Circulating referencescapes: inter-Asian references to circular urban policies among ordinary residents in Singapore

Source abstract

Whereas smart and sustainable urbanism has been well examined in the literature on inter-urban referencing, circular urban policies aimed at encouraging R-behaviors (e.g. reduce, recycle) have received less attention. Drawing on qualitative interviews with ordinary residents in Singapore, this paper explores their predominantly inter-Asian references to cities they perceive as having more effective household recycling and plastic reduction policies. Despite Singapore’s reputation as a “role model” in urban development, our findings show that ordinary residents consider its circular waste reduction and recycling policies to be less robust than those of its Asian counterparts. Overall, this paper advances the existing literature on inter-urban referencing in three main ways. First, it recovers the ordinary in urban studies by giving center stage to the everyday lives of the majority of the urban population. Second, it brings work on circular policies into productive dialogue with inter-Asian referencing and urban worlding. Third, it shows how the referential discourses of ordinary residents can provide insight into state-society dynamics in the city.