World Cities Summit Issue, Jun 2008

A City in a Garden
Ng Lang

Outside the nature reserves, Singapore’s network of green space, streetscape, park connectors and water bodies covers more than 4.5% of our land areas. With proper management, these areas can also be optimised to enhance our urban biodiversity. We have programmes such as the Heritage Tree Programme and Heritage Road Programme to conserve mature trees in the city. One of the projects in the pipeline includes widening the diversity of regional native plant species used in roadside, park and park connector planting. The most recent initiative is a project to set up a dipterocarp arboretum in an urban setting at Yishun Park. We will also need to better build up expertise to create eco-habitats within our urban green space. It is envisaged that with the right planting schemes, the park connectors can form a matrix of green links for bird movement within our urban setting. Likewise, PUB’s ABC programme will provide new opportunities to create water-based eco-habitats in the city.

INVOLVING THE COMMUNITY
To truly realise Singapore’s vision of a City in a Garden, it is important that the community shares and takes ownership of this vision and is actively involved in the greening efforts. Many efforts have been made to ensure that NParks’ work is supported by the 3P sectors: people, public sector agencies and private corporations. In 2006 alone, more than 1,000 guided walks, educational talks, events and programmes were conducted as part of our outreach efforts in this area.

We are seeing increased public interest and participation in community gardening efforts. The Community-in-Bloom (CIB) programme, which seeks to cultivate a culture of gardening in Singapore, has received very good support. Since its inception in 2005, the programme has inducted more than 250 gardening groups in the community. What has been most rewarding is how this programme has helped to promote gardening as a hobby as well as build friendship and the spirit of sharing in the community. Our next step is to introduce the CIB-Kids programme. Through partnerships with educators, we hope to inculcate an appreciation for gardening in our young. The Plant-a-Tree programme has also been well-received. Large numbers of individuals and corporations have stepped forward to donate a nominal sum of $200 to plant a tree and contribute towards the wellness of our living environment.

Within the public sector, the Garden City Action Committee has been the main coordinating vehicle for ensuring that public sector agencies such as the URA, HDB, PUB and the Land Transport Authority are well coordinated in their developmental projects and are aligned to the City in a Garden vision.

In the private sector, the global climate change agenda has also seen more corporations take up environmental programmes as part of their corporate social responsibility. The Garden City Fund was set up in 2002 to allow individuals and corporations to donate to the greening efforts of the Singapore. Increasingly, we have been seeing more private sector companies contribute to this Fund which promotes the environmental cause among consumers.

CONCLUSION
New initiatives to energise Singapore’s green space, balance economic development and environmental conservation, and engage community participation at all levels, will further enhance the vibrancy and soul of our City in a Garden. We can look forward to greener days ahead.²

Ng Lang has been Chief Executive Officer of the National Parks Board (NParks) since 2006, where he has led the growth of Singapore’s garden infrastructure and spearheaded developments in nature conservation and biodiversity. Mr Ng has previously served in various capacities in the Singapore diplomatic service and the public healthcare service.

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