Wendy Wong Channel NewsAsia 9 Nov 17;
SINGAPORE: Urban farms and communal rooftop food gardens might soon be a more common sight in Singapore, with the enhancement of an urban greenery scheme.
This was announced by Second Minister for National Development Desmond Lee on Thursday (Nov 9), at the opening of greenery and landscape design event GreenUrbanScape Asia.
The Landscaping for Urban Spaces and High-Rises (LUSH) programme, which aims to replace greenery lost during a building’s development or redevelopment, will be enhanced to improve both the quality and quantity of urban greenery, Mr Lee said.
First introduced in 2009, the scheme uses incentives and requirements to encourage developers to green their buildings, such as with community pavilions and ground gardens. Developers who green their buildings under this scheme might be granted gross floor area exemptions and bonuses, which could free up more space for communal areas.
The expanded scheme will encourage new greening trends, such as the housing of urban gardens and communal rooftop gardens on buildings, and increase landscaping on walls and roofs - which can also help lower ambient temperature.
“Such features have been gaining popularity in our urban landscape, as many Singaporeans have a keen interest in farming and gardening,” said Mr Lee, who is also the Minister for Social and Family Development.
The enhanced LUSH programme will encourage more people to take up urban farming and gardening near their offices and homes, while allowing developers to better utilise rooftop space, he added.
One developer making use of the scheme for its upcoming residential development said that greener projects tend to be more attractive for both residents buying property and tenants renting office spaces.
"Most people are drawn to greenery and nature," said Mr Cheng Hsing Yao, managing director of GuocoLand in Singapore. "By providing more of these landscape areas, we're bringing nature closer to people living in a very urbanised city."
"It's a point of distinction for Singapore. We already have strong greenery on the ground level but if we can take it to different levels like skyparks , it can be a very attractive differentiation," he added.
GREENERY DENSITY FRAMEWORK INTRODUCED
A framework to assess the volume of greenery will also be introduced under the LUSH scheme, with the green plot ratio standards to outline the density of greenery required in a development.
“In this way, developers will be encouraged to consider not just the amount of landscaped area provided in their projects, but also how lush the greenery will be,” Mr Lee said.
The announcement comes as Singapore ramps up efforts to inject more greenery in spaces across the island, with a target of 200 hectares of rooftop greenery by 2030 set out in the Sustainable Singapore Blueprint. Currently, there are about 100 hectares of skyrise greenery across the country, or the equivalent of more than 100 football fields.
ROOF GARDENS HOME TO “DIVERSE RANGE OF WILDLIFE”
Mr Lee also highlighted a new study, which found 53 bird species and 57 butterfly species on roof gardens across the island, representing 13 and 18 per cent of the total number of bird and butterfly species in Singapore.
Jointly conducted by the National Parks Board and National University of Singapore at 30 rooftop gardens over 20 months, the study also found 24 species of rare or uncommon birds and butterflies. Khoo Teck Puat hospital was found to have the highest number of species recorded, with 61 birds and 37 butterfly species.
“This joint study suggests that with careful design planning, urban roof gardens can play host to a diverse range of wildlife, and help complement the equally important work of natural habitat conservation and enhancement,” Mr Lee said.
At the event, 26 developments were also recognised for their efforts in greening landscapes, 14 of which received the Skyrise Greenery Awards.
Launched in 2008, the biannual awards aim to recognise excellence in landscape architecture in Singapore.
More rooftop gardens, urban farms planned
Bid to make S'pore more green will also see developers getting more options to replace lost greenery
Ng Jun Sen Straits Times 10 Nov 17;
There could be more urban farms, rooftop gardens and solar panels sprouting up across Singapore, as city planners redouble efforts to make the city more green.
There are some 100ha of high-rise greenery - which refers to plants covering building exteriors - islandwide. This is equivalent to more than 100 football fields.
The target is to double this by 2030, set as part of the Sustainable Singapore Blueprint two years ago.
To get there, developers will be given more options to replace greenery lost at a site during the development process, announced the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) yesterday.
Now, they can do so only through landscaping options within the building or by creating sky terraces and gardens on rooftops. Going forward, new features such as urban farms and communal gardens on rooftops will contribute towards the landscape replacement requirements.
Said Second Minister for National Development Desmond Lee: "Such features have been gaining popularity in our urban landscape as many Singaporeans have a keen interest in farming and gardening."
Speaking at the opening ceremony of GreenUrbanScape Asia, a three-day conference on landscape and design, he said the Government had set the 200ha target to make the urban landscape more attractive and support richer urban biodiversity. He added that "an appreciation and love for greenery is now core to Singapore's national identity".
The enhancements aim to encourage landscaping on walls and roofs that not only beautifies buildings, but also provides visual relief to passers-by and cools the ambient temperature, said a URA statement.
The changes come under the Landscaping for Urban Spaces and High-Rises (Lush) programme, which was launched in 2009 to incentivise developers and building owners to integrate greenery.
Yesterday, Mr Lee, who is also Minister for Social and Family Development, cited a joint study by the National Parks Board (NParks) and the National University of Singapore, to illustrate how high-rise greenery has a part to play in housing wildlife.
The study looked at biodiversity in roof gardens here from May 2014 to December 2015, and recorded some 53 bird species and 57 butterfly species in over 30 study sites.
"This joint study suggests that with careful design planning, urban roof gardens can play host to a diverse range of wildlife, and help complement the equally important work of natural habitat conservation and enhancement," Mr Lee said.
According to the study, which is the first of its kind in Asia, roof gardens that attract the most wildlife are located below 50m in a building; have a larger planted area of more than 1,100 sq m; and have flower-and fruit-bearing plants .
"The study provided very strong evidence to give confidence to designers... to make more responsible, more informed (decisions on) roof gardens," said Mr Poh Choon Hock, a researcher at NParks' Centre for Urban Greenery and Ecology.
As greener methods of using rooftop areas will require developers to relocate mechanical and electrical equipment, URA will sweeten the move by granting gross floor area exemptions for the space where the relocated equipment is placed in. These exemptions could represent significant cost savings for developers and building owners.
To standardise the assessment of these green plans for buildings, URA will also roll out a new Green Plot Ratio (GPR) framework as a requirement for developers, where denser greenery is required of buildings that see more intense use.
GPR, which will consider vertical greenery coverage, is an improvement over the current standard which takes only horizontal planted areas into consideration.
Today, there are 550 developments in the Lush scheme. Two out of three new residential developments so far have applied for at least one Lush incentive, while over half of new malls, offices and hotels have done the same, said URA.
The enhancements will encourage more developers to get on board, said GuocoLand Singapore group managing director Cheng Hsing Yao, 46. "I just hope we can strike a balance between the visual and the usability aspects of our greenery."
• Additional reporting by Raffaella Nathan Charles
More green spaces in high-rise buildings targeted for Singapore's concrete jungle
Ng Jun Sen and Raffaella Nathan Charles Straits Times 9 Nov 17;
SINGAPORE - Singapore’s high-rise greenery coverage could double by 2030. The Government has set this target to make the urban landscape more attractive and support richer urban biodiversity, said Second Minister of National Development Desmond Lee on Thursday (Nov 9).
Currently, there are around 100ha of high-rise greenery islandwide. This is equivalent to more than 100 football fields.
To hit the new target of 200ha of building greenery, set as part of the Sustainable Singapore Blueprint a few years ago, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) will ramp up and enhance its existing Landscaping for Urban Spaces and High-Rises (Lush) programme, which was first launched in 2009 to incentivise developers and building owners to integrate greenery in their projects.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of GreenUrbanScape Asia at the Singapore Expo on Thursday morning, Mr Lee said "an appreciation and love for greenery is now core to Singapore's national identity".
"With the support of our industry partners, I am sure we will reach this goal," said Mr Lee, who is also the Minister for Social and Family Development and a nature lover.
The enhancements aim to encourage landscaping on walls and roofs that not only beautifies buildings, but also provides visual relief to passers-by and cools the ambient temperature, said a URA statement.
Currently, developers must replace lost greenery from a site during the development process. But they can do so only through landscaping options within the building, or by creating sky terraces and gardens on rooftops.
Features such as urban farms, solar panels and communal gardens on rooftops will now contribute towards the landscape replacement requirements.
Said Mr Lee: "Such features have been gaining popularity in our urban landscape as many Singaporeans have a keen interest in farming and gardening."
Rooftop urban farming at *Scape provides an opportunity for Singapore to enhance the resilience of its food sources. PHOTO: COMCROP
He cited a joint study by the National Parks Board (NParks) and the National University of Singapore, which identified a substantial amount of biodiversity in roof gardens in Singapore. The study recorded 53 bird species and 57 butterfly species in just over 30 study sites. It was conducted from May 2014 to December 2015, and cost more than $150,000.
"This joint study suggests that with careful design planning, urban roof gardens can play host to a diverse range of wildlife, and help complement the equally important work of natural habitat conservation and enhancement," he said.
According to the study, which is the first of its kind in Asia, roof gardens that attract the most wildlife are located at lower heights in a building, specifically below 50m; have a larger planted area of more than 1,100 sq m; and have flower- and fruit-bearing plants that are planted by people or have grown naturally.
“The study provided very strong evidence to give confidence to designers... to make more responsible, more informed roof gardens,” said Mr Poh Choon-Hock, 38, a researcher at NParks’ Centre for Urban Greenery and Ecology, and an architect by training.
As these greener methods of using rooftop areas will require developers to relocate mechanical and electrical equipment, URA will sweeten the move by granting gross floor area exemptions for the space where the relocated equipment is placed in. These exemptions could represent significant cost savings for developers and building owners.
To help standardise the assessment of these green plans for buildings, URA will also roll out a new Green Plot Ratio (GPR) framework as a requirement for developers - it stipulates that denser greenery is required of buildings that see more intense use.
GPR, which will consider vertical greenery coverage, is an improvement over the current standard, which takes only horizontal planted areas into consideration. GPR is already being used by the Housing Board to set minimum standards of green density.
Today, there are 550 developments in the Lush scheme, including the Parkroyal on Pickering hotel, Westgate shopping mall and the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum.
GuocoLand Singapore is also under the scheme. Its group managing director Cheng Hsing Yao, 46, supports the broad direction of encouraging developers to add more "skyrise" greenery.
He said: “As our city gets more dense, we will need to replace more green spaces with urban greenery. In fact, some developers have already been doing so, since greenery is attractive and sells well to clients.”
The enhancements to the scheme will encourage developers who have not done so to get on board, Mr Cheng added.
“I just hope we can strike a balance between the visual and the usability aspects of our greenery.”
Two out of three new residential developments so far have applied for at least one Lush incentive, while more than half of new shopping centres, offices and hotels have also done the same, said URA. The total amount of greenery islandwide under Lush has been increasing at an annual average of 15 per cent.
URA added: "Some people may find it hard to reconcile an image of a city that becomes greener as it gets more built up, but the Lush programme sets out exactly to do just that."
Said URA's chief executive officer Lim Eng Hwee: "Development as part of city growth is inevitable. However, buildings need not remain as concrete blocks. Greenery can be purposefully integrated into our built environment and become an exciting part of our urban experience."
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