What we have learned from developed cities abroad:

An efficient infrastructure facilitates delivery of information, goods and services, supports economic growth and assists is achieving social objectives such as raising the living standards and educational levels

* Encourage more compact development
The best example would have to be Singapore, where they made public spaces work harder and developed affordable mixed-use neighborhoods. Singapore also relieved density by adding a variety of green boundaries around neighborhoods.

With compact development, it becomes possible to achieve sustainability on a national level because it allows neighborhoods and employment centers concentration of population and employment, create a mix of uses, and encourage pedestrian-, bicycle-, and transit-friendly design. Moreover, this kind of development improves physical and social activities and prioritizes public spaces.

* Singapore’s New Towns supported by Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system
This plan constituted of construction of high-density housing estates called as New Town, which are connected by a Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system linking them to the central business district and the industrial estates. Apart from urban roads, the MRT lines are also served by three Light Rapid Transit (LRT) systems, which act as feeders.

* Singapore’s Green Plan
This is a government blueprint addressing the challenges of Clean Air, Clean Water and Clean Land.
Clean Air seeks to phase out diesel use from factories and industries to test sustainable energy generation from hydrogen fuel and solar.
Clean Water focuses on supplying water to all homes and industries through the national ‘Four Taps Strategy’: 10 sourcing water from its reservoirs, from Malaysia, from recycling and through desalination.
Clean Land emphasizes the continuous recycling efforts at the national scale to ensure that virtually no waste will be going into landfills in 50 years.

* Leading Eco-cities- Curitiba, Brazil
The city of Curitiba, Brazil proactively began to address the challenges of sustainable urban development in 1966 with a master plan that outlined future integration between urban development, transportation and public health.
This plan has been realized in modern Curitiba, which is defined by linear stretches of urban development surrounded by green space and low-density residential areas. 1. The city’s bus system is highly developed, with high-capacity busses and dedicated lanes; it effectively reaches about 90% of the population. This bus system is utilized by 45% of the population, which has caused private automobile use to drop to 22%. Despite this decline, to prevent congestion central areas of the city have been closed to cars. These road closures have led to dynamic economic growth for local shops and the development of community space for pedestrians.

2. The resulting public health and education gains from this initiative have also been substantial. Curitiba maintains the lowest air pollution rates in Brazil and over 300,000 trees in the city helps reduce natural flooding. Curitiba has also dedicated resources to environmental education in primary school, which has translated into environmentally conscious citizens. Over 70% of city residents participate in recycling programs which fuels the city’s progressive waste processing system.

* Freiburg, Germany 1. Waste Management: Financial incentive programs, like discounts for collective waste disposal and people who compost, are used to increase waste avoidance. Since 2005, Freiburg’s non-recyclable waste has been incinerated and the heat energy released is converted to supply electricity to almost 25,000 households in the city.

2. Improved Transportation System: Freiburg has made improvements to their transportation systems. Freiburg has over 500 km of bicycle paths and more than 5000 bicycle parking spaces as well as car-free centers, 30 kph zones, a region wide bus service, and tram lines.