We have embarked on a massive initiative to upgrade our older public housing estates to modern standards, with comprehensive amenities such as schools, shops, entertainment centres, parks and sports facilities. To meet the rising aspirations of our people, we are introducing a greater variety of housing types to suit different lifestyles. For example, some would prefer to live in the heart of the city, while others may prefer a more suburban setting, or along the waterfront. And given the possibilities opened up by IT, we will have to take into account the needs of people who prefer to work from the comfort of their homes. To be able to reach out widely to the rest of the world, a city needs to be well connected to other cities by air, sea and land links.
Traffic congestion is a serious problem in many cities.
Over the years, we have implemented a set of traffic management systems to keep traffic flowing smoothly on our roads. Some of these, like the Electronic Road Pricing system and Certificate of Entitlement scheme, are local initiatives. The ERP helps to moderate peak-hour traffic flow into the central business district and along major expressways, while the COE keeps vehicle growth in check. Such measures, however, cannot work without a comprehensive, affordable and comfortable public transportation network. To supplement our present bus and Mass Rapid Transit network, we are building Light Rail Transit systems as well as more MRT lines.