Singapore 2.0: Lee Seeks Smart City Revamp as Old Model Ebbs

Roads filled with driverless cars, every home linked with fiber-optic cable, gardens in the sky, shining towers of scientists creating the future. Singapore is at it again, trying to plan the next leap up the development ladder.

For 50 years, Singapore has punched above its weight class, thanks to a run of political stability, long-term planning, transparency and openness to investment. Along the way, the tiny Southeast Asian nation turned from a center of colonial administration and trading into a major container port, an oil-refining hub, an electronics manufacturer, and a banking center.