Awareness around the world regarding the environment we live in has led to a push for ‘urban rewilding’ – allowing nature to make a comeback in cities around the world. None more so than Singapore, a city committed to a green vision that blends nature and architecture seamlessly and on quite a grand scale. If you ever stop through Singapore, even if you’re just passing through the airport, where they have the breathtaking ‘Jewel’ at Changi Airport, I urge you to stop and marvel at the work being done to create a ‘City in Nature’.
Singapore is committed to planting a million trees by 2030 to help mitigate, among other things, the Urban Heat Island effect and eliminate so-called ‘dead zones’ within the city. Trees in particular provide numerous benefits such as improving air and water quality, along with restoring urban habitats that have been devastated over previous decades. The goal being to strengthen an ecological connectivity that has health and life-boosting qualities for everyone.
These urban dead zones are increasingly being converted to lush community spaces where biodiversity is encouraged and mini ecosystems established. Singapore is but one example of where they are using their expertise to bring nature into everyday life, using urban rewilding to create nature-rich zones, often green walls or green roofs on buildings, and making sure every household is within a 10-minute walk to a park or other green zone. Seems like everyone should have that same ability!
Trees are just brilliant at lowering ambient temperatures in urban environments and make for a more comfortable living space for us all, whether it’s to work, play or just life in general. Why not use some inspiration from Singapore and think about your own urban space?
Image source: On a Camel’s Back
