Why heartlanders should not be left green with envy

Liew Kai Khiun Today Online 29 Mar 13;

I am heartened that work has started on the incorporation of the 9.8-hectare forested site along Tyersall Avenue into the Botanic Gardens.

I am also reminded, though, that several other natural sites in Singapore will not be sharing the same protection in the immediate future.

While the latest land use plans have envisioned more connectivity to green spaces, where 85 per cent of homes will be within a 10- to 15-minute walk from a park, residents and conservationists have been concerned about the impending loss of rich ecological spaces.

These include the Pasir Ris green belt and the Punggol knoll.

In this respect, I wonder what determinants the authorities use in prioritising and allocating land for conservation.

From looking at the satellite images of Singapore on Google maps, one would see an uneven spread of green spaces around the Bukit Timah estate, where the residential population density is relatively low.

In contrast, in the densely populated heartlands of Pasir Ris and Punggol, one would mainly see greyish building shapes.

Even as Singapore is lauded as Asia’s greenest city, with 66 sq m of green area per person, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit, the internal disparity is obvious.

A public housing dweller in Potong Pasir, like myself, has significantly less green space than those living in Bukit Timah, with its convenient access to golf courses, parks and reservoirs as well as sports fields around the area.

For me, the gap will probably widen when the former Bidadari Cemetery is redeveloped into residential housing.

While the discussion of inequality in Singapore has often been framed in monetary terms, one must not lose sight of other variables of inequality — in this context, spatial and ecological inequalities.

It would be sad if only the minority can enjoy more natural forests and world-class botanical gardens, while heartlanders have to crowd in artificially manicured neighbourhood parks with sparse natural vegetation and tree cover.

As much as the Tyersall site brings much greenery to residents of Holland Road, the same can be said for the Bidadari woodlands, Pasir Ris green belt and Punggol knoll for ordinary Singaporeans.