As business models, technological trends and the aspirations of our workforce evolve, so must our workspaces. While it can be challenging to anticipate new needs, we will monitor and plan for emerging economic needs to ensure that our spaces can continue to accommodate them within our limited land.
As the future economy continues to evolve, our workspaces must support the varied needs of businesses.
For Singapore to continue to have space for new sectors, we must explore other ways to accommodate more economic uses within our limited land, while maintaining a liveable environment.
We encourage businesses to test out innovative design solutions and measures to reduce the dust and noise affecting residents. That way, they can be located closer to homes and consumers.
© Smart City Kitchens
For instance, cloud kitchens that cater to food delivery orders, or distribution centres of logistic companies, will benefit from being closer to urban centres while also providing jobs for residents in the area.
As Singapore expands into advanced manufacturing activities, we are studying ways to manage and improve these industrial processes to minimise impact on our living environment, such as through decarbonisation, recycling and greener fuels such as hydrogen.
Sustainable Jurong Island © EDB
As technology advances, we will see a greater use of autonomous machines, and off-site control and monitoring of production processes.
© JTC
In future, such automated production spaces that do not need workers to be physically present could be sited in less accessible areas or even in underground caverns, while the manned control centres are sited in more accessible urban areas.