urban solutions
Visit to City Solutions Singapore 2018!
11 July 2018
City Solutions Singapore (CSS), held in conjunction with the 6th World Cities Summit, is the preferred global platform to showcase new and cutting-edge solutions for smart nations and urban environments. With tens of thousands of visitors coming from varying countries and regions, CSS provides opportunities for industries to seek new business partnerships with over 1,000 participating companies. This makes it an international marketplace of choice for stakeholders across the value chain of sustainable development.
CSS was held from 8th to 12th July 2018 at Marina Bay Sands, Sands Expo and Convention Centre. Visitors were required to register online to receive an entry pass. We waited in line for approximately 10 minutes before entering, at 2:50 pm on 10th July.
Featuring different countries and themed pavilions, the integrated expo this year comprised three overarching themes – Water Expo@CSS, Cities@CSS, Environment@CSS, and Transport@CSS focusing on water, urban, environment, and transportation solutions respectively.
The following exhibitions were some of the displays that caught our attention at CSS 2018.
NEWbrew Exhibit
Located at Basement 2
In partnership with Brewerk, PUB Singapore invented Singapore's very first beer made from NEWater. Visitors could taste NEWbrew beer for themselves in the "NEW Taste Challenge" event held at the exhibition. Upon taking up the challenge, visitors had to guess which cup contained NEWbrew beer, out of the three cups of beer placed in front of them. Besides enjoying relaxing sips of beer, visitors could also have fun at the NEWbrew photo booth nearby.
ST Engineering Exhibit
Located at Level 1, Hall C
The ST Engineering exhibit was one of the more prominent exhibitions Transport@CSS had to offer. It showcased various innovations for a more efficient public transport system. For instance, ST Engineering's gateless fare deduction system allows passengers to walk through hands-free. It reduces the hassle of having to tap our transportation pass, unlike the current system. This new system uses Radio-frequency identification (RFID) or facial recognition to identify passengers once they walk through the gantry. It is also more accessible for passengers with physical immobilities. With this state of the art technology, time taken to enter the train station is greatly reduced. This could help prevent congestion and reduce commuters' travelling time.
Skyway Technologies Exhibit
Located at Level 1, Hall C
SkyWay Technologies Co. is an engineering company that specializes in railway technologies, equipment, systems and services. SkyWay string transport, an urban transport innovation, was unveiled at the exhibition for the first time. It is a unique string-rail overpass elevated at least 5m above the ground with fully autonomous electrified transport modules. The SkyWay string transport system provides an alternative solution to increase passenger volume, while decreasing construction and operation costs. A smaller model of the novel railway transportation was on display to give viewers a better understanding of how the string transport works.
Tokyo Metro Exhibit
Located at Level 1, Hall C
Tokyo Metro Co., Ltd. is a well-established subway system in the heart of Tokyo, the capital of Japan. The exhibition provided detailed information about the Tokyo Metro and had an interactive Virtual Reality(VR) exhibition to simulate the actual trip on board the Tokyo Metro. Viewers could have a glimpse of the picturesque view of Tokyo while riding the subway. A friendly mascot was also spotted wandering around the Tokyo Metro exhibition, providing a great photo opportunity.
CSS 2018 was an eye-opening experience for us. It introduced us to several industries and companies which are relevant to our future job scope. It was definitely enriching and worth the trip!