Singapore's Greening Journey

What started out as an innovative way to maximise the use of underutilised land is now a permanent fixture across Singapore, known as Park Connectors. Mr Yeo Meng Tong, Associate Director of the Centre for Urban Greenery & Ecology (CUGE), is a landscape architect who was part of the team that pioneered the idea of the Park Connector Network shares how it was conceptualised and how it has evolved in our City in Nature.

Reflecting on the 60 years of greening Singapore, Dr Chang Siow Foong, Director General of the Animal & Veterinary Service (AVS) shares how far we have come as an urban ecosystem – greenery, animals and the community in a City in Nature. With AVS becoming a cluster of NParks, this has helped to sharpen the science-based approach to managing animals in Singapore, and emphasise how the community plays a key role in upholding animal welfare.

Many experiments were undertaken to result in the prevalent urban greenery we see in Singapore today. Mr Chuah Hock Seong is a trained horticulturalist who helped realise Singapore’s early vision of a Garden City. He speaks about how the Centre for Urban Greenery and Ecology (CUGE) has worked alongside the landscape industry to green up Singapore.

Ms Kannagi G, Director for Development Management, who has dedicated her life’s work to developing parks reflects on how they have evolved over time. Citing her involvement in Thomson Nature Park, she shared why her involvement in developing parks for the community means so much to her.

The Singapore Botanic Gardens is a leading botanical institute and plays an important role in the research and conservation of local plant species. Prof Tan Puay Yok, Group Director of the Singapore Botanic Gardens speaks about the Gardens’ Herbarium, where some of the region’s oldest plant specimens are stored and the Seed Bank, a stronghold of seeds native to Southeast Asia.