Singapore to transform into greener city within 10 years
Singapore will transform into a greener city in the next 10 years with more plant life and nature integrated into urbanised areas, in a move to change it from a "city in a garden" to a "city in nature".
In announcing the new vision yesterday, Second Minister for National Development Desmond Lee said the project is strategic as it will enhance and extend Singapore's natural capital.
"(It will) provide Singaporeans with a better quality of life, while co-existing with our flora and fauna. Indeed, with climate change, more extreme weather conditions, increased urbanisation, we must do more," he told Parliament during the debate on his ministry's budget.
Work on it will be carried out by the National Parks Board (NParks) in four key steps, he added.
These are: Extending the nature park network, intensifying nature in gardens and parks, restoring nature into the built environment, and strengthening connectivity between Singapore's green spaces.
The nature park network, which covers 350 ha, will get an additional 200 ha by 2030.
NEW GARDENS, PARKS
Nature lovers can also expect 140 ha of new gardens and parks in the next five years. These parks will have more greenery with natural landscape designs and a wider variety of plants.
Waterways and waterbodies in parks will also be naturalised. Thirty therapeutic gardens designed for seniors and those with such conditions as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and dementia will also be built by 2030.
The new move will also see more greenery in urban areas.
Singapore now has 115km of nature ways, which are the forest-like structures and green corridors along the roads. NParks aims to have an additional 185km of nature ways by 2030.
There will also be more greenery in the industrial estates, with another 100,000 trees to be planted in Tuas Industrial Estate and Seletar Aerospace Park, among others.
Connectivity between Singapore's green spaces will be increased as well.
Singapore has 340km of park connectors islandwide and this will be increased to 500km by 2030.
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