Following approval of the DEIA, Country Garden took steps to mend its public image with a high-profile press conference in Singapore in January 2016. CGPV emphasized the project’s green credentials. By that time, Country Garden had adopted the concept of the “green city,” with contributions by and encouragement from the IRDA. Indeed, Country Garden pursued green certification for Forest City in an effort to enhance the project’s “environmentally-friendly” marketing. For Country Garden to fulfil its promise to make Forest City a “green city,” it will have to follow through on all of its commitments and find ways to manage its energy, water use, solid waste and transportation systems in a sustainable fashion.

The original plans for Forest City lacked any focus on sustainability or strategies for maintaining ecosystem services in the Straits of Johor. The company tapped internationally-known urban planners, designers, and engineers to produce the revised plans for its land mass reduction. The winning design proposal by Sasaki Associates introduced integrated transportation with priority for pedestrian circulation and public green spaces.

Country Garden’s financial strategy depends almost entirely on residential sales, at least for the first phase of construction. Commercial and industrial uses are de-emphasized. Indeed, plans for commercial areas and open space may need to be modified to ensure sufficient residential construction if sales trends are positive. Already, the pressure to generate capital return through early residential sales has driven construction on the four islands that does not comport with Sasaki’s revised plans for an environmentally conscience design. Michael Grove, Sasaki’s lead designer, argued that to attract long-term buyers, Forest City will have to meet higher standards of “experiential civic and social landscapes.” Sasaki have not been retained to work on the project further since their completion of the conceptual master plans.