A CRITIQUE OF THE COMPACT CITY MODEL : SINGAPORE'S CASE

Abstract

The compact city has been described to be a sustainable city model, yet SIngpaore whose urban planning principles are based on the compact city model has a high ecological footprint. This essay examines the reasons for this anomaly and identifys that the correlation between the compact city model and sustainability is not as straightforward as it advocatesmmade it out to be. Through a study of Singpaore’s carbon footprint and the possible factors contributing to a high ecological footprint, it is understood that the sustainability of a city is affected by issues that are not addressed by the model. Furthermore, the model takes on many assumptions that results in the flawed conclusion of sustainability. The essay concludes that the compact city model is inadequate as an urban amodel of sustainability.