NParks will develop Destination Parks for Singapore: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the opening of Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park

Design a park, anyone?
Making Singapore an inclusive society can start with ideas for new parks, says PM
By Rachel Chang, The Straits Times, 18 Mar 2012

There is a part of Kallang River that now runs through Bishan Park.

Previously encased in a concrete canal at the edge of the park, it now meanders through the greenery, teeming with fish that tantalise aspiring young fishermen.

Against this backdrop of the rejuvenated 24-year-old park, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong yesterday announced that change will come to three other parks too: Admiralty Park, East Coast Park and Jurong Lake Park.

But this time, it will be Singaporeans who decide what these 'Destination Parks', as the National Parks Board (NParks) has termed them, will become.

'Help us co-create our national plans,' urged Mr Lee, also an MP for Ang Mo Kio GRC, at the opening of the redeveloped park, renamed Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park, yesterday.



The three new Destination Parks in the northern, eastern and western parts of Singapore, will become green hubs, and could feature unique elements such as giant slides and adventure playgrounds that are not usually found in public parks.

But these are mere suggestions from NParks to start the ball rolling. 'Share with the National Parks your ideas,' said Mr Lee. 'What do you want to see in your parks? More facilities for old people? More slides for young people? More nature (or) food and drink options?'

'Not just ideas for the physical landscape but for developing an open and neighbourly culture,' he added.

'Let's work hard to make this a truly inclusive society.'

In fact, NParks is announcing the new initiative earlier than usual, precisely because it is determined to use public feedback to shape the parks, said its chief executive Poon Hong Yuen yesterday.

What each Destination Park will finally contain, how much redevelopment it will undergo, and even what the budget is, have yet to be decided, he said. There may even be more than three in the end, if the public so desires.

NParks is planning to complete the initiative in three to five years, stretching to 10, if more parks are built.

It will go on a massive public engagement drive in the next six months, involving roadshows and focus-group sessions.

Members of the public can also share their views at www.nparks.gov.sg/ciag.

The initiative is part of the Govenment's commitment to make Singapore the 'best home', said PM Lee yesterday.

'After all, Singapore is not just defined by tall buildings or skylines, or even exciting events like F1,' he said. 'But rather by the places where we grew up, the people we meet daily and the community spaces we enjoy together.'

It is especially important to improve the living environment in the heartland through projects like upgrading homes and transport networks, as that is where 'we raise our families, forge new memories and strengthen our emotional ties'.

The Government, he added, 'cannot do this alone; all of us must take ownership of our shared home'.

Mr Lee cited examples of active citizenry already taking place around the green spaces in Singapore. For instance, a volunteer group known as the 'Friends of Kallang River @ Bishan Park' patrols it on weekends and cleans it up quarterly.

'I hope to see many more such examples because Singapore is our home and it's up to all of us to make the best of it.'



Members of the public yesterday welcomed the Destination Parks initiative.

Architect Felicia Ow, 28, said she hoped they would become places unlike anywhere else in Singapore. 'Then people would definitely travel there for the experience, like what Punggol is now.'

'I think it's good to make the parks more interesting,' said fast-food restaurant worker Ng Choon Lui, 56. 'But I also hope that the parks do not become so built up with structures that we lose the feeling of greenery all around and open spaces, because that's why my friends and I go to the park.'

Parks should be green destinations
Editorial, The Straits Times, 27 Mar 2012

ENCOURAGINGLY, the National Parks Board (NParks) has received some 4,000 suggestions so far in the public consultation for its City in a Garden programme. Such public interest bodes well for community engagement efforts here. One-third of the ideas were on parks. NParks had rightly asked citizens to be involved in shaping what it calls 'destination' parks, modelled on the rejuvenated Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park. Response would not seem a problem for a process which regards park users as the chief stakeholders in community spaces. The hope must be that the quality of proposals will surprise even the park planners. Besides input from trade professionals like landscapists and recreation providers, what residents want of 'their' neighbourhood patch should, where feasible, be included in the final design. MPs and residents' committees ought to canvas the people, besides the roadshows and focus groups NParks is organising.

Destination parks are still green lungs, however, whatever the nomenclature. NParks should sift out suggestions that would turn them into something other than parkland that is necessary for community leisure, while also softening the asphalt and concrete. Apart from some beachland in Changi and East Coast, Singaporeans do not have hills and salubrious woods to flee to when they wish to unwind or to commune with nature. The green spaces that dot the island are their only escape that is free and health-promoting; unlike, say, cruising shopping malls for the recycled cool air. It is important to not build over all available open spaces as the trees and grass bestow a calming effect that makes workaday living that bit more bearable.

NParks deserves praise for ceaselessly improving access and park features, as in Bishan, while working on new facilities like the park connector and a 150km round-island green corridor for cycling and running. The first destination parks to be developed - Admiralty, East Coast and Jurong Lake - will obviously be designed around their dominant features. Admiralty's hilly terrain is suitable for recreation, while Jurong Lake lends itself to water adventure themes. East Coast Park can make more of the sea frontage.

The amount of space devoted to parkland in land-scarce Singapore has been an inspired choice of the early political leaders. Despite the urbanisation, satellite photos show that nearly half of the island is now swathed in greenery compared with 36 per cent in the mid-1980s, says NParks. Stress levels among the people could possibly be higher but for the greening.