Greening of Singapore : Building on a Legacy

Singapore Botanic Gardens

Inscribed June 2015
One generation plants the trees… another generation
enjoys its shade.
前人种树 后人乘凉
 714 km sq

Population 5.5m

1 UNESCO World Heritage Site

72 preserved National Monuments
7,500 heritage buildings conserved
 c1859
Size :74 hectares
Core : 49 hectares
6 hectares of virgin rainforest
40 heritage trees

1875 –Site for development of cash crops

for British Empire.
1888 - Site where rubber was researched
Home of the Greening of Singapore *
Singapore Botanic Garden Orchid hybridization programme
founded 1859
Singapore Botanic Gardens
c1880s
Masterplan : a statutory land use plan that
guides Singapore’s development . Reviewed every 5 years
Zoning for land use
- Development Control
- Building Height Plan
- Historical Landscape Improvement plan

Land Management:

PURPLE : Buildings ( Educational )

GREEN : State Land ( National Parks )
BLUE : Sports facilities (Education Ministry)
PALE GREEN : State Land ( National Parks)
DARK BLUE : State Land
CREAM : Private Property ( low rise )
What sustainability do we aim for ?
• To continue original use/ function* of the protected site/ building. OR
identify a new meaningful use
• To retain identified historic aspects - as a nation-wide consciousness
• To be socially responsible
• To promote education of the historic value and encourage awareness and
facilitate participation. Forging common mindshare.

SBG - Today continues its research and educational functions, with orchids
replacing rubber as the focus, and sharing of species with botanical gardens
around the world. Extensions to the Gardens focus on research.
Sustainability Development

Defined as “ development which meets the needs

of the present without compromising the ability
of the future generations to meet their own
needs and aspirations “
- World Commission on Environment and Development

Sustainability will also be impacted by political and ethical commitments - not

merely scientific in nature.
Factors affecting Site
Developmental pressure

Environmental pressure

Natural Disasters ( Lightning ) + Risk Preparedness ( Crisis Management

Plan

Management and Maintenance

Visitors ( 4.4 m prior to inscription, 5m post inscription)

Site Carrying Capacity
Dispersal
-Managing visitor attention

Distraction
-Offering another competing site
Marina Gardens by the Bay

-Offering differentiated
experience over the entire
property Food and Beverage
 Learning Forest
A 10 hectare expansion of the World
Heritage Site of Singapore Botanic
Gardens

“ With time, the forest will be able to enrich

Singapore’s natural heritage “
Development Cost

S$30 million , over 3 years

• 700 plant species ( rare, once extinct )

• Over 200 species of fauna
• Originated in 19th C, site for gambier and pepper
• Regeneration of flora and restoring former habitats
For Kids…
Heritage Gallery
Marina Gardens by the Bay on a total of 101 ha ( 242acre ) of reclaimed land
A haven for over 1.5 million plants of 18,000 plant groups downtown.
A recreational hub . A tourist destination. An Attraction for businesses
 Building on a Legacy

“The gardens will be in a position to generate

“
interest not just for itself but horticultural science
and public education and it would benefit man “
Unesco status adds that extra authority
“ Singaporeans have taken special care of the gardens …
we nurtured it, cultivated it, expanded it and developed the
gardens, not just for leisure and recreation, but also for education
and scientific work “
- Lee Hsien Loong, Prime Minister of Singapore

31 March 2017
The Singapore Botanic Gardens :
More than just a Garden
A site of national pride, with a history of over 158 years.

A leisure site of learning, participation, play, recreation, socialisation,

cultural performance
 Dendrobium Crumenatum

A site that continues its historical role of

Orchid Hybridisation and Conservation
plant ( orchid ) research Programme.
Values that build citizenry - social integration,
promotion of racial harmony
“ … a blighted urban landscape, a concrete jungle destroys the human spirit. We need the
greenery of nature to lift our spirits”
- Lee Kuan Yew
Orchard Road
High density

-major retail malls,

-offices towers,
-hotels,
-residential, mixed -use
condominiums
-Underground train
stations and malls
Nearly 4.5 million visitors to the
Singapore Botanic Gardens

Tourist spending
S$24.8billion in 2016 16.4m tourists in 2016
IMAGING Singapore :
Clean and Green

1963 - Tree-planting Campaign

“ A well tended city indicated to investors and important visitors that

it is a disciplined nation that cared about its maintenance and order “
50% of Singapore is green
1967 Garden City Campaign- Roadside Planting. Over 2million trees todayGardeCampaign-
Ang Mo Kio Town Park
One of 300 parks
 Park and Nature walks
Target 80% of homes in Singapore are within 10 minute walk from a park , to be increased by 90% by 2030

3,600 ha :
2 gazetted
nature reserves ,
17 nature areas

Currently 2,500 ha, with target

addition of 2,000 ha.
Or 0.67 ha per 1,000 persons
 “The soft power of a place or country rises.
People will think Singapore is not just a place to
make money and to shop.
There is culture of world significance.”
Green therapy

2 studies underway

Park Prescription examines the positive effects of physical

actitivity in a park with clinical research

Horticultural Therapy, investigates the effects of parks and

gardening on the mental health of the Elderly
Finally …

The greenery of nature, uplifts our spirits

“..a blighted urban landscape, a concrete jungle destroys the human

spirit. We need the greenery of nature to lift our spirits “
- Lee Kuan Yew
古迹与遗址保存司 (Preservation of Sites and Monuments)
古迹与遗址保存司 (Preservation of Sites and Monuments) 的前
身是于1971年成立的古迹保存局（Preservation of Monuments
Board）。2009年与国家文物局 (National Heritage Board) 合拼，
并于2013年改为古迹与遗址保存司。

角色和职责（Roles and Responsibilities）

重组易名是为了更加突出它保存古迹的职责。根据古迹保存法令，它
肩负了鉴定古迹, 保存和就有关保存遗址和古迹的事宜向政府提供意
见。除此之外，古迹与遗址保存司也负责传播古迹资讯, 推广古迹教
育，以及提供古迹保留, 修复的指导规则和支援。
 Jean Wee
Director
Preservation of Sites
and Monuments

jean_wee@nhb.gov.sg