The more I live and learn about Singapore, the more I believe that it was built by kind people. By that I am referring to the societal infrastructures and constructs that have manifested throughout history. Many countries that I have previously lived in have had corrupt, selfish leaders that marginalize the socioeconomically, physically, and racially disadvantaged. Singapore is the opposite.
What I have learned most recently is the urban planning initiatives surrounding HDBs. HDB stands for “Housing and Development Board”, which are essentially government sponsored condominium / apartment residences in which public housing is offered to those who cannot afford private housing. These HDBs look just like any other apartment buildings surrounding it — clean, well facilitated — but the considerations involved in building Singapore as a ‘kind’ city are what surprised me most. The HDBs are all built around the public transport systems, closest to sheltered passageways and public transportation services because the urban planners are aware of the fact that those living in HDBs would be least likely to be car owners in Singapore.
Today as I was riding the MRT, the subway transportation system, I looked around to see kindness again — plastered on the walls were not advertisements but posters advocating equal treatment of disabled individuals, slogans fostering safety for women who felt they were molested on public transport, and phone hotlines for the elderly who needed assistance in transport. Because the Singaporean government has these systems in place, it more than encourages Singaporean civilians to be kind to those who are in relatively disadvantaged positions. I was both astounded and inspired. It was the kindness that I found so important, but severely lacking, in the modern world.