# Fostering Community Action for Municipal Issues

- **Source:** Ministry of National Development
- **Published:** 2023-10-23T12:00:00.000Z
- **Author:** Ministry of National Development
- **Original:** https://www.mnd.gov.sg/newsroom/press-releases/view/fostering-community-action-for-municipal-issues
- **Topics:** HDB & Public Housing, Commercial & Industrial, Government & Policy

## Featured rationale

The findings signal capacity for greater resident-led estate management, which could improve neighbourhood conditions if communities receive suitable resources, facilitation and government support.

## AI summary

An MSO study of around 1,050 respondents found 50% would initially address municipal issues personally, while 80% valued good neighbourly relationships.

## Original article

MEDIA RELEASE

High willingness among Singaporeans

to be involved in building better neighbourhoods: Studies

· 8 in 10 want to foster positive relationships with their neighbours

· 5 in 10 willing to personally resolve municipal issues as a first step

To foster deeper and more sustained community action, the Municipal Services Office (MSO) has commissioned two social research studies to understand residents’ attitudes towards municipal issues, including their willingness to be involved in improving their living environment. Both studies, which support the Forward Singapore exercise, reflect high willingness among residents to participate when provided with appropriate resources and support.

Background of the two social research studies commissioned by MSO

2 Supported by the Ministry of Education (MOE), the Housing & Development Board (HDB), the National Parks Board (NParks), the National Environment Agency (NEA) and the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), MSO in 2021 collaborated with the Centre for Sustainable Asian Cities, under the National University of Singapore (NUS) College of Design and Engineering. The aim was to look into ways to enhance the cultivation of positive social norms and values within Singapore’s high-rise, high-density housing environment. As part of the two-year research collaboration, Toa Payoh East Constituency Office worked with NUS to pilot the Dragon Heart Community Platform[1], and a community-led project to address the improper disposal of bulky waste in their neighbourhood.

3 MSO also worked with RySense in 2022 on a separate study to segment the resident population based on their level of involvement in the community, and their willingness to resolve issues personally versus involving the authorities. RySense has since conducted focus a series of group discussions and an online survey with around 1,050 respondents for the study.

Key Findings of Both Studies

4 The NUS-led study showed that residents can be empowered to participate when provided with appropriate resources and support, and that they are more inclined to join rather than lead neighbourhood projects. The study also highlighted the need to build a pool of community facilitators to help navigate funding and bureaucratic procedures for community-led projects. These facilitators would play a key role in driving sustained engagement of the residents through clear and regular communication, such as providing proper closure and impact evaluation of projects.

5 The findings from the RySense study are aligned with that of the NUS-led study, highlighting a sizeable portion of surveyed residents who are willing to be involved. The key findings are as follows:

a) 8 in 10 of those surveyed agreed that having a good social relationship with their neighbours were important to them.

b) 4 in 10 said that they are willing to give back to their communities, including partnering government agencies and grassroots leaders to develop solutions to key neighbourhood issues, such as excessive noise, cluttering and second-hand smoke. A similar proportion also reported willingness to participate in neighbourhood gatherings and initiatives.

c) 5 in 10 Singaporeans reported a willingness to address municipal issues personally as a first step. However, if the situation does not improve, of this group, 6 in 10 would go on to lodge a report to the authorities. If the situation still does not improve, 9 in 10 believed that the authorities should then take stricter enforcement measures.

6 RySense has also developed the following four key profiles based on the sampled residents’ satisfaction with municipal issues, actions they would take to resolve issues, and level of involvement in the community:

a) Champion Charlie, who is most willing to be involved, comprised 37% of the sampled resident population;

b) Neutral Nancy, comprised 21%;

c) Tolerant Tina, comprised 21%; and

d) Quiet Quinn, comprised 21%.

Follow-ups on the key findings

7 MSO has been running broad-based community activation initiatives since 2018. For example, the Love Our ‘Hood initiative invites residents to co-create solutions to address municipal concerns in their neighbourhood. The Love Our ‘Hood fund was also set up to support the implementation of the solutions on the ground. To further sustain, expand and deepen partnership with community stakeholders, MSO subsequently set up a OneService Kakis (OSK) network in 2021, where it curates programmes designed to engage and sustain relationships with our community stakeholders.

8 Drawing from the findings from the studies, MSO is enhancing the structure and programmes of the OSK network to promote community activation. This includes training active members of the network to become facilitators, so that they can lead and sustain community-led initiatives at the local level. MSO will also review our engagement initiatives to make it easier for participants to join, plan and implement projects.

9 Following the profiling of residents from RySense study, MSO plans to develop a profiling tool, which will be made available publicly on MSO’s website mid next year. Residents can take a short quiz to understand which profile they fall under. Community leaders can also invite members of their network to access the tool and use the findings to guide engagement efforts at the local level.

10 Senior Minister of State for National Development, Ms Sim Ann, said: “One of the key thrusts of our Forward Singapore exercise is to empower Singaporeans to have a greater stake in addressing municipal issues on the ground. I am heartened that the studies show a sizeable proportion of residents who are ready to help shape their living environment. MSO will work closely with the relevant agencies to review our engagement efforts to better support the community in taking the lead to address municipal concerns on the ground.”

11 Principal Investigator of the NUS-led project, Associate Professor Cho Im Sik from the Centre for Sustainable Asian Cities under the NUS College of Design and Engineering, said: “Through our study, we learnt that fostering community mindedness is a marathon and not a short sprint. The study has shown that increased and sustained participation from residents could eventually reduce inconsiderate behaviour and build their sense of attachment and social capital in the neighbourhood in the long term. We hope the study’s findings will help government agencies to refine their approaches in partnering the community and sustaining their involvement on the ground.”

12 Ms Lee Shu Hui, Group Director of RySense Ltd., said: “The study has enhanced our understanding on the propensity of our residents to be involved in resolving municipal issues in their neighbourhood. We hope that the findings will help better inform the government on engagement strategies with the community.”

13 Mr Saktiandi Supaat, Advisor to Bishan-Toa Payoh Grassroots Organisations, whose constituency led a project to address bulky waste disposal as part of the NUS study, said: “The research has provided useful insights on how we can organise grassroots leaders and residents to take greater ownership in addressing municipal concerns. I am very happy that our residents in Toa Payoh East have actively participated in the research process. We will continue to work with MSO and other Government agencies to support ground-up efforts to improve our living environment.”

END

Issued By : Municipal Services Office (MSO)

Date : 23 October 2023

[1] Aimed at providing residents with the opportunity and resources to participate in community-led solutions to municipal issues in their neighbourhood, the Dragon Heart Community Platform is a pilot project consisting of a webpage to provide ideas for solutioning, a WhatsApp chat group for residents to organise and implement their projects, and physical touchpoints for residents in the form of mobile carts. Refer to https://www.mnd.gov.sg/newsroom/press-releases/view/integrated-community-platform-to-tackle-municipal-issues-piloted-in-toa-payoh-east on launch of the Platform. Following the completion of the pilot and related research study, the webpage’s info was integrated into MSO’s website, the Whatspp chat was closed, and mobile carts were transferred to the care of Toa Payoh East Constituency office.

## Chinese translation

> Translation model: grok_cli

### 推动社区行动应对市镇问题

媒体文告

研究显示新加坡人高度愿意

参与建设更美好邻里

· 每10人中有8人希望与邻居建立良好关系

· 每10人中有5人愿意先亲自解决市镇问题

为促进更深入、更可持续的社区行动，市镇服务署（MSO）委托进行两项社会研究，以了解居民对市镇问题的态度，包括他们是否愿意参与改善居住环境。两项研究均为“共创新加坡”（Forward Singapore）相关工作提供支持，结果显示，在获得适当资源与支持时，居民参与意愿高。

MSO委托的两项社会研究背景

2 在教育部（MOE）、建屋发展局（HDB）、国家公园局（NParks）、国家环境局（NEA）及市区重建局（URA）支持下，MSO于2021年与新加坡国立大学（NUS）设计与工程学院下的亚洲可持续城市中心合作。目标是研究如何在新加坡高层高密度居住环境中，更好地培养积极的社会规范与价值观。在为期两年的研究合作中，大巴窑东选区办事处与国大合作试点“龙心社区平台”[1]，以及一项由社区主导、处理邻里大件垃圾不当弃置问题的项目。

3 MSO亦于2022年与RySense合作进行另一项研究，按居民参与社区的程度，以及他们愿意亲自解决问题还是交由当局处理，对居民群体进行细分。RySense其后为该研究进行了一系列焦点小组讨论，以及约1,050名受访者的在线调查。

两项研究的主要发现

4 国大主导的研究显示，在获得适当资源与支持时，居民可被赋能参与，且他们更倾向加入而非主导邻里项目。研究亦指出，需要建立社区协调员队伍，协助应对社区主导项目在资金与行政程序上的障碍。这些协调员将透过清晰、定期的沟通——例如为项目提供妥善收尾与成效评估——在推动居民持续参与方面发挥关键作用。

5 RySense研究的发现与国大主导研究一致，显示相当一部分受访居民愿意参与。主要发现如下：

a) 每10名受访者中有8人认同，与邻居保持良好社会关系对他们很重要。

b) 每10人中有4人表示愿意回馈社区，包括与政府机构及基层领袖合作，为邻里主要问题（如过度噪音、杂物堆积及二手烟）制定解决方案。相近比例的受访者亦表示愿意参与邻里聚会与活动。

c) 每10名新加坡人中有5人表示愿意先亲自处理市镇问题。然而，若情况未见改善，该群体中每10人有6人会进一步向当局举报。若情况仍无改善，每10人中有9人认为当局应采取更严格的执法措施。

6 RySense亦根据抽样居民对市镇问题的满意度、他们会采取的解决行动，以及社区参与程度，归纳出以下四类主要画像：

a) “Champion Charlie”（积极倡导者），最愿意参与，约占抽样居民人口的37%；

b) “Neutral Nancy”（中立者），约占21%；

c) “Tolerant Tina”（宽容者），约占21%；以及

d) “Quiet Quinn”（沉默者），约占21%。

针对主要发现的后续行动

7 MSO自2018年起推行广泛的社区动员计划。例如，“爱吾邻”（Love Our ‘Hood）计划邀请居民共同制定解决方案，应对邻里市镇问题。亦设立“爱吾邻”基金，支持相关方案在社区落地。为进一步维持、扩大并深化与社区持份者的伙伴关系，MSO其后于2021年成立OneService Kakis（OSK）网络，策划旨在吸引并维系社区持份者关系的项目。

8 依据研究结果，MSO正加强OSK网络的架构与项目，以促进社区动员。其中包括培训网络中的活跃成员成为协调员，以便他们在地方层面领导并持续推动社区主导计划。MSO亦将检讨现有参与计划，使参与者更易于加入、策划并实施项目。

9 在完成RySense研究的居民画像后，MSO计划开发画像工具，预计明年年中在MSO网站向公众开放。居民可透过简短测验了解自己属于哪一类画像。社区领袖亦可邀请网络成员使用该工具，并依据结果指导地方层面的参与工作。

10 国家发展部高级政务部长沈颖女士表示：“‘共创新加坡’的一项重点，是赋能新加坡人在基层市镇问题上发挥更大作用。我欣慰地看到，研究显示相当一部分居民已准备好参与塑造居住环境。MSO将与相关机构紧密合作，检讨我们的参与工作，更好地支持社区带头应对基层市镇问题。”

11 国大主导项目首席研究员、国大设计与工程学院亚洲可持续城市中心赵任植副教授表示：“透过研究，我们认识到培养社区意识是一场马拉松，而非短跑。研究显示，居民更积极、更持续的参与，长远而言可减少不体谅行为，并建立对邻里的归属感与社会资本。我们希望研究结果有助政府机构完善与社区合作、并持续推动基层参与的方式。”

12 RySense有限公司集团总监李淑慧女士表示：“这项研究加深了我们对居民参与解决邻里市镇问题倾向的理解。我们希望相关发现有助政府更有针对性地制定社区参与策略。”

13 碧山–大巴窑基层组织顾问Saktiandi Supaat先生（其选区在国大研究中主导了一项处理大件垃圾弃置的项目）表示：“这项研究为如何组织基层领袖与居民更主动承担市镇问题提供了有用见解。我很高兴大巴窑东居民积极参与研究过程。我们将继续与MSO及其他政府机构合作，支持由下而上改善居住环境的努力。”

完

发布单位：市镇服务署（MSO）

日期：2023年10月23日

[1] “龙心社区平台”旨在为居民提供机会与资源，参与以社区主导方式解决邻里市镇问题。该试点项目包括提供解决方案构想的网页、供居民组织与实施项目的WhatsApp聊天群，以及以流动推车形式设置的实体接触点。平台启动相关信息见：https://www.mnd.gov.sg/newsroom/press-releases/view/integrated-community-platform-to-tackle-municipal-issues-piloted-in-toa-payoh-east。试点及相关研究完成后，网页信息已并入MSO网站，WhatsApp聊天已关闭，流动推车则移交大巴窑东选区办事处管理。