# Integrated Community Platform to tackle municipal issues piloted in Toa Payoh East - **Source:** Ministry of National Development - **Published:** 2022-11-26T02:00:00.000Z - **Author:** Ministry of National Development - **Original:** https://www.mnd.gov.sg/newsroom/press-releases/view/integrated-community-platform-to-tackle-municipal-issues-piloted-in-toa-payoh-east - **Topics:** HDB & Public Housing, Commercial & Industrial, New Launches ## Featured rationale The pilot may strengthen resident-led estate management and neighbourhood relations, potentially improving perceived living quality if successfully expanded to other HDB estates. ## AI summary The Dragon Heart Community Platform was piloted in Toa Payoh East after research involving over 1,400 participants, initially targeting improper bulky-waste disposal. ## Original article INTEGRATED COMMUNITY PLATFORM TO TACKLE MUNICIPAL ISSUES PILOTED IN TOA PAYOH EAST As part of the efforts to facilitate community-led solutions to tackle municipal issues, the Municipal Services Office (MSO) and the Centre for Sustainable Asian Cities under the National University of Singapore (NUS) College of Design and Engineering have worked with Toa Payoh East Constituency Office to launch the Dragon Heart Community Platform. This initiative arises from an ongoing research collaboration on fostering positive social norms and values, and facilitating community-led solutions in Singapore’s high-density housing environment. Research collaboration on fostering positive social norms and co-solutioning 2 A key thrust under the Forward Singapore exercise has been to empower Singaporeans to take a greater stake in building an endearing home. This includes addressing municipal issues on the ground, and proactively shaping our living environment. The research collaboration, which is 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), seeks to understand the perceptions of residents on the role of the community in addressing municipal issues. It also seeks to understand how the Government can better engage residents to foster positive social norms and facilitate community-led solutions to municipal issues. 3 The study involved surveys, interviews, focus group discussions, pop-up events, culture probes and a co-solutioning workshop involving over 1,400 participants in Toa Payoh East[1]. The key interim findings of the study are as follow: i) Residents want to make their neighbourhood a better place. There is a positive relationship between residents’ sense of place attachment and positive community behaviour. Residents with a stronger sense of attachment to their homes tend to provide more feedback to the authorities, perhaps due to a desire to build a better living environment. ii) Having better relationships with neighbours is related to less inconsiderate neighbour behaviours. Higher levels of neighbourly relations are found to co-relate with lower levels of municipal issues such as littering and noise. Generally, neighbours with better relations have less conflicts and are better able to address conflicts amicably. iii) Residents generally agree that it would be more effective for the community to work together to co-create solutions, especially when individuals are unable to resolve neighbourhood issues on their own. Existing neighbourhood chats and various community assets, such as volunteers and community-initiated projects can be leveraged for the resolution of neighbourhood issues. Pilot three-pronged Integrated Community Platform to co-create municipal solutions The name “Dragon Heart Community Platform” was chosen by members of the Toa Payoh East Zone 6 RN. It symbolises one community working collectively for a neighbourhood. The logo follows closely to the iconic dragon playground in Toa Payoh. The name “Dragon Heart Community Platform” was chosen by members of the Toa Payoh East Zone 6 RN. It symbolises one community working collectively for a neighbourhood. The logo follows closely to the iconic dragon playground in Toa Payoh. 4 Based on these findings, the current phase of the study involves a pilot of the Dragon Heart Community Platform which is developed by the NUS research team to provide residents with the opportunity and resources to participate in community-led solutions to municipal issues in the neighbourhood. The three-pronged platform consists of the following: i) Dragon Idea Bank, an informative website with resources and ideas to address neighbourhood issues, co-solutioning toolkit and case studies of community-led projects to inspire resident co-solutioning, ii) Dragon Chat on WhatsApp, which allows residents to collect feedback among neighbours, contribute ideas and coordinate meetups for their co-solutioning projects, and iii) Dragon Carts, three mobile physical carts equipped with tabletops, chairs and LED screens. These carts can be placed in neighbourhood areas to be used for group meetings, gather offline feedback from the community and provide a conducive space to promote community collaboration in the neighbourhood. 5 As a start, with the support from Bishan-Toa Payoh Town Council, the residents of Toa Payoh East Zone 6 will use the Dragon Heart Community Platform to lead a project in addressing the improper disposal of bulky waste in their neighbourhood – which is a key concern to the residents of Toa Payoh East Zone 6. 6 Senior Minister of State for National Development, Ms Sim Ann, said: “This study can potentially help us unlock more contributions and ideas from the community for a better living environment. I thank Toa Payoh East’s residents for gamely taking on this pilot, which is part of the Forward SG exercise. I hope the findings from this study can help us start similar initiatives across Singapore.” 7 Principal Investigator of the research project, Associate Professor Cho Im Sik from the Centre for Sustainable Asian Cities under the NUS College of Design and Engineering, said: “This research takes a holistic approach to understanding the background and factors involved in activating community participation in municipal issues, which have not been studied in a local context. Guided by our findings in the earlier phase of the research, we collaborated with the community to develop this platform to empower residents to resolve municipal issues together. The pilot project serves as a starting point for residents to work together to improve their living environment, and such efforts could help to foster positive social practices in the long run.” 8 Mr Saktiandi Supaat, Advisor to Bishan-Toa Payoh Grassroots Organisations, said: “We are happy to be involved in such a meaningful project. I am also very heartened by the enthusiasm and strong participation from our residents in Toa Payoh East. Their desire to work together collectively signifies the positive neighbourly ties that we have built over the years and share in our Toa Payoh East community.” 9 The NUS researchers will be evaluating the effectiveness of the pilot platform and provide recommendations on how the usage of the platform can be expanded to other neighbourhoods. The study is expected to complete in June 2023. Issued By : Municipal Services Office (MSO) & National University of Singapore Date : 26 November 2022 About the Municipal Services Office The Municipal Services Office (MSO) works closely with 10 agencies and 17 Town Councils to improve feedback response time and resolve complex issues more effectively. MSO’s mission is to enhance the delivery of municipal services and infrastructure; enhance the citizen-centric and continuous improvement mindset across partner agencies; and promote community partnership and civic responsibility. OneService refers to a community of agencies, Town Councils and citizens working together to address municipal matters and improve the living environment for all. About National University of Singapore (NUS) The National University of Singapore (NUS) is Singapore’s flagship university, which offers a global approach to education, research, and entrepreneurship, with a focus on Asian perspectives and expertise. We have 16 colleges, faculties, and schools across three campuses in Singapore, with more than 40,000 students from 100 countries enriching our vibrant and diverse campus community. We have also established our NUS Overseas Colleges programme in more than 15 cities around the world. Our multidisciplinary and real-world approach to education, research and entrepreneurship enables us to work closely with industry, governments, and academia to address crucial and complex issues relevant to Asia and the world. Researchers in our faculties, research centres of excellence, corporate labs and more than 30 university-level research institutes focus on themes that include energy; environmental and urban sustainability; treatment and prevention of diseases; active ageing; advanced materials; risk management and resilience of financial systems; Asian studies; and Smart Nation capabilities such as artificial intelligence, data science, operations research, and cybersecurity. For more information on NUS, please visit www.nus.edu.sg. [1] Toa Payoh East was selected as the intervention site for the study because of its representativeness of other HDB estates in Singapore in terms of demographic and housing types. The residents of the site have also provided feedback across various types of municipal issues. ## Chinese translation > Translation model: grok_cli ### 综合社区平台试点大巴窑东 应对市政问题 综合社区平台试点大巴窑东 应对市政问题 为促进社区主导方案以应对市政问题，市政服务署（MSO）与新加坡国立大学（NUS）设计与工程学院可持续亚洲城市中心，与大巴窑东选区办事处合作，推出“龙心社区平台”（Dragon Heart Community Platform）。该倡议源于一项持续的研究合作，旨在培养积极的社会规范与价值观，并在新加坡高密度住房环境中促进社区主导的解决方案。 关于培养积极社会规范与共同解方的研究合作 2 “前进新加坡”（Forward Singapore）运动的一项重点，是赋权新加坡人在建设宜居家园方面承担更大责任。这包括在基层处理市政问题，并主动塑造我们的生活环境。该研究合作获得教育部（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，旨在了解居民对社区在处理市政问题中所扮演角色的看法，并探讨政府如何更好地与居民互动，以培养积极社会规范、促进社区主导的市政解决方案。 3 研究涵盖调查、访谈、焦点小组讨论、快闪活动、文化探针，以及一次共同解方工作坊，大巴窑东逾1,400名参与者参与[1]。研究的主要中期发现如下： i）居民希望把邻里建设得更好。居民的地方依恋感与积极社区行为呈正相关。对家园依恋感较强的居民，往往更常向当局提供反馈，或许是出于建设更美好生活环境的愿望。 ii）与邻里关系更好，与不体谅的邻里行为减少相关。较高的邻里关系水平，与乱丢垃圾、噪音等市政问题水平较低相关。一般而言，关系较好的邻里冲突较少，也更能以和睦方式处理冲突。 iii）居民普遍认同，社区共同协作共创解决方案会更有效，尤其是当个人无法自行解决邻里问题时。现有的邻里聊天群以及各类社区资产，如志愿者与社区发起项目，可用于解决邻里问题。 试点三管齐下的综合社区平台 共创市政解决方案 “龙心社区平台”这一名称由大巴窑东第6区居民网络（RN）成员选定。它象征一个社区为邻里共同努力。标志设计紧贴大巴窑标志性的龙形游乐场。 “龙心社区平台”这一名称由大巴窑东第6区居民网络（RN）成员选定。它象征一个社区为邻里共同努力。标志设计紧贴大巴窑标志性的龙形游乐场。 4 基于上述发现，研究当前阶段试点由国大研究团队开发的“龙心社区平台”，为居民提供参与社区主导市政解决方案的机会与资源。该三管齐下的平台包括： i）“龙点子库”（Dragon Idea Bank）：提供资源与点子以应对邻里问题的资讯网站，以及共同解方工具包与社区主导项目案例研究，以启发居民共创方案； ii）WhatsApp上的“龙聊”（Dragon Chat）：让居民在邻里间收集反馈、贡献点子，并协调共同解方项目的会面； iii）“龙车”（Dragon Carts）：三辆配备桌面、椅子与LED屏幕的可移动实体推车。这些推车可放置于邻里空间，用于小组会议、收集社区线下反馈，并提供有利空间以促进邻里协作。 5 首先，在碧山—大巴窑市镇理事会支持下，大巴窑东第6区居民将使用“龙心社区平台”，主导一项应对邻里不当弃置大型垃圾的项目——这是大巴窑东第6区居民的主要关切。 6 国家发展部高级政务部长沈颖女士表示：“这项研究有潜力帮助我们发掘更多来自社区的贡献与点子，以建设更美好的生活环境。我感谢大巴窑东居民积极参与这项试点，这是‘前进新加坡’运动的一部分。我希望研究结果能帮助我们在全岛启动类似倡议。” 7 研究项目首席研究员、国大设计与工程学院可持续亚洲城市中心副教授Cho Im Sik表示：“这项研究以整体方法理解激活社区参与市政问题的背景与因素，这些在本地情境下尚未被充分研究。在研究前一阶段发现的指导下，我们与社区合作开发这一平台，赋权居民共同解决市政问题。试点项目是居民共同改善生活环境的起点，此类努力长远有助于培养积极的社会实践。” 8 碧山—大巴窑基层组织顾问Saktiandi Supaat先生表示：“我们很高兴参与如此有意义的项目。大巴窑东居民的热情与积极参与也令我非常振奋。他们希望共同协作的意愿，体现了我们多年来在大巴窑东社区建立并共享的积极邻里关系。” 9 国大研究人员将评估试点平台的成效，并就如何将该平台的使用扩展至其他邻里提出建议。研究预计于2023年6月完成。 发布机构：市政服务署（MSO）及新加坡国立大学 日期：2022年11月26日 关于市政服务署 市政服务署（MSO）与10个机构及17个市镇理事会密切合作，以改善反馈响应时间，并更有效地解决复杂问题。MSO的使命是加强市政服务与基础设施的交付；在合作机构中强化以公民为中心及持续改进的思维；以及促进社区伙伴关系与公民责任。OneService指机构、市镇理事会与公民共同合作，处理市政事务并改善所有人生活环境的共同体。 关于新加坡国立大学（NUS） 新加坡国立大学（NUS）是新加坡的旗舰大学，以全球视野推进教育、研究与创业，并聚焦亚洲视角与专长。我们在新加坡三个校区设有16个学院、学部与学校，来自100个国家的逾40,000名学生丰富了我们充满活力且多元的校园社区。我们亦在全球逾15个城市设立了国大海外学院项目。 我们对教育、研究与创业采取跨学科与面向现实世界的方法，使我们能与产业、政府及学术界密切合作，应对与亚洲及世界相关的关键复杂问题。我们各学院、卓越研究中心、企业实验室及逾30所大学级研究所的研究人员，聚焦能源；环境与城市可持续性；疾病治疗与预防；积极乐龄；先进材料；金融体系风险管理与韧性；亚洲研究；以及智慧国能力，如人工智能、数据科学、运筹学与网络安全等主题。 有关国大的更多信息，请访问www.nus.edu.sg。 [1] 大巴窑东被选为研究干预地点，因其在人口结构与住房类型方面对新加坡其他组屋（HDB）市镇具有代表性。该地点居民亦就各类市政问题提供了反馈。