How Singapore Turned Geography Into Power
From Swamp to Economic Powerhouse: Lee Kuan Yew’s Blueprint for Every Coastal City
The Geographic Mindset Shift

Sun Tzu wrote 2,500 years ago: “Water shapes its course according to the nature of the ground over which it flows.” Lee Kuan Yew understood this better than anyone. Faced with a swamp, no freshwater, and no farmland, he didn’t fight geography — he flowed with it. Peter Drucker famously said, ‘Culture eats strategy for breakfast.’ Even the best policies will fail without cultural alignment. But in Singapore, culture didn’t just eat strategy — it devoured geography for lunch. When Lee Kuan Yew came to power in 1965, he faced an impossible trifecta: no freshwater, no farmland, and a land area smaller than Orlando. His solution? Stop fighting geography and turn it into an advantage. Today, Singapore is a powerhouse.
According to the UN Trade & Development agency (UNCTAD), about 80% of global trade by volume is carried by sea. Today, Singapore’s port is one of the busiest in the world — built on the same swampy ground the country once struggled to drain. That didn’t happen by chance. It was the result of geographic strategy and disciplined planning. From Jamaica’s untapped potential to the growing challenges facing coastal cities like Miami and New York, communities everywhere are facing the same critical choices. This isn’t just a resilience story — it’s a masterclass in geographic intentionality every coastal community needs.
When the Land Teaches Strategy
I was in high school when my geography teacher in Nice, France asked us to study the view from our classroom window: “Look outside — what does the landscape tell you?” The answer was written in the curve of the coastline, where the Alps meet the Mediterranean Sea. The mountains weren’t just scenery; they explained everything about why Nice was built exactly here, why the wealthy built their villas on the sun-warmed hillsides, and why ancient roads followed the contours of the lands. From our window, we could just make out the Grand Corniche clinging to the cliffs, its path tracing the same route Roman engineers carved for the Via Julia Augusta two thousand years earlier. The Romans already understood what my professor was teaching us: geography isn’t destiny, but a tool — shaped by those bold enough to master it.
Years later, when I first read about Lee Kuan Yew’s transformation of Singapore, I recognized that same clarity of vision. Where others saw only a malaria-ridden swamp, he saw the deep water channels hidden beneath the surface, the strategic position astride the world’s busiest shipping lane, the chance to turn geographic destiny into national strategy.

That same lesson stuck with me, especially as someone who works every day with geography — planning communities, reviewing floodplains, and thinking about how land use can either limit or unlock a place’s potential.

On a recent cruise, we landed in Falmouth and drove up to Dunn’s River Falls — Jamaica is a country with incredible natural beauty, vibrant culture, and some of the most stunning coastlines I’ve seen. Dunn’s River Falls reminded me of the same questions I ask back home in Florida: what if this place was more than a stopover for tourists?
Back in 1960, Jamaica and Singapore had nearly identical GDP — about $699 million and $705 million respectively, according to World Bank data.
But by 2024, Jamaica’s GDP reached $19.93 billion, while Singapore’s soared to $547.39 billion. That kind of transformation wasn’t driven by natural resources. It happened because they aligned geography with strategy and built a culture around long-term planning
What if Jamaica invested in its ports, leaned into its geographic crossroads, and emerged as a true maritime trading nation? Just like Singapore once did from far tougher beginnings.
Three Playbooks Coastal Leaders Should Steal
From Water Crisis to Water Sovereignty
Singapore turned its greatest weakness — no freshwater — into a national advantage. According to Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment Two-thirds of the country’s land now serves as a rainwater catchment, feeding 17 reservoirs through 8,000 kilometers of drains and canals. Recycled water (NEWater) covers around 40% of demand, and desalination adds another third. Even city streets have been reimagined as water supply lines.
Florida’s geography offers abundant rainfall and water resources, yet balancing sustainable water management remains a growing challenge. In many areas, wetlands have been drained, aquifers heavily used, and stormwater systems designed for rapid runoff rather than capture. While some communities lead in reclaimed water use, others are still expanding these systems — especially in older neighborhoods where retrofitting can be complex and costly. The opportunity lies in shifting water from a management burden into a long-term resilience asset.
From Tiny Island to Trade Empire
Lee Kuan Yew didn’t just build a port — he leveraged blue infrastructure to turn Singapore into the beating heart of global trade. PSA International runs terminals across five continents, and Jurong Island’s reclaimed land holds reserves to power the nation. Every shoreline was treated like sovereign capital.
Jamaica sits at the crossroads of the Americas, with one of the largest natural harbors in the world — Kingston Harbor.
Strategically close to the Panama Canal and along vital shipping lanes, it mirrors the geographic strengths Singapore capitalized on. Jamaica’s deepwater ports, including Kingston Harbor, present significant untapped potential. While global operators like CMA CGM are active in Kingston Freeport, broader infrastructure investments and streamlined policy frameworks could further enhance Jamaica’s role as a major maritime logistics hub, building on its strategic location at the crossroads of the Americas.
From Flood Victim to Future-Proof
Singapore doesn’t gamble with its future. It builds with a century in mind — elevating critical infrastructure, hardwiring future sea level rise into every project, and designing underground drainage systems that double as water storage. Their strategy starts with clarity about risk, and a refusal to be caught unprepared.

Florida and New York City both face complex challenges in maximizing their geographic strengths. Miami’s world-class trade access is tempered by rapid urban growth and evolving climate pressures. New York has experimented with forward-thinking projects like the Big U but, like many global cities, continues to navigate rising risks and aging infrastructure. Both illustrate the importance of integrating long-term resilience into urban growth strategies. Both cities reflect a larger challenge: the wealth of geography means little without the discipline of long-term strategy.
Singapore’s long-term planning offers lessons in resilience that could benefit Florida’s approach to climate adaptation. Florida faces urgent pressures to adapt infrastructure to rapidly changing climate conditions. Enhancing resilience will require more proactive use of the latest data and planning tools.
The Culture Challenge
Culture shapes how we manage geography. Lee Kuan Yew changed how Singaporeans saw their land. Florida needs the same shift.
Culture shapes how we manage geography. Lee Kuan Yew changed how Singaporeans saw their land, not as a burden, but as a springboard for opportunity. Many coastal places today, from Jamaica to Miami and New York, still wrestle with seeing geography as a problem to overcome instead of a tool to build prosperity.
Shifting this mindset is often the hardest step. When communities reframe floods, water management, and sea-level rise as challenges to solve strategically, it opens the door to smarter decisions — on where to invest, where to build, and where to protect. Cities that treat ports, rivers, and coasts as long-term assets, rather than short-term transactions, can transform their futures.
The biggest gap is rarely knowledge or resources — it’s the cultural will to make geography work for us, not against us.
A Call for Geographic Intentionality
Singapore proves geography isn’t destiny but a design challenge. Jamaica, with its deep water ports and strategic location, could do the same.
Standing near Dunn’s River Falls, looking toward the coast, I kept asking myself: What if Jamaica made its natural harbors — like Kingston’s mighty port — the centerpiece of national growth? What if it became the next great trading hub of the Americas? Coastal leaders everywhere can follow suit, leveraging their blue infrastructure — from harbors and rivers to shipping channels — not just for trade, but for long-term resilience and prosperity.
Sun Tzu wrote: “The victorious strategist only seeks battle after the victory has been won.” Lee Kuan Yew understood this — he didn’t just react to Singapore’s geography; he designed its victory in advance.
Geography was never his limitation — it was his starting point. He mastered the land, reshaped the water, and aligned national culture around opportunity, not scarcity. The result wasn’t just prosperity, but resilience by design.
For coastal cities like Jamaica, Miami, and New York, the lesson is clear: geography isn’t destiny. It’s the first move in a game we’ve already chosen to win.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely my own and do not reflect those of any public agency, employer, or affiliated organization. This blog aims to educate and empower readers through objective geographic and planning insights, fostering informed discussion on global and regional issues.