The Singapore Botanic Gardens, enjoyed by many as a People’s Garden, celebrated its 150th birthday in full bloom on 6 May 2009. Once, it was a modest venue for flower shows and horticultural fetes. Now, the Gardens has grown into a premier scientific institution for botanical and horticultural research, conservation and education. After independence, the Gardens also played an instrumental role in morphing Singapore into a Garden City by lending its expertise and resources towards the overall greening of the nation.
Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, the driving force behind Singapore’s development as a Garden City, highlighted this “Garden City” vision as a key strategy which allowed Singapore to distinguish itself from its neighbours. Speaking at a dialogue session during the celebratory dinner, MM Lee shared his insights on the complexities of making Singapore a “first world oasis”, which was a transformation necessary to attract investors.
“It was part of a bigger plan. After we were asked to leave Malaya, we had to work out a strategy which would allow a little island dependent on Malaya for its hinterland to survive,” he said. That strategy was to show investors that this was a well-organised place.
With this vision in mind, the National Parks Board (NParks) and the Singapore Botanic Gardens worked hard on greening Singapore. Today, the sight of tree-lined highways, manicured lawns and smartly-pruned hedges convey to visitors and potential investors, the message that Singapore is a place where things are done efficiently, where attention is focused on details, and where their investments would be well taken care of. The green environment also softens the harshness of urban living, uplifts the human spirit and improves the quality of life.
National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan, who delivered the welcome address at the 150th Anniversary celebrations, commended the hard work and achievements of past and present Garden City Action Committee (GCAC) members. The GCAC has been the main coordinating vehicle which ensures that public sector agencies such as the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), Housing Development Board (HDB), Public Utilities Board (PUB) and the Land Transport Authority (LTA) are well coordinated in their developmental projects and aligned to the “City in a Garden” vision.
Minister Mah noted that other countries had caught on and were quickly emulating Singapore’s urban greening model. Commenting that while this was a strong affirmation of Singapore’s success, it also meant that we have to “reinvent ourselves to maintain our competitive edge.”
From Garden City to a City in the Garden
Singapore today is known internationally as a Garden City, clean and teeming with greenery. But this transformation was a conscious and collective effort which relied on the dedication and commitment of many parties.
MM Lee first conceptualised the greening of Singapore in the 1960s, when he was then the Prime Minister. He envisioned a Garden City in the heart of Asia, and what followed was the launch of the tree-planting campaign in 1963, which saw the beginning of the Government’s targeted efforts at beautifying the island city.
One of the bigger challenges then was motivating the public to “change from Third World to First World behaviour”, observed MM Lee. With constant improvements and campaigns driving this change over 40 years, the efforts have paid off and Singaporeans have become more socially responsible and environmentally-conscious.
As Singapore enjoys the fruits of those who had contributed to the success of Singapore’s transformation into a Garden City, it is timely for the country to renew its commitment to nurture and grow the city’s greenery for the benefit of future generations.
Singapore is now evolving from the Garden City that it is, to become a City in the Garden – a distinctively lush city that is now almost 50 percent covered by greenery and endowed with rich biodiversity. The Government intends to press on in its efforts to nurture this greenery and biodiversity as an asset for enhancing the living environment, and also to help position the country as a distinctive city for residents to live, work and play in.
in length from 2km to 10km, are ideal
for walking, jogging, cycling and rollerblading
NParks will introduce more themed parks, such as the upcoming Xtreme SkatePark in East Coast Park for extreme sports enthusiasts. The overall aim is to provide everyone with a favourite green spot in Singapore’s parks, catering to various lifestyle preferences. Other plans in the pipeline include further integrating space within Singapore’s compact urban landscape by developing an extensive 300km island-wide Park Connector Network by 2015.
Under this vision, one day, the entire island would be transformed into a beautiful tropical garden, within which homes, workplaces, schools, and the entire urban infrastructure would be nestled.