A long overdue entry. Some after thoughts from the Mayor Bloomberg session where he was in town to receive the Lee Kuan Yew World City prize. Like me, many of my friends never experienced the decline of NYC. The cosmopolitan city we all know today is exciting and celebrates vibrant diversity. Mayor Bloomberg was sharing how he is passionate about his job, giving up a cushy position in the private sector to take on the mammoth task of being a mayor to a declining city. He had a team with foresight of the vision of the new NYC. They closed off broadway and roads to build more bicycle and walking lanes. It is true, walking is the most basic form of transportation and why shouldn't we make more accessible lanes for our legs that carry us way more miles than cars? And that 80% (or so) of New Yorkers stay within 5 minutes walk away from a park.
Yes it would be nice.. To have designated bicycle lanes. To be able to explore more green modes of transport but of course, you need order. Millions of Chinese commute to work on their bicycles everyday but that doesn't make any Chinese city sustainable like New York. They are still polluted and messy. Don't get me wrong, I love China in more ways than one, including the amazing history and unpredictable attitudes. But for a city to truly work towards a vision, you need good leadership and a good marketing campaign. Mayor Bloomberg said New Yorkers are not the easiest to convince, definitely not with what they have been through. And I believe that.
To me, Singapore is a world city too, with so many aspects I have taken for granted, having lived, studied and worked here all my life. Some weekends are boring but our connectivity brings us places. Pushes us outside of our boundaries to explore new cities yet yearn to come home again. I admire the city landscape along Marina Bay today and am left in awe of the changes that have taken place over the years. Who would have thought, a decade ago, that we would one day have two casinos in the small island state?
