STROLL POLL: An NUS team will study how far people are willing to walk to get to bus stops.

By Koh Hui Theng

HOW far are people willing to walk to reach the nearest bus stop or train station?

A National University of Singapore (NUS) study on urban transport modelling will attempt to answer this question, and find ways of making Singapore a more pedestrian-friendly city.

The research team is one of seven from NUS that received $7 million in total from the Ministry of National Development (MND) yesterday, to study ways of enhancing Singapore's urban sustainability.

The teams will work closely with agencies like the Land Transport Authority, Housing Board, National Parks Board, and Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), said the URA's group director for strategic planning, Mr Richard Hoo.

The studies were picked from 48 proposals submitted to the MND's Research Fund for the Built Environment, which was started in 2007.

"Incremental results" surfacing from the three-year studies can be used to spur existing research or aid planning policies, said Dr Malone-Lee Lai Choo, centre director for sustainable Asian cities at the NUS School of Design and Environment.

For instance, the transport project includes a real-life scale study of Jurong Lake District, where more than 3,000 multinational corporations and small businesses are clustered.

The district is also the site of an urban metabolism study on recycling and reusing waste materials produced by the area's homes and businesses.

Dr Kua Harn Wei, an assistant professor at NUS' Department of Building, said: "We're working with three Yale University experts to find out how much carbon-dioxide emissions can be avoided by recycling building materials."

kohht@sph.com.sg

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