest and inspiration in so many areas, along with some of the strongest advocates for a better future. With concerns for scarcity of many things, a big question is how can this be extended to the widest possible group of people who live there, including the immigrants that have arrived on their shores?

Catching up with some of the Architects Declare team :-)

• help us understand and want to be in relation with and care for Country?

• While there seem to be many who want to care for the natural places and re-wild many as well, there is much evidence (such as rubbish on the streets and lots of graffiti) of people not caring. How to increase this care on a wide ranging level seems to be an important part of any successful future. 

• support and promote healthy and fair supply chains? 

• There seems to be much work happening in this arena for the built environment. I am not sure about other areas.

• inspire with stories that help us and others in our work? 

• I wanted to visit London to talk with some of my heroes who constantly inspire me :-) I am sure many others do as well.

Singapore through the lens of Handprints...

It is impossible to evaluate a place after a short visit of a few days… I fear doing so for a place I know well let alone ones I am unfamiliar with :-) However, I am going to use the framework as a lens for thinking about the places we are visiting while travelling. I am hoping it will cause me to think about things I might not otherwise do, and find lessons to take forward. I would enjoy hearing your thoughts :-)

How does Singapore bring the story of place to life?

This is a particularly difficult one to answer when i do not know this place and what its story that needs to brought to life is… To try to learn more about this we went to the National Museum of Singapore to read of its history, the amazing Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) which goes into great detail about the development of this city and the Singapore Botanic Gardens which provides one of its amazing green lungs and history on its plants. While there was a lot about the development that has occurred, especially over the last 200 hundred years, and the important role design has played here, there was not a lot about the original custodians of the land and their ways or knowing, being and doing, or the natural history other than it being a place on the river of an island at the end of the Malay peninsula in a sea with many other islands… and that development had helped change it from “mudflats to metropolis”… It is clearly a multicultural city at the heart of many crossroads of Asia that has its heart set on being a smart city that benefits all its citizens, now and into the future. So - how does it:

• centre Country in design? 

  I think this is the area I am most unsure about. I don’t think Country is centred in design - rather people and their needs are centred in design and Country is shaped to accommodate these needs. The ‘swamps’ have been filled with mountains that have been cut down and fill from other natural places; the mouth of the river barraged to separate salty and fresh water; and a number of other interventions. It seems that these have been done to make sure Singapore is able to expand and accommodate its growling population and desire to be a leading business, manufacturing and tourism destination. In my very brief time I was not able to find information on how well Country has been considered in this development, or how it will survive or thrive in the future. Can Country be centred in design when cities are expanding? Or maybe a better question is - how can these approaches be shaped by centring Country in design? What would a city be like if we did centre Country/nature rather than humans?

From the Singapore Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) external panels

From the extensive internal URA exhibition

• enhance its context, connections and culture?

  Singapore has been enriched with designs based on its context as an island at the end of a peninsular in a rich archipelago of islands, enjoying a position at the crossroads of many cultures in Asia and the connections that are essential for it to thrive. Particularly in the last half century, the development of housing for all its people, has been planned around good infrastructure and the facilities of 15 minute cities (before they were a thing!). Additionally, this has been extended to include enhancement of its garden context, connections and culture.

  The focus on consumption and tourism is interesting from a sustainability perspective - while it might be ‘good’ for Singapore, is it really? and is it good for the world?

• positively contribute to its watershed? 

  Proving good water for its 6.053million people is seen as critical for the city’s success, and much work has been put into securing good water storage and treatment. How does this impact the natural watershed and the many other species that rely on it? I am not sure, and as with Country, this natural system probably needs more of a voice in decisions…

How does Singapore celebrate resourcefulness?

Clearly, Singapore is a place that seems to do a lot with all that it has. With a rich cultural history and some pretty tricky times over the twentieth century, it is firmly focused on how it can be a leader in the twenty first century. Design is one of the foci it has decided to back, with apparent success. However, at the same time it does appear to be a city of great consumption. How does it:

• achieve net zero carbon in its life cycle?

  As with many places in the world, there has been an increasing focus on energy/carbon efficiency in the operation of buildings. The hot humid climate of Singapore makes this very hard to deliver on, especially when rooms, corridors and lifts are cooled to very low temperatures, and there are few opening windows. The embracing of open garden spaces within buildings, such as the totally open entry area on L12 to our hotel, makes me think there is reason for optimism.

  The focus on embodied carbon is something that we are all now beginning to understand the importance of, and how important design is in reducing this. To date, Singapore has used huge amounts of steel and concrete many reasons, not least durability. It is good to see the increasing use of bio materials.

  Renewable energy is a big issue. With little scope of making their own, there are great hopes for this to come from Australia via the promised underwater cables :-) Not sure what the Plan B is…

• incorporate lean design for optimal resource use? 

  As I floated in the pool under the massive steel framed crown on the Oasia hotel, I wondered about its embodied carbon… Questions such as - was this necessary? If so (which one could argue it was to some degree), how could its embodied carbon be reduced? Could it be half the height? Could it be built from another material - bamboo or timber? How can we realise beauty while doing good?

  There is a really strong focus on prefab construction and using materials requiring as little human work as possible - such as brickwork. I was not able to get to the bottom of this and do not understand the details…

• balance economic measures of cost and value? 

  Singapore does seem to be a country that places long term value at the heart of every decision, particularly the investment in infrastructure and housing for the benefit of all its citizens - something I was most impressed with.

How does Singapore enable communities to thrive?

Singapore does seem to be a thriving place, with lots of diverse people living, working, learning and visiting. It does seem that the government is interested in ensuring Singaporeans are not disadvantaged as the popularity grows (various tax incentives with cars and homes for example), but I don’t think I can answer this well after such a short visit.

The inclusion of significant amounts of green space in all developments, the design for active transport rather than cars and strong local centres for all communities all seem to be good. Are they working? How do people cope with the very high density of living? I am not sure what the stats are on this are so feel unable to answer the following dot points with any certainty. I have included a couple of comments.

• improve the communities physical and psychological health and well-being? 

  Lots of green space seems to be very well used and appreciated.

• provide equitable and affordable access and resources to diverse communities? 

  There are many diverse communities evident in town, and seem to be well supported in facilities and inclusion.

• empower community members to realise their potential and flourish?

  This does seem to be a place where many people come to work and succeed.

How does Singapore foster ‘long now’ thinking of good ancestors?

With a long history of many cultures coming and taking over the place, there are many cultures and ancestors to build on :-) The previous modernisation of Singapore, that seemed to prioritise new buildings over anything old seems to have slowed, with a number of existing heritage buildings and places being kept and upgraded. Again, hard to comment in such a short time, but I include the following observations:

• respect and value existing communities and buildings? 

  There were a number of examples of existing buildings with their heritage and value being respected more recently, such as the National Gallery, National Museum, China town, many religious buildings and others.

Model of the National Gallery, cleverly incorporating 2 important heritage buildings

• enable future communities to endure and adapt to changing climates and needs? 

  I am not sure how Singapore, which is likely to see climate change hitting hard with increased storms, temperatures, humidity, and sea levels, is preparing for these possible futures… Or how they are contributing to abating these changes…

• regenerate resources as we use them? 

  I think this is an area that Singapore struggles with as there is such little land area. Giving 1/3 over to the military might not help… However, there does seem to be much room for improvement on the food front and circular economy areas.

How does Singapore inspire and enable capacity and agency?

Singapore does seem to be a really inspiring place, that is telling its good stories really well and attracting lots of people. Again, I would like more time to be able to answer this properly :-) A couple of comments on the following dot points:

• help us understand and want to be in relation with and care for Country?

  the strong focus on Singapore as a “biophilic city in a garden” seems to be going a long way in making this happen. i am not sure how this sits with the continuing land filling exercises and shaping of Country for people’s benefits…

WOHA’s ParkRoyal on Pickering

• support and promote healthy and fair supply chains? 

  Not sure about this - most of the supply chains come from afar, and they seem to be more about taking what comes. I am not sure how the power of their demands in shaping better outcomes is being exercised.

• inspire with stories that help us and others in our work? 

  We heard many inspiring and great stories while we were there. While I am sure much more can be done, we were so impressed that the major issues of housing and equitable access seem to have been successfully addressed - unlike many other places in the world.