SINGAPORE – By 2030, Singapore could become “Cosmopura”, a place where there is strong regional cooperation but where national climate protests are commonplace and where severe income inequality has become entrenched.
Or it could turn into “Bukit Mampus”, a dystopia where nothing works at home and abroad and its citizens feel a sense of despondency. Mampus means to die in Malay.
It could also become “Soma-stan”, a version of Singapore where people feel asleep in complacency and there is little impetus to beat what the region has to offer.
These three visions of the future are currently the precursors to what Singapore could look like in 2030, based on contributions from around 700 participants in a new interactive game-like web application launched by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) in may. .
Known as Quest2030, the app hopes to inspire the public to reimagine the country’s future, IPS Deputy Director Gillian Koh said at a press conference on Thursday (7 July).
She said: “He asks how Singapore will respond in the decade, through this time of radical uncertainty, and invites members of the public to share their views on key trends and, in doing so, create alternative possible futures for Singapore.”
By accessing the app, participants are asked to give their opinion on how Singapore will fare in three areas: sense of agency, economic inequality and regional cooperation.
These choices lead to one of eight future Singapores, such as Cosmopura and Bukit Mampus, which participants can then explore via the web app, encountering potential titles, objects and reimagined spaces such as a virtual Hong Park. Lim.
Participants are also invited to choose a guide from a range of eight characters, including activists, lawyers, pensioners and peddlers, and are able to see how their version of Singapore in 2030 will affect lives and livelihoods of these characters.
They can also answer additional questions and simulate decision-making for the country on issues such as openness to talent, which can then change and evolve their version of the future Singapore.
IPS hopes to attract over 20,000 participants for Quest2030. The app is part of the third phase of the think tank’s Reimagining Singapore 2030 exercise which began in 2020. This phase also included a series of focus group discussions.
Data from the app, which is anonymous but collects demographic information such as age and race, will be used in the final phase of the exercise, which involves the development of recommendations, action plans and pilot programs to tackle policy issues of the future, said Dr. Ko said.
The app is available on This site and will continue until at least mid-August, IPS said.
