Singapore: A Clean and Green City From “Garden City” to a “City in a Garden”
Singapore: A Clean and Green City
From “Garden City” to a “City in a Garden”
Introduction
Singapore is a city-state with a land area of about 710 km2i. It is one of the most densely populated countries in the world and yet, harbours rich natue biodiversity. Singapore is well recognized as the world’s greenest city. According to the 2011 Asian Green City Indexii, Singapore is Asia’s greenest metropolis, and the only city assessed to perform well above average in the overall rankings. The Singaporean government has championed a series of green initiatives in order to maintain its image as a green city since 1963. This year, 2013, marks 50 years of greening for Singapore. The City in a Garden that Singaporean enjoy today, with its vibrant parks, lush tree-lined roads, and thriving biodiversity shows Singapore’s dedication and commitment in uplifting the quality of our living environment. Although Hong Kong and Singapore score more or less the same on most parameters, Singapore stands out in the quality of life factoriii. About 3,318 hectares of Singapore’s land space is devoted to greeneryiv. This essay attempts to explore why and how Singapore's greening policies have developed, with provision of the historical background Singapore’s greening initiatives. Then I will account for the idea of skyrise greenery in Singapore. This paper will argue that Singapore’s greening policies are related to city branding in addition to environmental concerns.
Historical Background
The Vision for Garden City Singapore’s greening journey kicked off in 1963 when Former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew set a vision to transform Singapore into a Garden City – a clean and green city that enhances the quality of urban environmentv. The ‘garden city’ was set to tackle increasing urbanization pressure faced by the self-contained island statevi after the city declaring independence. Noting Singapore’s high building density, the City Garden aimed to deter Singapore from becoming a concrete
From “Garden City” to a “City in a Garden”
Introduction
Singapore is a city-state with a land area of about 710 km2i. It is one of the most densely populated countries in the world and yet, harbours rich natue biodiversity. Singapore is well recognized as the world’s greenest city. According to the 2011 Asian Green City Indexii, Singapore is Asia’s greenest metropolis, and the only city assessed to perform well above average in the overall rankings. The Singaporean government has championed a series of green initiatives in order to maintain its image as a green city since 1963. This year, 2013, marks 50 years of greening for Singapore. The City in a Garden that Singaporean enjoy today, with its vibrant parks, lush tree-lined roads, and thriving biodiversity shows Singapore’s dedication and commitment in uplifting the quality of our living environment. Although Hong Kong and Singapore score more or less the same on most parameters, Singapore stands out in the quality of life factoriii. About 3,318 hectares of Singapore’s land space is devoted to greeneryiv. This essay attempts to explore why and how Singapore's greening policies have developed, with provision of the historical background Singapore’s greening initiatives. Then I will account for the idea of skyrise greenery in Singapore. This paper will argue that Singapore’s greening policies are related to city branding in addition to environmental concerns.
Historical Background
The Vision for Garden City Singapore’s greening journey kicked off in 1963 when Former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew set a vision to transform Singapore into a Garden City – a clean and green city that enhances the quality of urban environmentv. The ‘garden city’ was set to tackle increasing urbanization pressure faced by the self-contained island statevi after the city declaring independence. Noting Singapore’s high building density, the City Garden aimed to deter Singapore from becoming a concrete