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World Cities Summit Issue, Jun 2008
A City in a Garden
Ng Lang
Similarly, the Public Utilities Board (PUB) has opened up and developed its water bodies for recreational activities. The Active, Beautiful and Clean (ABC) Waters Programme is one such initiative, where the objective is to break down some of the harsh concrete walls of water canals, and landscape them for better integration with surrounding parks and green space. The pilot project, completed in April 2008 along the Kallang River, complements a park connector, and demonstrates how such projects can dramatically transform Singapore’s landscape and enhance green and water-based recreational space for the residents.
Skyrise greenery is another example of how we can add new dimensions to the green space in the city. While roof-top and vertical greenery is not a new architectural phenomenon in Singapore, the increasing adoption of skyrise greenery in new iconic buildings such as the National Library Building, and upcoming projects such as the Eco-Precinct by the Housing Development Board (HDB) and the Integrated Resort in Marina Bay augurs well for the development of skyrise greenery in the city. Ongoing research by the National Parks Board (NParks), to identify plants and planting medium to ease maintenance of skyrise greenery, aims to contribute to developments in this area.
As the population’s expectations become more sophisticated, there is a need to develop a wider range of parks and recreational amenities. An important focus of NParks has been to develop our parks into natural gravitational points for play and leisure. While ensuring that ample green space has been set aside to cater to those who seek the pleasure of a simple, idyllic green hideout from the hustle and bustle of the city, we are also selectively developing parks along thematic lines. For instance, the Jacob Ballas Children’s Garden at the Singapore Botanic Gardens which opened in October last year was designed as a haven for children below 12 years old. HortPark was officially opened in May 2008 as a one-stop gardening hub for gardening lovers and aspirants. Other projects such as the Fort Canning Park within the city centre will be better connected to the National Museum and the Bras Basah area to improve its vibrancy as a venue for the arts and culture. The new Sengkang Riverside Park will feature a theme of fruit trees and water recreation, while the upcoming new Admiralty Park will have a nature appreciation and conservation component. There will also be a new extreme skate park for those seeking thrills and excitement within a green setting.
Our biggest commitment is the Gardens-by-the-Bay project. This is a plan to develop three world-class gardens on prime land around the Marina Bay waterfront. The first phase of the project, which is to develop a 52-hectare garden at Marina South, has started and is targeted to be completed by 2011. This project will incorporate groundbreaking ideas aimed at enriching the lifestyles and recreational activities of Singaporeans and tourists through edutainment opportunities in a sustainable garden environment.
So far, some 91% of park users surveyed in 2006 were satisfied with the parks in Singapore. There is also a rising trend of tourists visiting our parks and nature reserves. Surveys by the Singapore Tourism Board show that the Singapore Botanic Gardens ranked sixth in terms of local attractions in 2006. A good measure of how well we develop and manage our greenery plan will be reflected in how well we sustain, and indeed improve, these indicators.
CONSERVING OUR NATURAL HERITAGE
Singapore’s rapid re-development as an urban city is matched by increasing calls for urban planners to develop a "soul" for the city. A large part of this will involve retaining the essence or heritage of the old city. Likewise, in developing Singapore as a city in a garden, we are moving beyond paying attention to mere infrastructure to conserving the natural biodiversity in the city.
Given our small land area and the need for economic growth, we have to adopt a pragmatic approach in balancing development and biodiversity conservation. Our aim has been to create a unique conservation model that champions environmental sustainability in a small urban setting. Fortunately, Singapore is a city rich in biodiversity despite our small land mass. The island has some 360 species of birds, which is slightly more than 60% of the 568 species listed in the United Kingdom or 75% of the 467 species found in France. Interestingly, some species thought to be extinct on the island, like the Oriental Pied Hornbill, are now establishing healthy colonies here because of the lush green environment. Nestled in the midst of the Indo-Malayan rainforest (one of three last remaining rainforest blocs in the world), Singapore is well-placed to showcase the richness of the region’s rich botanical biodiversity in an easily accessible urban setting.
It is in this context that the Government adopted the policy to legally protect representatives of key indigenous ecosystems. We have four Nature Reserves, namely, the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve (lowland dipterocarp forest), the Central Catchment Nature Reserve (including freshwater swamp forest), Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve (mangroves) and Labrador Nature Reserve (coastal hill forest). The Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve and Labrador Nature Reserve were gazetted in January 2002. Together, the four nature reserves cover more than 3,000 hectares or 4.5% of Singapore’s land area. We are probably unique in being one of the few cities with nature reserves within its urban setting. In addition, one of the reserves, the Sungei Buloh Wetland, holds the distinction of being an ASEAN Heritage Park, as well as an important link in the chain of stop-over sites for migratory birds from as far as Siberia.
While the nature reserves are sustainable in terms of size, we also need to ensure their sustainability in terms of quality, that is, the species surviving within them and how they react to the long-term impact of environmental change. The Smithsonian Center for Tropical Forest Science has been conducting research of this nature in the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve for the past decade. NParks also conducts our own periodic biodiversity surveys of the nature reserves for this purpose. Results from such studies and surveys will help us to formulate management strategies for the long-term sustainability of our nature reserves within our unique urban setting. A major project that is being planned is to create an eco-link over the Bukit Timah Expressway which is located close to the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve to mitigate the negative effects of fragmentation and genetic erosion in the Reserve.
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