China musing: Tianjin Rocks!

Tianjin grows higher and higher... this is the newest district closer to town and just before the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City.. Activistar involved in a project management construction project for several months there..
more shots of Guangzhou new Financial district, Shenzhen, Changchun, Chengdu, Chongqing coming soon!

Old town, bustling night markets in Doha, Qatar

After Hours ...
Activistar training Iraqi, Saudi, Qatari Civil Service on Urban Management at the Institute of Administrative Development, Doha, Qatar.

FIELD*vision - Curitiba, Brazil

Photo1: Elongated Bus Rapid Transit System on fast boulevards 

Photo 2: Fast passenger loading via elevated ticketed bus stands

2nd FIELD Trip to Iskandar Region (South Johor)

Photo: Sungei Melayu

Old bridges, pontoons, sea air and drying fish nets are probably what urban folks miss the most! Kampong Sungei Melayu is home to mussel farmers and more. Folks there are responding to rapid urban change around them through providing homestay experiences, cottage industries serving local treats like belachan (shrimp paste) and more.

FIELD*visions Mid-Levels, Hong Kong

longest escalator connecting Central to Mid-Levels in Hong Kong !

FIELD*vision - Bangkok canal taxi

Unofficial Sukhumvit Express - free seating 25 Baht

Accessorize@PEEK! 36 Armenian Street

FIELD team brought students from Raffles Institution & Singapore Sports School to meet the kind folks at PEEK! 360 degree shots, lomography fat/thin format and even Polaroids!

www.peek-ture.com  
PEEK! Singapore's largest dedicated Analogue & Toy Camera Store
 

Taipei: social housing planning

Unlike the developmental model in Singapore, public housing in Taiwan has been neglected over time by the government in periods of rapid economic growth. Most public housing units were built for and sold to the public servants and the people in the military sector instead of socially and economically disadvantageous people. Nowadays, public rental housing for disadvantaged people only occupies 0.09% of the total housing stock. Therefore it could hardly play the role as social safety net when the Taiwan society experiences economic fluctuations. At the same time, the skyrocketing price of housing has made purchasing a housing unit an unreachable dream for young people. In addition, discrimination in the housing market also leads to the difficulties in housing searches for disadvantaged people such as elderly singletons, the disabled, and poor people.

Flashback: Nigerian Institute of Planners in Singapore

FIELD team worked closely with Singapore government agencies and curated a robust 10 day program centering on Urban Security, Development Control and Transporation. The Nigerian Institute of Planners (NITP) is a professional body concerned with Urban Planning issues in Nigeria's 36 states comprising 170 million people in all. 33 NITP members that FIELD team hosted comprised of Permanent Secretaries, Junior Ministers, Property Tribunal Heads and Senior Civil Service officers.

Community involvement!

Directly facing Singapore, kampung sungei melayu is coping with rapid development on its perimeters. The main livelihood is fishing and the village operates mussels farms in the Straits of Johor near the Western waterways of Singapore. Its most recent neighbors are an elite UK education institition, Marlborough College and Puteri Harbour, a private integrated marina development comprising the Traders Hotel, Somerset service apartments, yacht berthing and residential towers.

FIELD trip to Iskandar Region (South Johor)

Hosted by Iskandar Regional Development Authority & FIELD team, 50 students from Ngee Ann Polytechnic and Republic Polytechnic interacted at the Iskandar Visitor Center, Danga Bay, Kampung Melayu, Puteri Harbour and viewed Legoland, Columbia Asia Hospital and Nusajaya residences.