People-centric approach needed for effective urban planning, says expert

SMU Behavioural Sciences Institute Director Professor David Chan delivered the keynote address at the third Urban Sustainability R&D Congress. Held at Suntec, the two-day event was attended by representatives from public agencies, research institutes and private sector organisations. During the keynote address, Prof Chan cited the upcoming Singapore-Kuala Lumpur (KL) High Speed Rail terminal and its implications from a larger transient commuter population in the Jurong area. He said that urban planners must take a people-centric approach and understand how the same built environment can impact different groups of people differently, or impact different people differently over time. Prof Chan added that this is one way of ensuring that urban planning is effective. Aside from elaborating on the Singapore-KL High Speed Rail example, he provided other examples concerning the relationship between urban planning and social and behavioural sciences.