City of the Future
ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, photo courtesy of Iryna Rasko/ Shutterstock Inc.
Under visionary leadership, initiatives like Smart Nation Singapore seek to encourage citizens, businesses, and government to support better living through modern technology, and the city-state has risen from its modest beginnings to become a global hub for technology, human capital, and innovation.
Singapore was named the second most competitive economy behind the United States in 2018 by the World Economic Forum, was chosen as the Smart City of 2018 by the Smart City World Expo Congress.
Modern convenience is all about making life as worry-free as possible. From an impressive public transit system to an airport often voted the World’s Best, The Lion City’s infrastructure often feels like it’s working for you. Add in the fact that English is one of the city’s official languages and toss in a sterling reputation for safety (crime rates in Singapore are some of the world’s lowest), and you’ve got a city that is primed to receive international guests. Located a short distance from the luxury shopping and fine restaurants on Orchard Road where Prada, Miu Miu, and
Green nature facade of Parkroyal on Pickering hotel building in Singapore, photo courtesy of Ivan Kurmyshov/ Shutterstock Inc
The country’s flag may be scarlet-hued, but an aerial view shows a city awash in lush green. From buildings draped in tropical foliage to roofs lined with trees, Singapore has focused on being sustainably constructed indoors as well as out: “green building” has been mandatory in all new developments since 2008.
Here, green and blue spaces are interspersed amid luxury high-rises, shopping malls, and public parks, and thanks to the Garden City’s compact size (it totals roughly 278 square miles), a Saturday morning dip in the ocean can be followed by a visit to one of several stunning National Parks, including the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and the Singapore Botanic Gardens.
