Our green and blue spaces can serve a variety of uses through creative design, integration with the urban environment and shaping them with the community. This will optimise land use while enhancing ecological connectivity and liveability as well as meet social and recreational needs.
The green and blue spaces that house Singapore's natural habitats also support our recreational needs.
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We will protect our core ecological areas by developing buffer parks and gardens around them for the public to enjoy for as long as possible. More naturalistic landscapes to attract biodiversity and enhance ecological connections will also be introduced through processes such as rewilding. We will continue to partner the community in the design.
Our green and blue spaces will also be better integrated to provide leisure spaces for use during dry weather while managing stormwater during wet weather.
This waterbody will be integrated within the new Bidadari Park to serve as a stormwater retention pond to slow down and reduce stormwater runoff into the drainage system during a heavy storm, thus reducing flood risks.
It is also designed with terrace wetlands and a cascading creek to help channel and cleanse stormwater run-off from the park before it discharges into Alkaff Lake. During dry weather, the banks of the lake and viewing decks will be a communal space for the public
This project demonstrates how a utilitarian canal is being integrated with the surrounding landscape to create multi-functional blue-green spaces for the public to enjoy.
Besides widening and deepening of the canal to serve the new HDB residential estates, the design for Sungei Tampines incorporates a naturalised bank on one side to seamlessly integrate with the adjacent Tampines Eco Green to create additional communal and recreational spaces and enhance the overall liveability of the environment.
Adding greenery to our urban structures and settings, we create mini habitats for wildlife that serve as connections between key habitats while enhancing the living environment.
As we review the current Landscaping for Urban Spaces and High-Rises (LUSH) scheme in partnership with our stakeholders – industry, nature groups, academics and relevant agencies – we are exploring introducing guidelines for ecologically-sensitive development that can enhance ecological connectivity between key habitats with urban greenery.
The residential development’s 24-storey-high green wall holds the Guinness World Record as the largest one in the world. It acts as a bio-shield on the west-facing end of the building, harnessing the sun for vegetation growth and blocking solar radiation heating.
There are no glazed facades around the court tower. Instead, the courtrooms face an open setting surrounded by lush greenery in the sky. Visitors can enjoy the calming greenery in the sky terraces and gardens en route to the courtrooms.
A series of terraced gardens stretches from the 3rd to 9th storey, acting as a communal green space for this ‘vertical kampung’. This development also integrates green and blue infrastructure, interweaving its lush landscaping with a water collection and filtration system, rain garden and eco-pond.
The upcoming estate balances development with nature conservation using an approach that is sensitive to biodiversity.
Singapore’s last primary freshwater swamp forest, the Springleaf Forest, is home to a variety of native flora and fauna, and is a critical area along the Ecological Corridor. In the Master Plan 2019, part of the land around Sungei Seletar was safeguarded as a green space.
To balance development needs with nature conservation in Springleaf, we undertook the following:
Understanding the Site
An environmental baseline study was conducted in 2018 to better understand the ecological context of Springleaf district. It uncovered the rich biodiversity and variety of landscapes within the area.
Engaging Stakeholders
Industry experts, academics and nature and heritage groups were consulted early in the planning phase.
Exploring New Approaches
A multi-disciplinary team, including ecologists and landscape architects, was engaged to explore ways to develop sensitively. These ideas were then reviewed via an Environmental Impact Assessment in 2020 to understand their potential consequences and how development should proceed. Find out more about these ideas and their potential environmental impacts here.
In response to findings from the baseline study, a larger green area in the Springleaf district will be safeguarded than originally planned for. This will protect its rich biodiversity and strengthen the ecological connectivity along the Khatib Nature Corridor.
The new mixed-use development will also be built to take into account its heritage and natural environment.
The retained areas will be turned into the upcoming Nee Soon Nature Park to offer the public access to more nature-based recreation.
Significant Conservation Areas and their immediate surroundings will be kept to protect sensitive habitats. In addition, new habitats will be created and ecological connectivity between existing habitats will be enhanced through targeted tree planting.