SINGAPORE:
A CITY IN A GARDEN
After five decades of active tree planting, and building
parks and park connectors all over the island, Singapore
is internationally known for being clean and green.
In spite of space constraints, the greenery in Singapore
has not diminished even with our increasing population
and urbanisation. Between 1986 and 2007, despite the
population expanding by 68 per cent from 2.7 million
to 4.6 million, the green cover in Singapore has grown
from 36 per cent to 47 per cent.
Through the National Parks Board (NParks), MND aims
to transform Singapore from a ‘Garden City’ into a ‘City
in a Garden’ – a dynamic city with pervasive greenery,
thriving biodiversity, and a passionate green community.
Planting the First Green Seed
In the 1960s, Singapore's first Prime
Minister Lee Kuan Yew envisioned
Singapore as a Garden City in the heart
of Asia. He pioneered efforts to green the
island, recognising that greenery would
help soften the harshness of urbanisation,
improve people’s quality of life and attract
international investment.
Singapore’s first tree-planting campaign
was launched in 1963. Within a year, some
15,000
trees of 50 varieties were planted.
Within five years, that number grew to
almost one million.
The initial focus was to green up the island
as quickly as possible, with plantings on
retaining walls, pedestrian overhead
bridges, viaducts and car parks. Open
spaces were turned into parks and gardens,
most of which were close to the city and
residential neighbourhoods. Flowering
plants and fruit trees were subsequently
planted to add more colour to Singapore’s
burgeoning landscape.
Today, our network of gardens, parks,
nature reserves, park connectors and tree-
lined roads has made living in Singapore
more pleasant and relaxing.
City in a Garden
Singapore is being transformed froma Garden
City into a City in a Garden. We aspire towards
living in a home within a garden, rather than
just having a garden outside one’s home.
To achieve this vision, NParks has embarked
on extensive public engagement efforts to
gather ideas and suggestions. This has the
dual aim of fostering a sense of ownership
among residents, as well as helping to ensure
the sustainability of this vision.
Establishing World-Class Gardens
As Singapore enters the next phase of
its greening campaign, there are several
exciting projects and initiatives in the pipeline.
One such project is Gardens by the Bay.
31
An Endearing Home,
A Distinctive Global City
