Greener Living
Singapore's $170 Million Climate Defense For Luxury Stores Shows Protections Aren't Equal
Developed nations are spending billions to guard against threats from extreme weather, as poorer regions struggle to win adaptation funding.
The Stamford detention tank in Singapore in July.
Photographer: Aparna Nori/Bloomberg
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Even in a city-state renowned for its glitzy excess, Singapore’s Orchard Road shopping strip stands out. More than 7 million visitors a year flock to gleaming malls along a 2.2-kilometer (1.4 miles) boulevard that houses Hermès to Dior stores, exclusive restaurants and elegant rooftop gardens.
It’s a global hub for tourism and high-end retail that’s boomed along with the nation’s rise, reshaping a swath of nutmeg plantations and pepper farms first cultivated over a century ago.