This chapter provides a review on some of the international and local works that academic scholars have written. The exploratory research can be broadly categorized into two segments. The first segment introduces Singapore’s approach towards parks planning. It gives a description of the history, functions and design of planned parks. The second segment sets to explore some of the complementary services provided within the park as well as to define the main terminologies that would be vital in this research.
2.2 Parks Planning in Singapore
Understanding the concept and approach to parks planning in Singapore is vital in revealing the genesis of complementary offerings and the fundamental role that it plays in Singapore’s green landscape. It
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In the early years of independence, many of the initial plans for open space provisions were largely deferred due to other pressing issues such as rapid population increase and economic stagnation. With pragmatism defining Singapore’s policies during this era, natural areas were cleared to give way to developments that aid in the industrialization of the economy and to construct high-rise public housing (Yuen, 1996).
Neo et al. (2012) had described park development efforts in the early 1960s as “mostly unplanned and cosmetic”. However, this fast-growing ‘concrete jungle’ devoid of greenery has subsequently led to a change in attitude towards open spaces and green spaces (Lee and Chua, 1992). In 1963, a tree-planting day was launched by Singapore’s first Prime Minister which sparked the emphasis for more greenery, foreshadowing the movement towards more emphasis in greenery.
1970s to 2000: Parks Development as Hierarchy
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At the institutional level, the Garden City Action Committee and the Parks and Recreation Department (and subsequently reconstituted as National Parks Board in 1996) was formed in 1973 and 1976 respectively. These statutory organisations were responsible for spearheading the “Garden City” vision and overlooking the greenery and nature reserves in Singapore. At the legislative level, the Parks and Trees Act was enacted in 1975 to provide for the “development, protection and regulation of public parks and gardens and for the preservation and growing of trees and plants”. Such efforts reveals the level of commitment to the “Garden City” vision and the government’s determination to realize it.
Additionally, in the mid-1970s, designed parks became the focal of Singapore’s park development programme. Parks became integral spaces of new township developments where they were introduced in a hierarchy system from precinct garden to neighbourhood park to regional parks (Yuen, 1996). Since its development, the total area of parks and green spaces has increased from 879 ha in 1975 to 9,707 by 2014 and number of parks grew from 13 to 330 within the same period (National Parks Board, 2015). The emphasis on parks bears testimony to inclination to manage and maintain
The more than four hundred locations that are currently recognized as national parks have been set aside because they are considered special places of beauty, character, or uniqueness. Whether visitors come from the natural state or the concrete jungle, the magnificent aesthetics of these sites can cause anyone to be astonished. As they ponder on the wonderful landscapes and the closeness to the wilderness, their souls are nourished. Some people acknowledge the planet or the creator, but all appreciate the splendor of biodiversity and gain a new understanding of it. According to Frye and Nuest, “watching other species and interacting with them helps [people] better understand and appreciate [their] place among them and [their] obligations to other living creatures and the same planetary environment that sustain both [their and the lives of other species]” (54). Furthermore, since these sites have been carefully preserved, they have undergone very little physical or geological change in centuries. The NPS claimed through its website that “by preserving biodiversity, [they] also ensure that future citizens, artists, and explorers of science experience [America’s] lands as the founders of the parks did long ago.” National parks allow visitors to relive scenes from the past and appreciate the nation’s history as expressed in these iconic sites. However,
The main environmental effects of golf courses in Southeast Asia are similar to those all over the world, but lack government regulation like in the United States. These countries do not have a strict Environmental Protection Agency or other NGOs to keep these issues under control. The main problems between the environment and golf course development that will be discussed in this paper include water usage and contamination, deforestation, the use of toxic chemicals and fertilizers, and the importation of non native grasses. The governments of these countries will also be examined, as to how they are dealing with these problems and how, if at all, they are helping their native people. After discussing the problems of Southeast Asia’s golf boom, this synthesis will go into detail about what can be done to help slow down or eliminate many of these problems.
Goddard et al. elaborate on urban green spaces, with a particular emphasis on private gardens. The authors argue that urban green spaces promote biodiversity and also help to mitigate the negative impacts of urbanization. The text stresses that as urbanization increases, so does the importance of urban green space. According to the article, urban growth is occurring at a rapid rate and this is having detrimental impacts on biodiversity. Similar to ideas in William Cronon’s Uncommon ground: Rethinking the human place in nature, Goddard et al. discuss how living in a city might influence how an individual perceives nature. The authors state that city life might create a disconnection from the natural world. The text asserts that urban green spaces
“… It is apparent, then, that we cannot decide the question of development versus preservation by a simple referral to holy writ or an attempt to guess the intention of the founding fathers; we must make up our own minds and decide for ourselves what the national parks should be and what purpose they should serve.”-Edward Abbey, Desert Solitaire
In 2013, there are 15.6 million international visitors arrivals in Singapore (Singapore Tourism Board, 2014). That is three times more than Singapore’s 5.4 million populations as of June 2013 (ref www.singstat.gov.sg). So how did Singapore’s Government contributed to Singapore’s success as a tourism destination, despite its limited resources?
“The National Park Service preserves unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the National Park System for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations. The National
Asia has gone from just 45 golf courses in 1970 to over 500 today (TED Case Studies, 1997). The rapid increase in development also brings a rapid increase in ecological problems. In Southwest Asia ecological apathy includes greens carved out of paddy fields and virgin forests. Development of golf courses also entails clearing vegetation, cutting forests and creating artificial landscapes. These activities lead to land erosion and block the soils ability to retain water (Klein, 1996). Golf courses also need large quantities of pesticides, fertilizers and herbicides, which cause health problems among golfers, workers, and nearby residents. Unfortunately, these numerous problems are overlooked by developers who are often supported by the Asian governments due to the economic rewards from the sport. The low green fees in Asia have increased tourism to these courses as well as increasing the temptation for further golf course development.
Tourism in Singapore is one of the biggest service sectors and attracts millions of the tourists each year. Its cultural attraction reflects its colonial history and Chinese, Malay, Indian and Arab ethnicities. Singapore is environmentally friendly, and maintains natural and heritage conservation programs.
(R. Kaplan, 2001; R. Kaplan & Kaplan, 1989; Purcell & Lamb, 1984; Ulrich, 1986). It means that the larger proportion of natural patch area may promote environmental preference in urban settings (van Den Berg, Hartig, & Staats, 2007). Additionally, significant positive correlations are found between landscape preferences and landscape heterogeneity and diversity (Dramstad et al., 2006; Franco, Franco, Mannino, & Zanetto, 2003; Lee et al., 2008; Palmer, 2004). Their findings suggested that the landscapes which function ecologically (e.g. less fragmented and more heterogeneous) are more attractive (Forman, 1995; Lee et al., 2008). For instance, urban residents are more likely to be satisfied with their neighborhood environments when these environments contain large connected tree patches which are considered function better ecologically (Lee et al., 2008). However, some researchers held the opposing opinions referring to the relationships between ecological landscape and human preference (Gobster, 1994; Steinitz, 1990). Parsons (1995) suggested that ecologically sustainable environments are perceived to be less attractive. Steinitz (1990) has conducted a study in a U.S. national park and observed significant conflicts between visual preference and landscape sustainability. However, little empirical work has been reported the similar findings for urban green spaces or
Parks are defined by the Cambridge English dictionary as “a large area of land with grass and trees, usually surrounded by fences or walls, and specially arranged so that people can walk in it for pleasure or children can play in it”. Parks can have many types as well as scales corresponding to the type of park and type of activity carried out in it.
The last was the welcoming of the education. In the early days of Singapore, the country was doing a lot of manufacturing and assembling goods. This particular industry grew stagnant around 1960’s at around 12% of the GDP. Also during this time the post-war baby boom and free immigration policies resulted in a population growth of around 4.4% annually and that got paired with an unemployment rate that grew to 9.2% around 1966. This made the government realize that rising unemployment rate was a problem that needed solving urgently. Because of the lack of resources, the government also knew that human capital was going to be its biggest resource and thus in order to shift to an export economy an education system had to be put in place.
Shatkin, G. (January 01, 2014). Reinterpreting the Meaning of the ‘Singapore Model’: State Capitalism and Urban Planning. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 38, 1, 116-137.
The various amount of plants within a garden provides clean, suitable oxygen in the atmosphere. The beautiful attraction created by the physical appearance of a garden will make a neighborhood seem more attractive, friendly, and a wise place to live. They also donate to the economic value of local neighborhoods (Martin). Empty places within a community, such as vacant lots, could be an excellent location for raising a garden. Instead of abandoning these small areas, local neighbors can assist one another in making a beautiful scenery that would appeal to the attention of others. Community gardens can then play as an important factor in the representation of the quality of the
Singapore has to maintain social cohesion, economic progress and military strength in order to maintain the standard of living, quality of life and defence. These factors also determined the future, for example having a good defence even though the size of the nation is small is very important in order to prepare the nation in wars and
Looking back on the history of Singapore its hard not to sit back and rivet at all the progression and improvement that have made Singapore a more relaxing and astonishing haven and must-see destination. Starting chronologically, from the Sanskrit words “simha” (lion) and “pura” (city) Singapore or Singapura, the “lion City” shows the rich history and the beginning of a new era that Singapore went through, and describes the city-state and the city life of people whom live or visit Singapore. We then move into how the city-state flourished as a trading post for a lot of sea vessels, which include Chinese junks, Portuguese battleships, and Indian vessels. The nineteenth century was an important time for Singapore because it was when modern Singapore was founded. On January 29, 1819 Sir Thomas Raffles (the...