Driven by exigencies like post-conflict displacement (Ukraine), climate change and disaster risk management (Nusantara Indonesia, Fiji), and economic development (India, China), countries are conducting urban resettlement on an unprecedented scale. Due to the wicked nature of resettling entire populations, it is timely to revisit the historical resettlement experience of Singapore from the 1960s to 1980s for a successful case study that is atypical of the experiences of other countries that were beset by resistance from the affected population. What lessons do Singapore’s experience hold for contemporary planners around the world?

While Singapore's resettlement experiences are well-documented, the study of applicable lessons is not a straightforward one as there is a gap in existing literature dealing with why the resettlement was met with low resistance. This paper attempts to address this gap through a theoretically-grounded qualitative study, drawing from the analytical utilities and the normative assertion of Mary Douglas’s Grid-Group Typology, which posits that a ‘clumsy’ (pluralistic, non-elegant) approach to wicked problems (which addresses the preferences of all stakeholders) will influence a positive outcome. The findings from a small n qualitative study into the sentiments, perceptions and choicemaking of resettlers in Singapore shows a framework that explains how the existing literature’s proposed reasons of success shaped the outcome of low resistance: the totality of these factors constituted a ‘clumsy’ approach which catered to the multitude of resettler preferences. Thus, Singapore’s experience encourages contemporary planners to consider if their approach to their wicked problem of resettlement is a ‘clumsy’ one.

Authors:
Zheng Renjie, Singapore Institute of Technology, Singapore

About the Presenter(s)
RJ Zheng [Renjie] is a Module Lead (Associate Faculty) of University Design Modules at Singapore Institute of Technology teaching interdisciplinary design innovation, with a research interest in 'wicked' design and education issues.

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