How Singapore became the greenest metropolis on the planet
Singapore is the most controversial city in the world. Here, incredible futuristic buildings made of glass, metal and concrete are organically combined with parks and gardens. And some buildings themselves look like multi-storey greenhouses that exist contrary to the laws of nature. Landscaping in the "lion city" is not just a way to make the metropolis bright and attractive for residents and guests. Ecology has become an integral part of state policy in it, and this is felt everywhere.
Singapore is able to satisfy the needs of tourists with absolutely any preferences. This is a fantastic city of the future, where there is a place for ancient traditions and you can enjoy the riot of tropical nature. For whatever purpose you visit this city, you will certainly notice how harmonious and natural everything is in it.
The city is surrounded by greenery and fragrant with flowers. Otters walk freely through its streets, and forest birds sing on the central streets. Miracles begin right at Changi Airport. There, guests are greeted by a huge artificial waterfall surrounded by five tiers of a blooming garden.
The greening of Singapore began back in 1967. They took up the matter seriously and immediately made it a task of national importance. The basis of the city-state policy was the search for a balance between urbanization and nature conservation. Parks, gardens and nature reserves appeared one after another in the city. Today they occupy about half of the territory of the metropolis.
But more than 350 city parks attract tourists to buildings turned into gardens. Singapore has a strict law according to which the developer must plant as many trees as he destroyed during construction. Of course, plantings are placed on the buildings themselves, and not only on the roofs. Citizens no longer need legislative acts — they plant even more plants than they used to.
A good example was the Park Royal on Pickering Hotel. There are 2 times more trees and shrubs planted in his park than there were at this place before. To accommodate a huge garden with an area of more than 15 thousand square meters, terraces were erected. In addition, there are lakes with islands, streams and even waterfalls on the territory of the hotel. A lot of attention is paid to vertical landscaping covering part of the building.
It seems that the "lion city" can no longer become greener. But in 2021, the grandiose project "Green Plan until 2030" was launched. It provides for the planting of at least 1 million more trees and an increase in the total area of parks by 50 percent! According to calculations, by 2035 Singapore will have another 1,000 hectares more green areas.
After the completion of the new stage of landscaping, it will be possible to walk from any residential building or hotel in Singapore to the nearest park in just 10 minutes. But that's not all. The city authorities have set themselves another important goal. By 2026, the amount of garbage per capita will be reduced by 20 percent.
By 2030, it is planned to increase the length of bike paths to 1,320 km. This is three times more than it has been laid to date. The number of charging points for electric vehicles will increase from 28,000 to 60,000. The city will not only become the cleanest in Southeast Asia, but will also turn into a regional center for the search for eco-friendly businesses.