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Can the power of global travel shape the cities of the future?

As appeared in the September 2011 issue of Condé Nast Traveler

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Can the power of global travel shape the cities of the future?

The rise of global travel has accelerated the growth of cities around the world, especially for developing regions in Asia. However, are governments prepared to face the challenges that accompany rapid urbanisation? The good news is some cities are already taking the lead in coming up with innovative solutions to solve challenges such as infrastructure planning, traffic congestion, carbon emissions, and management of natural resources, among other pressing issues.

To give you a better perspective of the challenges in store and what tomorrow's cities need to do, the Singapore Sessions invited leading thinkers from diverse fields to share their solutions on how we can work towards a sustainable future. The session was held in conjunction with the recent Condé Nast Traveler World Saver's Congress in Singapore.

For insights from the stimulating discussion, watch the recorded session here.

Moderated by:

Kevin Doyle

As Deputy Editor at Condé Nast Traveler, Kevin Doyle oversees the magazine's news coverage, which includes worldwide developments in politics, medicine, transportation, and the environment, and how they influence how and where we travel. As a spokesman for the magazine, Kevin has appeared on numerous national news and morning shows, including CNN American Morning, and Good Morning America. Kevin has been with the magazine for more than 15 years, and holds a B.S. in journalism from Northwestern University's Medill School.

Partners:

Conde Nest Traveler

Held in conjunction with TravelRave 2011, Asia's travel and tourism festival hosted by Singapore's Tourism Board, the Condé Nast Traveler World Savers Congress saw its fifth instalment held recently at Capella Singapore on the 20th October 2011. Focusing on "the importance of global social responsibility through the lens of travel", the World Savers Congress has attracted power speakers and key industry players from all around the world.

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Singapore Sessions

The Session

The following excerpts were taken from discussions with four leading experts from diverse fields on the impact of global travel in shaping the cities of the future.

Jay Carson Alejandro Gutierrez Loh Lik Peng David Chou




THE POWER OF TRAVEL TO FOSTER A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE IN ASIA

Hosted by Condé Nast Traveler's editor-in-chief Klara Glowczewska at the Capella Singapore, this fifth annual global summit brings together the travel industry's senior leadership.

From NGO representatives, keynote speakers, public figures to Hollywood celebrities, watch as they come together to debate, discuss and share about corporate social responsibility and sustainable developments around the world.

About the sessionists

Jay Carson

Jay Carson
Chief Depty Mayor
City of Los Angeles
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Alejandro Gutierrez

Alejandro Gutierrez
Associate Director
Arup Urban Design
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Loh Lik Peng

Loh Lik Peng
Vice Chairman
Shatec Institutes
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David Chou

David Chou
Managing Director
evHUB
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Kim Slicklein

Kim Slicklein
President
OgilvyEarth Worldwide
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From our guest editor's desk

December's guest editor, Henrietta Thompson

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In Asia, where the arts are a growing but still relatively nascent industry, an artistic flowering will depend on how the industry responds and faces challenges.

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In just over two decades, Singapore has emerged as one of Asia's top creative hubs. Take an inside look at Singapore's creative industries in this special feature.
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Kim Slicklein

Kim Slicklein

President

OgilvyEarth Worldwide

Question: How will the planning orthodoxies of today anticipate needs, plan resource allocations, and shape behaviours in the cities of the future? Do you think master plans can provide positive change?

Yes and yes. I think at the core of it, it has a lot to do with technology.

There are some great examples of it. IBM's doing a lot, with Smarter Planet. Siemens is also doing a lot. There's a range of solutions that really can help create these smart cities, and the focus really needs to be on the holistic approach.

For example, there are countries where citizens can monitor personal energy uses or receive advice on banking and health care without even leaving their home. So, when I'm talking about technology I'm talking about the ease of living, and having things be more convenient, but also at their fingertips.

When I was building small boutique net-zero carbon five-star resorts, technology played a critical role, because everything was cutting-edge and everything we were trying to do was around creating efficiency. It was all about, computational fluid dynamics, renewable energy systems, systems that we really wanted to elevate to the next level to make the building a high-performance building. And technology was critical. Without the technology, I think it would have been very difficult to achieve, and I think that's true especially as, when we talk about cities, the larger the city, the bigger the megacity, the more important it is.

Most developers don't really care that much about the integration, and I think that that's one of the core components of sustainability too, that is everything's integrated from the beginning. So, master planning plays a really key role in sustainable development. For megacities, especially if they want to focus on a sustainable megacity, the master planning is critical.

And technology within that master planning phase is absolutely a must. Ultimately, focusing on the key innovations and pushing the envelopes will help the megacities of the future really shape culture and shape the way people live.

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Jay Carson

Jay Carson

Chief Depty Mayor

City of Los Angeles

Question: How is cultural osmosis affecting the way developing cities are managed and marketed? In other words, how are cities preparing now for a merging of cultural practices?

I'd say, you see it happening in both directions - Northern Hemisphere to Southern Hemisphere, and vice-versa. Part of the premise of the C40 network, is that fellow cities often know what's best for each other, and that like-minded and similar cities are very powerful when they share their ideas between one another. And we have seen that happen, a number of times.

For example, Latin America has made really great strides, in terms of bus rapid transit. There's still a fixation in the Northern Hemisphere that you've really got to put in subways everywhere. In Latin America, for a lot of reasons, but some of it is financial, it doesn't make any sense to burrow a subway, and by the way, a bus rapid transit line can be just as efficient if it's done right.

And so, there are a number of bus rapid transit successes in Latin America that's translated to the Northern Hemisphere, because people have seen the success there and they say to themselves, a subway would cost 4 billion but a bus rapid transit line is going to cost 150 million, and we're going to get almost the same benefit from it. So let's do that.

Rio, Sao Paolo and Bogota have all done it exceptionally well. And we've seen a great increase in bus speed, which is, exciting. It's just better for the city. The city runs better. It also is great for climate change, because it means more people are on mass transit. Fewer people are driving. There's less carbon put in the air by cars. The city runs better because of decisions like that.

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Alejandro Gutierrez

Alejandro Gutierrez

Associate Director

Arup Urban Design

Question: In the general context of urban planning, how do you define 'design' and its role in creating new forms that the public will accept?

I think design today is much wider, actually, than the design of the object. That's the duty of sustainable design. What do I mean by that? I mean that designing a sustainable district, for example, does not only require the design of the buildings, the roads, parks and the infrastructures, but it also requires the design of a new way of thinking about the economics of the project and the business models associated with this new technologies and these new services. It requires us to think about a design for how people engage with the process of building this city.

So how you entertain or engage with people in terms of community acceptance, and not only community acceptance, but community or use of centred design, so that that design is appealing not because a developer, in his room, thought it was appealing for thousands of people, but because you've been talking to people on-site, on the community, and checking and testing that your ideas are right or wrong, or using them to part design the things that you're putting forward. Be they services, be they landscapes or public spaces or benches or new IT systems to reduce energy demand, etc.

On one end is the design of physical elements; the other end is the design of new economic models or business models to engage, to deliver the sustainable technologies and the sustainable services. The other end is designing processes for engaging communities from the outset in terms of even designing or planning their own neighbourhood, and then helping to make this place a place that they own. And because of the ownership feeling, they take care of it and it is sustainable and lasting because they feel they own it.
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Loh Lik Peng

Loh Lik Peng

Vice Chairman

Shatec Institutes

Question: There is a modern legacy of hoteliers, from Ian Schrager to Andres Balazs, using design to attract people to places they might otherwise never go or may have previously overlooked. Some of your projects are credited with helping to transform entire neighborhoods. Why do you think design is such a powerful force?

Because I think if you do your job right with design, it essentially appeals to the aspirational side of people. You know, people want to be associated with things that are design-driven, that are cool, and have a certain sense of style. So when you do have an interesting design in a neighborhood that someone hasn't thought of before, people would think "Oh, can a hotel work here?" But if you draw the right crowds in, then mindset changes.

And I think people are always drawn to that kind of quirkiness, that edge, when you do an interesting design, particularly if it's a hotel. Because, travel has a certain amount of romance. So, yes design it's a powerful kind of tool, if you can get it done right.

Arguably, design is much more important for large projects than small projects, because they have such a large impact on the environment and on the city. So it is important that planners and developers make sure those types of projects are handled well, and that the design is appropriate.

In Singapore, for example the Marina Bay Sands, is an enormous project. In terms of a project of that scale, they've handled the design aspect of it reasonably well. It's not easy to do a project that is three or four million square feet and make it look design-friendly.
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David Chou

David Chou

Managing Director

evHUB

Question: How does the ease of mobility and travel experience affect the attractiveness of tomorrow's business capitals?

History teaches us that for the business capitals of tomorrow to thrive, the travel experience is critically important. I've been lucky enough to live in some of the world's most exciting business capitals including New York, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and now Singapore. My love affair with these cities would be measured and tested daily by such questions as: how long will it take for me to get to work in the morning? How quickly can I clear immigration & customs at the airport and get home after a long flight? Is it quicker and easier for me to take the subway or drive? The weather is lovely and I'd love to ride my bike but are there separate bike lanes and a place to securely park it? I've worked hard all week and would like to enjoy a nice evening at the newest jazz club?

Mundane as these questions are, they underscore how essential mobility is in determining the efficiency and liveability of a city. Take the example of Manila which has a long history as a trading port but now faces many of the ills of a growing metropolis such as traffic congestion, pollution, and a lack of coherent public transportation. Compare this to Singapore which has been able to manage the rapid growth with a world class railway and bus system while keeping congestion and air pollution levels under control.

Friends who have recently moved here from abroad are always amazed at how many meetings they can schedule in a day here versus Mumbai or Jakarta! Business travellers today are short on time and harder to please, and the global community will increasingly be attracted to clean, efficient and liveable places to settle and conduct business. Cities that fail to balance these important parameters will be left behind. "

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