The underground world of Singapore
yp.sg
yp.sg
Chicago, much colder than Philadelphia, also has some actively used winter tunnels.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1876610216...
In the summer, no one goes above ground it's too hot and humid. In the Winter it's too cold. For a few glorious weeks in Spring and Fall however, all the downtown residents and office workers find it hospitable to occasionally pop outside of their towers to enjoy the outdoors.
Now I'm uncomfortable in temperatures lower than 28C (84F)
I've lived in Singapore (almost) all my life, and the average temperature/humidity feels a lot higher as compared to when I was younger.
It's not easy to survive without AC, and most middle-class households here will consider it a necessity.
Inside and Outside
You will find that locals will have subtly learned the art of avoiding the worst of it - i.e. avoiding walking outdoors in the middle of the day, and also walking along the side of the street that is in more shade from buildings etc.
By the time they build it, it won't just be for aircon, but also to purify the air coming in from outside. It'll also be nice to do without the rain. Singapore with a dome is probably what the first moon bases will look like.
I was talking to a shopkeeper, who apologized for "the bad weather". I said, yes, is it always this humid? She looked at me blankly. "Oh, this isn't humid; I meant the rain."
Major flooding can occur due to rains, however. The city has dealt with it in the past and seems to have that under control.
The other major disaster that hits Singapore frequently throughout every year is the "haze" crisis [0], which is actually man-made. It was particularly bad when I was there in 2013. But I mention this only as an aside since we're talking about natural disasters; it wouldn't affect the plans mentioned in this article.
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_Southeast_Asian_haze#Sing...
[0] http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/as-sea-levels-rise-sin...
It's just sad to see a problem like this, all caused by human activity. It could be stopped but not much is being done to do so.
And yet there are also places where Singaporean spotlessness
gives way to dirt. Places like Geylang, a red light district
well off the tourist map, and Orchard Towers, with its
so-called "four floors of whores".
Actually, Geylang is hardly off the tourist map. It's quickly becoming more like the French Quarter in New Orleans--a rapidly gentrifying night spot with enough of the historical seedy element (in this case, many of the famous brothels with the hanging red lanterns that only a few years ago were far more numerous) to keep things authentic. Also a relatively affordable and increasingly popular place to live that's close to downtown.
FWIW, I know this because with all the new development it's a popular area for Airbnb rentals. Given it's reputation, I did some research as well as inquire with local family-in-law. As an outsider a very familiar picture emerges of a changing historic neighborhood. But opinions from Singaporeans might be far more mixed.
cant wait till they start doing more recreational stuff underground, like an escape room
other things, especially people related, are much easier. its very close together, very homogeneous, etc.
Is Australian beef unpalatable? It all depends on the cut and the grade, of course; but, buying good quality beef here in Australia, comparing it to beef I've tasted in restaurants in the US, it tastes just as good.
Maybe the stuff we export to Singapore isn't that good. Or maybe higher prices push people towards the lower quality stuff.
Ha, that's funny. I was in Singapore for 3 months for an internship, and decided to start eating meat to maximize enjoyment at the awesome food courts in Singapore.
They definitely lack natural resources and their tax base is that of a small country, but they don't have the usual 2-3 tiers of administrative overhead, the government is closer to the authoritarian end and any large capital projects they do undertake are largely going to benefit everyone to some degree simply because of how tight the nation is. Also being a nation that is one city does wonders for focusing on the habitability of that one city, and there's no other cities to compete for tax dollars there.
This is part of the problem; it should never take 2 or more hours to go anywhere in a place as small as Singapore.
Victoria Park, in the heart of Causeway Bay is the best example of it: it's just concrete with a few trees here and there, so depressing.
Explore more.