Multi-Functional Green and Blue Spaces

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.

Last updated 22 June 2026

This will optimise land use while enhancing ecological connectivity and liveability as well as meet social and recreational needs.

Green and blue spaces for nature and play

The green and blue spaces that house Singapore's natural habitats also support our recreational needs.

Map of Singapore highlighting nature reserves, parks, marine parks, waterbodies, recreational routes, and future park locations.

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.

Nature parks

Overgrown concrete stairs leading into a lush green forest.

Thomson Nature Park © NParks

These green spaces support our Nature Reserves while offering spaces for recreation. Where feasible, they will be linked with the Nature Corridors identified through the Ecological Profiling Exercise.

Thomson Nature Park is one such example, as a buffer park to the Central Catchment Nature Reserve. It is unique for its rich cultural heritage as the site of a former Hainan village.

Parks

A park path with benches and a circular flower bed under trees and a blue sky.

Pasir Ris Park © NParks

Such inclusive, communal spaces provide residents and communities many recreational opportunities. To meet the diverse lifestyle needs and aspirations of Singaporeans, we will plan for parks amidst new developments to ensure residents have access to green spaces. By 2030, we aim to have all households within a 10-minute walk from a park.

For example, the therapeutic garden at Pasir Ris Park offers a sea view, a fitness area that incorporates play elements and a swale that functions as a naturalized drain.

Park connectors and recreational routes

Two masked people sit on benches, distanced, under a shaded structure near a waterfront.

Round Island Route© NParks

They form an integrated network that connects communities and helps our small island city-state seem many times larger to explore. By 2030, we plan to create a total of 500km of park connectors.

An example is the Round Island Route, a continuous 150km park connector that goes around Singapore.

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.

Map of Singapore showing parks and waterbodies plan for 2019. Green areas indicate parks, blue areas are waterbodies, with pink and green dots indicating projects.

An aerial view showcases a park with a central pond and tree, surrounded by walkways and a lush green landscape.

Alkaff Lake @Bidadari Park © HDB

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.

Artist's impression of a park with a raised wooden walkway, a river, trees, and people.

Sungei Tampines @Tampines Eco Green © PUB

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.

Restoring nature into the urban landscape

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.

Apartment buildings in Singapore. One is covered with greenery.

Tree House Condominium © ADDP Architects

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.

Cityscape view with a modern building featuring a white grid facade, brick accents, and small greenery on each level.

State Court Towers © Finbarr Fallon

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.

Multi-level building with lush green vegetation on rooftops and terraces. Urban landscape with skybridge.

Kampung Admiralty © WOHA Architects

A series of terraced gardens stretches from the third to ninth 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.

Springleaf: building homes for people and nature

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 [PDF, 2.17 MB].

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.

Aerial view of Springleaf's land use plan highlighting parks, residential areas, and conservation zones.

Introducing more nature-based recreation

The retained areas will be turned into the upcoming Nee Soon Nature Park to offer the public access to more nature-based recreation.

Retaining natural assets

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.

Conserving heritage

Modern apartment complex with lush greenery and a pool. People are lounging by the pool.

Heritage landmarks such as the former Seletar Institute and Nee Soon Post Office will be conserved and integrated into future developments.

Developing with sensitivity

Green buildings with plants growing on them, seen through trees. Birds are flying overhead.

The upcoming buildings and developments will be on disturbed grounds and less sensitive areas. Development will also be carried out in phases to maintain ecological resilience and capitalise on new MRT infrastructure.

Conserving biodiversity by design

Building covered in greenery, featuring balconies with people. Lush green trees in the foreground and houses in the distance.

Buildings in the upcoming development will have small footprints to minimise habitat loss, and come with greener facades to minimise bird strikes. There will be pedestrian-friendly developments with green public spaces too. Finally, waterways and drainage infrastructure will integrate features from the Active, Beautiful, Clean Waters (ABC Waters) Programme to maintain hydrological integrity.

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