SINGAPORE — Rather than infrastructural or technological hurdles, the biggest challenge confronting urban planners over the next two decades could be on the social front.

Banyan Tree Holdings Chairman Ho Kwon Ping said this yesterday, as he noted how policymakers would have to work at better integrating groups, such as the aged, the disabled and foreign workers, into Singapore society.

Speaking at a panel session during a conference organised by the Singapore University of Technology and Design’s Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities, Mr Ho said: “The transformational challenges for Singapore over the next decade or two are, in fact, not going to be physical at all, they are not going to be technological at all and, in fact, if you look at the world’s greatest cities, their greatest challenges are social in nature, it is the threat of social disintegration and the challenge of social cohesion.”

Other panellists had suggestions to co-locate services, such as nursing homes or day care centres, within the community.

Dr Aline Wong, Academic Adviser for SIM University, felt that community spaces, such as void decks, should be allocated based on needs, rather than be given to the highest bidder.

“At a local level, there is tremendous competition for space. And the allocation system, if it depends on the market, may not be the most efficient, as it’s not where the local needs are,” said Dr Wong, who once helmed the Housing and Development Board and was Senior Minister of State (Health and Education) from 1995 to 2001.

The conference also heard from Urban Redevelopment Authority Chairman Peter Ho that the URA is taking a serious look at ways people can work from home and in offices in suburban areas outside the city.

The event was held in conjunction with former Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew’s 90th birthday and aimed at understanding Mr Lee’s role in the transformation of Singapore, in the areas such as urban planning and housing policy. SUMITA SREEDHARAN