Missed out on other MND news over the past couple of months? Here’s a sampling of some of the more significant developments.
Sungei Buloh receives $50 million makeover
Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve will receive a $50 million makeover for a new 38-ha extension named the Sungei Buloh Wetland Park, which aims to attract more casual visitors, while leaving the main reserve area for researchers, serious nature lovers and bird watchers. Visitors can get closer to nature through new facilities such as observation hides and coastal boardwalks. Officiating at the launch of the Sungei Buloh Masterplan Public Exhibtion, Senior Minister of State for National Development Grace Fu also announced that Singapore and Johor will be conducting a joint study to develop a cross-border attraction and promote eco-tourism. This involves linking up Singapore’s Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve and three sites in Johor, namely Sungai Pulai, Pulau Kukup and Tanjong Piai.
URA bagged prestigious international award for its transformation of Southern Ridges
The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) has won the prestigious international award, the Urban Land Institute (ULI) Awards for Excellence 2010: Asia Pacific, for its transformation of the Southern Ridges. Opened in May 2008, the Southern Ridges is a 9-kilometre chain of green and open spaces connecting all the hill parks, namely the Mount Faber Park, Telok Blangah Hill Park, Kent Ridge Park and West Coast Park, increasing the accessibility to more areas there. The jury, comprising renowned real estate professionals, planners and architects, described the Southern Ridges as an “innovative concept”, which “creates a rare contiguous recreational space in the densely populated city state and has moved the concept of green links and neighbourhood parks to a new level". The Southern Ridges have been visited by more than a million people since its opening.
The Pinnacle@Duxton: Best Tall Building in Asia and Australasia
The Pinnacle@Duxton, the Housing Development Board (HDB)’s 50-storey public housing project in Tanjong Pagar, has been named Asia and Australasia’s ‘Best Tall Building’ by the Chicago-based Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. The residential building project, which offers panoramic views from its sky gardens, was named alongside Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, which won the same accolade for the Middle East and Africa region. According to the Council, winners are selected based on design innovations, sustainable attributes and enhancement to the city and inhabitants.
Check your windows now
Under a recent public education campaign by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) and the Housing and Development Board (HDB), homeowners were urged to play a bigger role in ensuring the maintenance of their windows by performing checks at least once every six months on “Window Safety Day” on 6 Jun and 12 Dec. Besides posters, radio and print advertisements, table-top stickers at coffee shops, brochures, and attention-grabbing glass door stickers, the social media platform, Facebook, was also used for the first time to promote the windows safety message. The page has attracted some 450 fans since its launch in May. Check out these websites to learn more about window safety and obtain some handy maintenance tips: http://www.bca.gov.sg/windows_safety or http://www.hdb.gov.sg/windows_safety.
Singapore and China to develop a food zone in Jilin
Singapore and China are collaborating to develop a 1,450 square kilometre food zone in Jilin, China. Besides benefiting the Jilin rural community and enhancing China’s reputation as an international producer of safe quality food, this food zone project will strengthen Singapore’s food supply resilience, which is aligned with its food source diversification strategy. The Singapore’s Agri-food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) has also signed an agreement with Jilin to develop a disease-free zone (DFZ) to ensure that the agricultural production, food processing and exports are free of foot-and-mouth disease. National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan said that this would bring about a “win-win” situation for both countries.