Singapore (2018)
In a recent Time Out Index survey, Singapore is voted the cleanest, greenest and safest city in the world. Singapore is universally known for its perfectly paved roads, manicured public parks, and spotless, litter-free streets. This is quite a feat, considering this small city-state has only under 60 years of national independence and has a population of 5.7 million.
Having separated from Malaysia in 1965, Singapore, led by then-prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, had lofty ambitions of becoming a "first-world oasis in a third-world region."
Achieving cleanliness meant developing quality sewage systems, creating programmes to combat dengue and disease, a decade-long cleanup of the heavily polluted Singapore River, island-wide tree planting, the transition of once-ubiquitous street food vendors into covered hawker centres, nationwide public hygiene campaigns appealing to Singapore's citizens to do their part, fines for spitting, and banning sale of chewing gums to combat the expense of cleaning pre-chewed gum from public places.
Singapore spends at least US$87m a year on cleaning public spaces. There are 56,000 cleaners registered with the National Environment Agency.
Life expectancy has grown from 66 to 83 (which is third best globally).
Singapore (2018)
In a recent Time Out Index survey, Singapore is voted the cleanest, greenest and safest city in the world. Singapore is universally known for its perfectly paved roads, manicured public parks, and spotless, litter-free streets. This is quite a feat, considering this small city-state has only under 60 years of national independence and has a population of 5.7 million.
Having separated from Malaysia in 1965, Singapore, led by then-prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, had lofty ambitions of becoming a "first-world oasis in a third-world region."
Achieving cleanliness meant developing quality sewage systems, creating programmes to combat dengue and disease, a decade-long cleanup of the heavily polluted Singapore River, island-wide tree planting, the transition of once-ubiquitous street food vendors into covered hawker centres, nationwide public hygiene campaigns appealing to Singapore's citizens to do their part, fines for spitting, and banning sale of chewing gums to combat the expense of cleaning pre-chewed gum from public places.
Singapore spends at least US$87m a year on cleaning public spaces. There are 56,000 cleaners registered with the National Environment Agency.
Life expectancy has grown from 66 to 83 (which is third best globally).