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SINGAPORE – Singaporeans can look forward to 130 hectares of new parks over the next six years, as part of a broader effort to make Singapore’s urban environment greener and more sustainable.
In addition to the new parks, it will also focus more on creating energy efficient buildings. Research and development (R&D) efforts related to sustainability will also intensify, as part of a long-term strategy to build a more livable city, National Development Minister Desmond Lee said on Thursday (March 4). , during a debate on the government. sustainability plans.
“Given our strict land limitations, we must find innovative ways to weave nature into our urban fabric more intensely. And even when faced with development pressures, we must strive to protect our most ecologically important areas,” he said .
To intensify vegetation in urban areas, around 1,000ha of green space will be added across the island over the next 10-15 years, as set out in the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) 2019 master plan, Lee said in response. to Ms. Nadia Samdin (Ang Mo Kio GRC) who had requested an update on these efforts.
This includes 130ha of new parks and the remodeling of another 170ha of existing parks over the next six years. These parks will feature more exuberant vegetation and natural landscapes.
By the end of 2026, there will be more than 300ha of such parks, almost four times the size of the Singapore Botanic Gardens.
Singapore will also reserve 50% more land for nature parks, providing about 200 hectares of new nature parks by 2030, Lee said.
The park’s connector network will also be expanded along with new recreational routes across the island, to form 500 km by 2030.
By 2030, all homes will be within a 10-minute walk of a park.
Strengthening Singapore’s green connectivity remains a priority, Lee said in response to points raised by Ms Nadia and MP-nominee Koh Lian Pin.
He noted that the Ministry of National Development is developing a more complete picture of the island’s ecosystem and the connectivity of green and blue spaces. “(This is) so that we can better consider how specific sites connect to our cores, buffers and corridors in nature.”
Mr. Lee also spoke about the Kranji forest that was mistakenly logged without approval, reiterating that the wildlife baseline study is underway and the result will be made public when it is ready, along with the strengthening of the framework for Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).
“Given the limitations of Singapore’s land, we will not be able to keep all of our wastelands with undeveloped vegetation. As a city-state, we must attend to everything a country needs within our city limits,” he said.
However, he noted that the Government adopts a number of strategies to make good use of existing land and will continue to involve stakeholders, including the public and the nature community, in long-term land use planning. .
Lee also unveiled the fourth edition of Singapore’s Green Building Master Plan, with three key targets to be met by 2030.
First, 80% of all buildings by gross floor area (GFA) will be green, up from 43% today.
Second, 80 percent of all new GFA developments will be classified as very low energy buildings. These buildings will achieve at least a 60% improvement in energy efficiency compared to 2005 levels.
Third, best-in-class green buildings will see an 80% improvement in energy efficiency compared to 2005 levels.
Housing Board cities are also on track to go greener under HDB’s Green Cities Program. HDB’s 10-year plan to cool HDB cities, reduce energy consumption and recycle rainwater was announced in last year’s budget debate.
More than 5,700 HDB blocks are on track to be installed with solar panels in the next two to three years, Lee said. Urban agriculture tenders have also been awarded in nine HDB multi-storey car parks, with more being prepared.
Mixed-use green districts, such as the upcoming Jurong Lake District, will function as demonstration projects and will also serve as a testing ground for innovative urban solutions.
To this end, R&D is a vital part of Singapore’s long-term strategy for urban sustainability, Mr. Lee noted.
The Cities of Tomorrow R&D Program, a multi-agency effort launched in 2017 to identify the challenges cities face and develop solutions to address them, will extend its efforts for another five years.
For example, HDB and the National University of Singapore are exploring urban designs that harness solar heat to help create natural drafts to cool the environment and minimize the use of air conditioning in homes.
Said Mr. Lee: “Sustainability is a marathon that we cannot run alone. We must be in it for the long term, to be responsible stewards not only of our children, but of their children after them.”
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