URA announces plan to double high-rise greenery by 2030

There could be more urban farms, rooftop gardens and solar panels sprouting up across Singapore, as city planners redouble efforts to make the city more green.

Currently, there are some 100ha of high-rise greenery - which refers to plants covering building exteriors - islandwide. The target is to double this by 2030.

To get there, developers will be given more options in replacing lost greenery from a site during the development process, announced the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) yesterday.

Currently, they can do so only through landscaping options within the building or by creating sky terraces and gardens on rooftops.

Going forward, the new features such as urban farms and communal gardens on rooftops will contribute towards the landscape replacement requirements.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of GreenUrbanScape Asia, a three-day conference on landscape and design, Second Minister for National Development Desmond Lee said: "Such features have been gaining popularity in our urban landscape as many Singaporeans have a keen interest in farming and gardening."

The enhancements aim to encourage landscaping on walls and roofs that not only beautifies buildings, but also provides visual relief to passers-by and cools the ambient temperature, said a URA statement.

The changes come under the Landscaping for Urban Spaces and High-Rises (Lush) programme which was launched in 2009 to incentivise developers and building owners to integrate greenery. - Additional reporting by Raffaella Nathan Charles

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