How to be opportunistic in a sustainable city like Singapore

I recently attended the IBC’s 4th Annual Sustainable Cities Asia conference and Ecosystem.sg’s talks on collaborative consumption in Singapore. I got out thinking: Singapore is becoming a sustainable city. Some businesses are making money – loads of them – out of this strategic move. How to jump on this bandwagon?

First, we must know the trends out there.

For example, the world is increasingly urban. Greenhouse gases keep rising. Economic power is shifting to emerging countries. The middle class is rapidly expanding, i.e. consumption level is going up. The world is running out of some resources.

Second, we find out what the trends mean in terms of opportunities.

For example, environmental degradation jeopardises people’s quality of life. This means that water stress levels are increasing. A recent newspaper article described how S$25b is needed to fix India’s water crisis. Imagine opportunities around water bottles, water filtration systems at home and hygienic products.

Moreover, sea level rise can happen very fast as it is exponential. This means that since most cities in Asia are by the shore, they must account for this. Singapore has decided that the height of all new reclamations must be 2.25m above the highest recorded tide level – a rise of a metre over the previous mandated minimum height. Imagine opportunities of reclamation materials other than sand.

Third, we figure out which wagon to jump on and when.

For example, cities around the world are vying ferociously to be the most attractive. This has added layers of complexity with now infrastructural challenges being more inter-dependent.

Hence, businesses wanting a share of this pie would do well to be involved upstream in cities strategy discussions. The end-of-pipe scenario is less of an option. Smart businesses jump in to provide proposals, not just propose ideas on fixing problems.

They would step into the dialogue process when the issue landscape is being defined, grab the low hanging fruits, ride on quick wins and help the clients maintain the momentum. Early and strategic engagement is key.

Four, we keep a strong ICT feather in our hat.

For example, 70% of us will live in cities by 2050. Cities consume 75% of the world’s energy. Asia now has 60% of the world’s population. The urban competitiveness in our region has influenced the interplay of markets-people-technology. Digital forms of life are coming to the fore.

Cities of the past have been shaped by people. Cities of the future are being shaped by ideas. Opportunistic businesses are preparing a technological environment whereby creative ideas can flow on the digital highways. Amsterdam already has an open data programme to enhance mobility in the city. The National Environmental Agency in its Clean and Green Hackathon 2013 last month released previously kept data to help the public build useful mobile apps.

Five, think different.

Yes, it is a cliché, albeit a difficult one to practise, despite our schooling.

Top of the cream companies are already incorporating design thinking and user experience design as key concepts in their strategy. They are moving from transactional to transformational paradigms.

They are learning from rainforest about vertical urbanism; from termites about structural and mechanical design; from ants about transport planning; from grass about energy production; from shells about space and beauty. Imagine the added value to demanding clients struggling to stay at the top of their league table.

Furthermore, disruptive models are creeping in and learning from the innovator’s dilemma. A small but growing community in Singapore is looking at giving for free, sharing and renting, in the spirit of re-using, recycling and collaborating. What does that mean for businesses selling products in a tight economy?

Current players are iCarsClub which is driving the car sharing concept and RentTycoons which is getting people to think of renting instead of buying. Others joining the fray are MyRideBuddy, Sharetransport.sg, Freecycle.sg, PassItOn.org.sg and Give Singapore. Social media is fast-tracking these bubbling start-ups.

The new economy for a sustainable world is already here and in the making. How opportunistic are you? Put on your helmet and dig in. The early bird gets the worm.