Calvin Yang, Singapore Looks Below for More Room; Planners envision a science complex 30 stories underground. New York Times, Sept 26, 2013
Quote:
“there is a limit to how much land can be reclaimed from the ocean — so far it accounts for a fifth of Singapore’s space but it is vulnerable to rising sea levels caused by climate change.
“Subterranean projects can be three to four times as costly as surface projects because of higher construction costs and the need for extensive soil investigations.
Note: “‘Over the years, many of us have relocated from kampongs to high-rise living in government flats,’ said Joseph Tan, 69, a retired accountant, referring to traditional Malay villages.”
village http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Village
(section 4 Southeast Asia: In Malaysia, the term kampung (sometimes spelling kampong) in the English language has been defined specifically as "a Malay hamlet or village in a Malay-speaking country".[4] In other words, a kampung is defined today as a village in Brunei, Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia)