NEO CHAI CHIN Today Online 15 Oct 15;
SINGAPORE — Should the future Jurong Lake Gardens be chockful of features that enable people to connect with nature on many levels, chances are that this did not happen by accident.
Guidelines on how developments in Singapore can nurture such attachment could be out early next year, said the National Parks Board (NParks) today (Oct 14). The importance of nature and its elements have been shown in what experts call a thin but growing body of research. Studies have found that contact with nature reduces stress, shortens post-surgical hospital stays after gall bladder surgery and even results in higher productivity and employee motivation.
The guidelines will be developed by NParks and the Centre for Liveable Cities, together with three international experts — Yale University professor emeritus Stephen Kellert, the University of Virginia’s Professor Timothy Beatley and Curtin University professor of sustainability Peter Newman.
The three experts and local thought leaders spoke at Singapore’s first-ever symposium on biophilia today. Biophilia describes humans’ innate attachment to nature, and the symposium was followed by a two-day workshop exploring how the guidelines can be applied in Singapore.
NParks chief executive Kenneth Er said the guidelines will help various agencies to “refine and develop facilities that support the principles of biophilia, thereby bringing us even closer to our vision of A City in a Garden”.
The workshops and guidelines will cover upcoming projects such as the Jurong Lake Gardens, said Dr Lena Chan, director of NParks’ National Biodiversity Centre. Part of Jurong Lake District, the Jurong Lake Gardens’ three sections will include the grounds of the new Science Centre and the Chinese and Japanese Gardens. Its first section will be ready in 2017.
Dr Chan said the authorities want to leverage on its existing features such as the freshwater swamp and bird habitat, while meeting the recreational needs of various age groups.
Affiliation with nature ought to be integrated into the every day, and not happen only on a vacation or the occasional trip to the nature reserve, said experts at the symposium, attended by over 300 civil servants, academics and those in urban planning, landscape design and architecture.
Biophilic design provides users with direct experience of nature in the form of natural light, for instance. It can also provide indirect experience with nature through the use of natural materials, colours and natural geometries, said Prof Kellert.
Designs are rarely sustainable if people lack emotional attachment or the motivation to sustain the structures over time, he argued.
On people unhappy about trees shedding too many leaves, bird droppings and early-morning bird calls, Prof Newman said: “A bit of education, perhaps, would help a lot in enabling … that innate connection.” Civil servants on the ground could tell residents about the species of birds in question and the roles of the birds and trees in the ecosystem, he suggested.
Notions such as nature being “out there” or “something you visit when you have the time, opportunity and motivation” need to be broken down, said Prof Kellert. “There are many layers, levels, dimensions of our inherent connection to nature and they’re all legitimate,” he said.
“So, growing things is important. Controlling our environment is important. Recognising that there’s fear and aversion … in certain kinds of habitats and that needs to be addressed,” he said. “The more levels of connections we have, the more the benefit, the more the value — ecologically , economically and socially.”
