Mr Mah Bow Tan, Minister for National Development, recently outlined how planning ahead of time and investing strategically in infrastructure will open up a world of new opportunities for Singapore as we move into the next phase of our economic and physical development.

The first announcement was made when Minister Mah addressed more than 500 key business influencers, industry leaders, public sector partners and staff at the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA)'s Corporate Plan Seminar on 9 February 2007. Minister Mah also spoke on this topic during his Committee of Supply Debate speech in Parliament on 3 March 2007.

The plans then and now
Setting the stage for the announcements was the recentlycompleted mid-term review of the Concept Plan. This was conducted by the Ministry of National Development, URA and various government agencies.

The Concept Plan, Singapore's long-term planning framework, maps out our vision for the next 40 to 50 years in terms of strategic directions for land use and transportation. It puts us in good stead to develop in a sustainable manner, ensuring that we use our land resources efficiently and effectively so that our quality of life improves even as we develop. To ensure that it remains relevant, the Concept Plan is reviewed every 10 years, taking into account changing economic and population trends and land use needs, to guide Singapore's physical growth. During the 2001 review, our population was around 3.9 million and the long-term population parameter was 5.5 million. Today, our population is 4.5 million. Taking into consideration the population trends and strong economic prospects in the future, the longterm population parameter was revised to 6.5 million in the midterm review.