Ms Priscylla Shaw, NParks Board Member;
Dr Aline Wong, Chairman, HDB;
Distinguished Guests;
Ladies and Gentlemen,

From Garden City to City in the Garden

The reputation of Singapore as a Garden City is well established. However, we cannot stand still, and we are not. Our vision now is to transform our Garden City into a City in the Garden.

2. NParks has worked out a three-pronged approach.

3. First, to upgrade the horticulture skills and professional knowledge in the industry. We will develop and re-develop workers’ skills, put in place a comprehensive skills certification system, and re-design jobs.

4. Second, to strive for higher standards of horticultural excellence through the development of a second national garden at the Marina downtown, and the hosting of major international garden shows. These will further strengthen the standing of Singapore in the global botanical and landscaping community.

5. Last but not least, to enhance our green capital and infrastructure comprising parks, park connectors, greenery, and nature areas.

Enhancing our Green Capital

6. This is probably the most fundamental of the three thrusts. For Singapore to become a City in the Garden, we will need to have more greens and better gardens. NParks already has plans to develop and enhance some 20 parks by 2010 - such as developing an orchard park at Sengkang, and re-developing the East and West Coast Parks.

7. Having more pockets of greenery scattered all over the island is necessary, but not enough to transform our Garden City into a City in the Garden. We need to link them all up for Singapore to become a Garden of Gardens. Several major initiatives are now underway.

Park Connector Network

8. The first way to link up our parks is through the Park Connector Network. By 2015, our present parks and new ones, all over the island, will be linked by some 170 km of park connectors.

Streetscape Greenery Masterplan

9. Besides park connectors, the greenery of our streetscape is another major green connector. The Streetscape Greenery Master Plan, SGMP in short, is our blueprint to intensify greenery along existing streetscapes. The pilot phase of SGMP will be implemented over 2 years, along 165 roads in the city, our housing estates, and major arterial roads. The park connector and streetscape greenery will add to our green capital at the ground level.

Skyrise Greening

10. However, given that Singapore is a high-rise city, having pervasive greenery at ground level is good, but still not good enough. High-rise developments, with their glass, steel, and concrete surfaces, could still portray the perception of a concrete jungle in our garden city.

11. This is where an intensified Skyrise Greening effort will come in useful. Skyrise Greenery up there, together with park connectors and streetscape greenery down on the ground, is our innovative and holistic approach to truly achieve our vision of a City in the Garden - a three dimensional and seamlessly integrated garden of Singapore.

12. I am glad that the various agencies have already put the concept of Skyrise Greening into action. URA has recently reviewed its guidelines on sky terrace to provide developers with additional gross floor area. This will serve as an incentive to help offset the cost of constructing sky terraces. This will benefit both the developers and the community at large.

Pilot Green Roof Project

13. To bring the concept of Skyrise Greenery even closer to our homes, HDB and NParks have also conducted a pilot Green Roof Project. This project, situated on the rooftop of a multi-storey carpark at Punggol Housing Estate, involves the first large-scale test of green roof technology in Singapore. The aim is to create self-sustaining plant communities to help minimise maintenance.

14. This approach, which originated in temperate countries, has already been implemented in some regions. In North America, Japan and parts of Europe, the green roof is gaining wide acceptance. I was told that about 14% of the total flat roof surface in Germany has been installed with green roofs.

15. Given our dense built-up environment with numerous high-rise buildings, there is immense potential for green roofs in Singapore as well. The pilot project has shown that green roofs can also help to reduce surface and ambient temperatures, and glare off the roofs in our estates. They also introduce biodiversity to a barren concrete environment and soften the otherwise harsh surroundings. The lightweight components also make it possible to be installed on many existing roofs without having to structurally retrofit the roofs.

16. With the experience gained from the pilot project, we are ready to do more. For a start, HDB will be working with NParks to introduce green roofs on existing multi-storey carparks in some of the HDB estates, such as Sengkang and Punggol, over the next few years. Over time, we can expect to see more and more green roofs to complement our ground level greenery to enhance the overall green capital in our living environment.

17. I strongly invite you to take a closer look at the technology and potential of Skyrise Greenery. Take full advantage of the seminar today to gain a broader and deeper understanding of this exciting and novel initiative. We are an early adopter of rooftop greening in our region. By staying ahead, our industry players can capitalise on market opportunities here to help transform Singapore into not only a City in the Garden, but also a global leader in Skyrise Greenery.

Thank you.

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