Minister Mah emphasised that Singapore will be ready to cater to a larger
population and enjoy the opportunities brought about by greater economic
growth if we plan ahead and invest in our infrastructure.


Anticipating a growing economy and population
Our population will grow, both as a stimulant to, and a result of economic growth. But apart from catering to a larger population, Singapore will also have to continue to address the issue of allocating land to meet different competing needs.

The economic growth prospects in the future are strong and Singapore will need to prepare ahead to ensure we have sufficient land and infrastructure to support incoming investments. These will come from the high value-added industries, the financial and business services sector and tourism sector.

The bulk of land demand in manufacturing, a key growth pillar, will be for high value-adde, but low-rise industries such as petrochemicals, wafer fabrication and pharmaceuticals. Emerging sectors such as aerospace and medical tourism will also mean more land requirements for a new aerospace hub and the development of private hospitals and medical suites. Land for large tourism projects and hotels will also need to be set aside in line with targets to double the number of visitors to 17 million by 2015. To remain attractive as a choice business location, Singapore must continue to enhance and upgrade our air and sea ports as well as update our transportation, gas, power and telecommunications infrastructure. Again, these will increase our land demands.

Our competitive advantage
In both messages, Minister Mah reinforced the message that Singapore is "a city built on planning." He stressed that it is our ability to plan for the longer term and to follow through in the implementation of these plans that has helped to bring us to where we are today.

The other common thread that ran through both speeches was that despite an increasing demand for land to support current and new growth sectors and to house a bigger population, our quality of life will not be compromised.

Minister Mah assured Singaporeans that we will have sufficient land to cater to our land needs in the future if we use this precious resource judiciously and wisely. He said that "the challenge is to come up with creative solutions to accommodate land demand, while maintaining a good quality living environment. With global competition among cities, our goal is not just to provide space but also to enhance our living environment to the extent that it becomes our competitive advantage in the attraction of talent and investment."

Ready for the road ahead
Singapore is fortunate to be in a region with good growth potential. The Government will make full use of this potential by planning ahead for growth and is committed towards putting in place the necessary infrastructural investment in both the hard and soft aspects. This will enable us to meet future challenges to provide for population growth and capitalise on economic opportunities, while maintaining a good quality of life.

Skyline presents over the following pages the host of exciting developments and new infrastructure have been planned for. These will be for all Singaporeans and visitors to enjoy and benefit from in the future - right here in our city and in even our very own neighbourhoods.