2 Singapore firms to draft AP capital’s master plan

Andhra Pradesh's new capital, spanning over 12,000 hectares, will be built in the Vijayawada-Guntur region. Singapore's Surbana International Consultants and Jurong International will be the firms responsible for how the capital will shape up

A Singapore consortium of two firms has been appointed master planners for the new capital city of Andhra Pradesh. Singapore is assisting with the development of the city and its surrounding areas. Surbana International Consultants and Jurong International will be the firms responsible for how the capital will shape up.

According to a report by Channel News Asia, under the first phase of the project, the two firms will work towards producing a master plan covering commercial, residential, transportation and infrastructure aspects and banking on a combined track record of more than 20 completed projects in India. Their latest project will cover an area about 10 times the size of Singapore.

“This gives us an opportunity to establish Singapore's capabilities, to contribute to this whole area of urban planning and development, and the governance aspects that go with it,” Singapore minister Iswaran said. “I think this is an important thing because first, if you look at India as a market in general, this is a clear area of need. There is rapid urbanisation in India," he added.

“Someone will need to build the city based on the plans and this is where more opportunities for Singapore firms will come in. There is also a role for Singapore's Centre for Liveable Cities, which will share expertise in urban governance with Andhra Pradesh officials. More than 20 officials who have been identified for the Centre's Urban Governance Programme (2015) will be involved,” Iswaran noted.

Khoo Teng Chye, executive director, Singapore’s Centre for Liveable Cities, said, “We will share with them our Singapore experience through case studies, through getting our experts - whether it's in housing or transport - to talk to them. The big challenge would be how do you adapt what has been done in Singapore to the context of Andhra Pradesh, which is of course culturally, socially, economically very different from Singapore."

Efforts will be focused on the area which will represent the city centre for the new capital. This is where high density buildings, with all the hustle and bustle of a modern capital, are set to be built. Over the weekend, Iswaran met India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi where they discussed opportunities for further cooperation in areas like urban solutions, energy and manufacturing.