How are ICTs Transforming Civic Space in Singapore?

Abstract

Urban voluntary associations and activists have long sought open civic space for articulating their ideas and ideals. With the advent of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs), civic associational practices have arguably been significantly altered and these changes are in turn transforming civic space—particularly in cities with advanced digital infrastructure and uptake. This research examines two civic environmental groups in order to understand how and why ICTs are transforming civic space in the island city-state of Singapore. The article employs a case comparison of two age-distinct civic associations—Nature Society (Singapore) and Green Drinks Singapore—in order to distinguish the digital activities of established versus nascent civic environmental groups. The article employs a three-part socio-technical framework—focusing on ‘organizational, participatory and spatial’ transformations—for unpacking ICT-linked practices amongst civic associations. The article will also examine the recent rise of informal civic-cyber green groups that both work with and yet paradoxically remain autonomous of established civic associations. The case studies provides evidence of the changing tactics of civic (and cyber) environmentalism and insights into the changing nature of civic space in Singapore.

Participating in food waste transitions: exploring surplus food redistribution in Singapore through the ecologies of participation framework

“…The research also shows how the use of ICT signals the changing nature of participation in public matters in Singapore. It allows citizens to self-regulate their engagement in collective actions in a way that overcomes longstanding restrictions on civic associational life (Sadoway, 2013).…”

“…As a consequence, the government has pursued a more consultative environment with a strong focus on co-creation as a 'form of a collective enterprise, and less an elite-driven phenomenon' (Kuah & Lim, 2014, p. 1) that has inspired many to use ICT to participate in environmental matters (Sadoway, 2013).…”

Towards a politics of urban climate responsibility: Insights from Hong Kong and Singapore

“…This was followed by Singapore’s Climate Action Plan: A Climate-Resilient Singapore, for a Sustainable Future (Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources and Ministry of National Development, 2016). While the Singaporean government has been relatively proactive, civil society is widely seen as ‘underdeveloped and constrained’ (Sadoway, 2013; Soh and Yuen, 2006). This is a result of the mode of governing and institutional apparatus of the Singapore government, often categorised as a ‘soft authoritarian state’ (Hobson, 2006), which has limited the scope of civil society through a process of depoliticisation (Francesch-Huidobro, 2008; Lee, 2010).…”

“…The research also highlights ongoing changes in the nature of state and civil society relationships across the cities. The recent Occupy movement in Hong Kong draws out a process of decentralisation in political mobilisations (Lam-Knott, 2018), while in Singapore the rise of social media is providing greater opportunities for civil society (Sadoway, 2013). An interrogation of how urban climate responsibility is produced thus provides novel insights into how individual and collective climate responsibilities may initially be articulated but also change over time.…”

Producing and Contesting Meanings of Participation in Planning: The Case of Singapore (1985–2020)

“…These inroads were enabled by a growing body of academic and popular discourse on activism, as well as the use of social and alternative media as participatory technologies. Academics and journalists saw the grassroots actions emerging in this period as indicative of the growth of a “resistance movement” (Tay 2018, 2), civil activism (Huang 2014; Tan & Feng 2012; Tan & Low 2019), and more specifically, “civic-cyber” activism (Sadoway 2013, 122–127) in Singapore. The case of Bukit Brown was seen as “a possible turning point in civil society activism” as well as that in state-society relations, where the connectivity of cyberspace led to a sudden burst of intense activity and large-scale protests (Huang 2014, 25).…”