•  
  •  
 

Abstract

Background: Singapore faces pressures from rapid urbanization, climate change, and digital economic transformation amid limited land and resources. As both a city-state and global economic hub, Singapore develops adaptive strategies that balance growth, sustainability, and competitiveness through technology-driven governance and long-term planning.

Aims: This study analyzes Singapore’s adaptation strategies in addressing urban, environmental, and digital economic challenges while evaluating policy effectiveness and limitations within the frameworks of the global city, state capitalism, and sustainability governance.

Methods: A qualitative literature review and SWOT analysis were conducted using secondary data from academic journals and policy reports. The analysis focuses on the integration of spatial, environmental, and economic policies as instruments of global city adaptation.

Results: Findings reveal three main pillars: environmental resilience through innovation, smart urbanization via smart city and transit-oriented development, and economic resilience through high-tech industrial diversification and nationwide digitalization. Policies such as carbon taxation, adaptive drainage, NEWater, and the Smart Nation Initiative have enhanced national competitiveness and resilience. Challenges remain—foreign labor dependence, high living costs, digital energy consumption, and social inequality due to automation.

Conclusion: Singapore’s adaptive strategy positions it as a model smart sustainable global city in Asia. Through state control, technological innovation, and sustainability-oriented governance, Singapore expands the global city paradigm under state capitalism. The study implies that urban sustainability depends not only on technological and market efficiency but also on the capacity of state and society to foster adaptive, collaborative, and equitable governance.

Bahasa Abstract

Latar Belakang: Singapura menghadapi tekanan dari urbanisasi pesat, perubahan iklim, dan transformasi ekonomi digital di tengah keterbatasan lahan serta sumber daya alam. Sebagai kota–negara dan simpul ekonomi global, Singapura mengembangkan strategi adaptasi yang menyeimbangkan pertumbuhan, keberlanjutan, dan daya saing melalui tata kelola berbasis teknologi serta perencanaan jangka panjang.

Tujuan: Kajian ini menganalisis strategi adaptasi Singapura terhadap tantangan urbanisasi, lingkungan, dan ekonomi digital dengan meninjau efektivitas serta keterbatasan kebijakan dalam kerangka teori global city, state capitalism, dan sustainability governance.

Metode: Penelitian menggunakan metode kualitatif dengan studi literatur dan analisis SWOT terhadap data sekunder dari jurnal akademik dan laporan kebijakan. Analisis berfokus pada keterpaduan kebijakan ruang, lingkungan, dan ekonomi sebagai instrumen adaptasi kota global.

Hasil: Kajian menunjukkan bahwa strategi adaptasi Singapura mencakup tiga pilar: ketahanan lingkungan berbasis inovasi, urbanisasi cerdas melalui konsep smart city dan transit-oriented development, serta ketahanan ekonomi melalui diversifikasi industri berteknologi tinggi dan digitalisasi nasional. Kebijakan seperti pajak karbon, sistem drainase adaptif, NEWater, dan Smart Nation Initiative memperkuat daya saing dan ketahanan nasional. Namun, tantangan masih ada seperti ketergantungan pada tenaga kerja asing, biaya hidup tinggi, konsumsi energi digital, dan kesenjangan sosial akibat otomatisasi.

Kesimpulan: Strategi adaptasi Singapura menempatkan negara ini sebagai model smart sustainable global city di Asia. Melalui kendali negara, inovasi teknologi, dan tata kelola berorientasi keberlanjutan, Singapura memperluas teori kota global di bawah rezim state capitalism. Implikasi penelitian menegaskan bahwa keberlanjutan kota global tidak hanya bergantung pada efisiensi teknologi dan pasar, tetapi juga pada kapasitas negara dan masyarakat membangun tata kelola adaptif, kolaboratif, dan berkeadilan.

References

Aigner, I., Garai, F., Fodor, M., & Szemere, T. (2022). Singapore: A Digitalized and Innovative Smart Nation for Sustainability. IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, 69(1), 264–278. https://doi.org/10.1109/TEM.2022.3156181

Allam, Z. (2020). Urban Governance and Smart City Planning: Lessons from Singapore. Emerald Publishing.

Bhaskaran, M. (2024). Challenges Facing Singapore in the Next 50 Years. National University of Singapore.

Chang, S. E., & Huang, C. H. (2021). Climate change adaptation for seaport communities: A case study of Singapore. Climate Change, 104(1), 2087–2105. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2011.07.009

Cigna. (2022). Global Well-Being Survey: Singapore Insight Report.

Diao, M. (2019). Sustainable urban transport in Singapore: Policy strategies and mobility outcomes. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 130, 323–339. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2019.09.032

Erh, T. (2023). Singapore’s Digital Transformation: Economic Growth and Technological Innovation. Journal of Economic Development Studies, 45(2), 27–41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeds.2023.04.012

Eze, V. H. U. (2023). Qualitative Research. IDOSR Journal of Computer and Applied Sciences, 8(1), 20-35.

Fujii, T., & Ray, S. (2019). Climate Change and Economic Growth in Singapore: Issues and Policy Options. Asian Development Bank Institute.

Jones, E., Kira, B., & Tavengerwei, R. (2024). Norm Entrepreneurship in Digital Trade: The Singapore-Led Wave of Digital Trade Agreements. World Trade Review, 23(2), 208–241.

Lau, H. C., et al. (2021). A Decarbonization Roadmap for Singapore and Its Energy Policy Implications. Energies, 14(6455), 1-23. https://doi.org/10.3390/en14206455

Le Galès, P. (2024). The rise and fall of the sociology of the global city. Annual Review of Sociology, 50, 647–669. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-soc-090523-042533

Lee, H., & Tan, T. P. (2016). Singapore’s experience with reclaimed water: NEWater. International Journal of Water Resources Development, 32(4), 611-621. https://doi.org/10.1080/07900627.2015.1120188

Lee, W. (2024). Economic and Social Implications of Aging in Singapore. Journal of Aging & Social Policy, 10:4, 73-92,

Martinez, R., & Bunnell, T. (2024). National Sovereignty Across City Networks: Singapore and the Diplomacy of a Global City-State. EPC: Politics and Space, 42(7), 1170–1186.

NG, Irene Y. H. and HO, Kong Weng. (2023) Policy Responses in an Unstable Globalized Economy: Multi-Stressed Low-Earning Families in Singapore. Economic Stress, Human Capital, and Families in Asia: Research and Policy Challenges, 241-258.

Ng, P. J. H., & Teo, C. (2020). Singapore’s water challenges past to present. International Journal of Water Resources Development, 36(2-3), 269-277. https://doi.org/10.1080/07900627.2019.1680350

Pacione, M. (2005). Urban geography: A global perspective (2nd ed.). Routledge.

Phua, S. Z., et al. (2024). Urban Vulnerability Assessment of Sea Level Rise in Singapore through The World Avatar. Cambridge Centre for Advanced Research and Education in Singapore.

Rojas López, M., De Oña, J., & De Oña, R. (2020). Urban mobility and autonomous vehicles in smart cities: A review. Cities, 104, 102808. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2020.102808

Shi, L., & Lu, W. (2024). Fintech Development in Singapore: Government Policies and Market Growth. Financial Technology Review, 17(1), 621–635. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fintechrev.2024.03.015

Sreehari, S., & Tharman, R. (2018). Economic Resilience and Policy Adaptations in Singapore: A Comparative Analysis. Journal of Global Trade and Economics, 15(3), 200-215.

Vardopoulos, I. (2021). Vertical urban growth and sustainability: Evaluating the case of Singapore. Sustainable Cities and Society, 71, 103040. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2021.103040

Yan, C. (2024). The Role of Biotechnology in Singapore’s Economic Diversification: A Case Study of Biopolis and Precision Medicine Development. Journal of Asian Economic Research, 58(3), 533–548. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10490-024-10321-9

Yip, C. C. E., Machin, M. A., & Wah Goh, Y. (2024). A qualitative study on workplace mental wellbeing in the Singapore context. The Qualitative Report, 29(7), 1981-2015. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/ 2024.6795

Zhang, T. (2023). Urban planning from the economic perspective—Taking Singapore as an example. In Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Economic Management and Green Development. https://doi.org/10.54254/2754-1169/39/20231954

Zhao, Y. (2024). Evaluating the Achievement of Singapore's Environmental Policy Goals for Enhanced Sustainability and Liveability through Big Data Analysis. Highlights in Science, Engineering and Technology, 83, 568-578.

Share

COinS