Diganta Das

The concept of “waterscapes” is examined, with a focus on applications in secondary schools and the pedagogy for undergraduate geography students. The waterscape emphasis on external flows of capital, political relations, and policy that interact with the physical watershed, as well as the hydrosocial cycle, are particularly well suited to support teacher pedagogical content knowledge because of the flexibility in interpreting and applying concepts using what we have termed “the shallow sustainability approach”. Employing case studies from the Singapore geography curriculum, we explore new pathways for the traditional interpretation of waterscapes that include linking mathematical modelling of hydrologic systems with rich local narratives.

Through the lens of dynamic change in the city’s waterscape, this paper examines Hyderabad’s global aspiration and the ways it impacts water provisions and accessibility issues for the poor locals.

Our paper provides an introduction to, and context for, the 10 papers that comprise this special volume: Waterscapes Asia: Concepts and Practices. We discuss the various interpretations of what is meant by a “waterscape” and suggest some ways forward that may provide a bridge between the theoretical waterscapes framework and practical considerations that we hope will make the waterscapes concept more broadly useful. These 10 papers, representing contributions from India, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and Indonesia are decidedly applied and consider issues of inequitable socio-hydrological conditions that are impacted by flows of capital, political relations, and policy. Yet, they also represent efforts in quantifying water quality and quantity within the human-natural system nexus, and most importantly, the central theme of familiarisation as a path to more effective waterscape management.

On 23 January 2020, Singapore announced its first COVID-19 case, becoming one of the first countries to be affected by the virus outside China. The government acted swiftly, closed its borders, introduced circuit-breaking measures, and deployed public health and medical expertise in tackling the virus. Both technology and human resources were used extensively for contact tracing, quarantining, and pathogenic management. While all these measures helped in a successful containment initially, the second wave of COVID-19 cases emerged at the foreign worker dormitories, affecting thousands of workers. Singapore’s approach in tackling the situation shifted rapidly and began to involve civil society organizations and individuals in the fight against the virus. In this paper, we argue that while state-led technologies such asTraceTogether and Safe Entry helped in the techno-governance of bodies on the move, bottom-up digital solutions, and innovative engagement of individuals are equally crucial in building a smart and resilient Singapore.

The city of Hyderabad plays a significant role in urban transition processes at play in India. Cyberabad, a section of the city of Hyderabad, developed through the rapid urbanisation of rural villages and land, becoming a high-tech, state of the art, globally connected enclave. On weekday mornings in the neighbourhood of Madhapur, smartly dressed HITEC City workers, with ID tags, emerge from hostel accommodation and walk alongside large, black buffalo being herded into rundown dairies. This paradoxical use of space is replicated in the urban fabric of Cyberabad and surrounding Madhapur. Cheek-by-jowl urbanisation has created two very different types of urban locale: Cyberabad – air-conditioned, gardened, watered – a space of hydration and flourishing; and Madhapur – hot, dusty and desiccated – a space of dryness and water struggles. This paper explores whether aspects of urban flourishing and resilience are possible in the newly formed Telangana state and its capital, Hyderabad, through an examination of the past, present and future of the city’s water.

Fieldwork is essential for learning Geography as well as many other social science disciplines. Fieldwork also provides a critical and comparative perspective to the classroom concepts. In Asia, especially in countries such as Singapore, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, fieldwork engagement is seen and practiced heavily to learn classroom concepts, extend teachings and learn beyond the classroom through inquiry-based learning (IBL) and scaffolding techniques. This chapter delves into how fieldwork learning enhances Singapore university students’ inquiry-based capacity to acquire classroom concepts, and understand everyday water experiences and urban water policy in two Indian cities. After the two weeks of fieldwork understanding of the geographies of water in India, the students were able to conceptualize classroom learning and also were able to understand policy initiatives, similarities, and differences in relation to situational and cultural contexts. This chapter further delves into understanding the challenges of learning and possibilities of pedagogic innovations from incorporating fieldwork learning in public policy studies.

Fieldwork is essential for learning Geography as well as many other social science disciplines. Fieldwork also provides a critical and comparative perspective to the classroom concepts. In Asia, especially in countries such as Singapore, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, fieldwork engagement is seen and practiced heavily to learn classroom concepts, extend teachings and learn beyond the classroom through inquiry-based learning (IBL) and scaffolding techniques. This chapter delves into how fieldwork learning enhances Singapore university students’ inquiry-based capacity to acquire classroom concepts, and understand everyday water experiences and urban water policy in two Indian cities. After the two weeks of fieldwork understanding of the geographies of water in India, the students were able to conceptualize classroom learning and also were able to understand policy initiatives, similarities, and differences in relation to situational and cultural contexts. This chapter further delves into understanding the challenges of learning and possibilities of pedagogic innovations from incorporating fieldwork learning in public policy studies.

Singapore intends to become a “Smart Nation” through the use of smarter technologies and sustainable means to enhance the quality of life of its inhabitants. Universities are also increasingly seen as places of innovation of new smart and sustainable technologies, provincializing ideas and debates; serving as a testbed for local experimentation. Hence, to determine the status of developing Singapore universities as smart and sustainable campuses, this paper first discusses the role of Singapore’s Smart Nation initiative in relation to the development of smart and sustainable universities in Singapore. In particular, NTU’s development as a smart and sustainable campus. Secondly, a conceptual framework is developed to assess NTU as a smart and sustainable campus by understanding the prevailing dimensions of the smart city discourse. Through a detailed survey and ethnographic field study method conducted on NTU Campus, the study finds that the university has been rapidly deploying smart technologies to enhance students’ learning environment and university residents’ everyday quality of living through technology and sustainability initiatives. This paper contributes meaningfully to the development of smart campuses worldwide and brings an Asian university perspective to the existing research on smart and sustainable campuses.