Speech by 2M Desmond Lee at Opening Ceremony of GreenUrbanScape Asia 2017

Nov 9, 2017

A very good morning to all of you. I am happy to join you at the third edition of GreenUrbanScape Asia, or GUSA.

GreenUrbanScape Asia

This is a platform for industry players and leaders to share the latest innovations and ideas in landscaping design and greenery. This year, GUSA has expanded its reach beyond the greenery and landscape design community to involve our construction sector, green groups and gardening hobbyists. There is also, for the first time, a consumer marketplace to showcase green living concepts and products. The success of initiatives such as GUSA highlights the growing interest among Singaporeans in greenery and landscaping.

Singapore’s Greening Journey

Indeed, an appreciation and love for greenery is now core to our national identity. In the public sector, our efforts have gone beyond providing roadside greenery and parks, to integrating landscaping into buildings and structures. These efforts have been internationally recognised. Last month, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, or UNESCO, awarded the NParks the Sultan Qaboos Prize for Environmental Preservation, and our Chief Executive Kenneth just landed from Oman this morning after receiving this prize on behalf of NParks, our colleagues, the green movement and our partners. This prize acknowledges the work done by NParks and our partners to create a liveable, sustainable and biophilic City in a Garden. NParks’ success is the result of very close collaboration with many stakeholders, including nature and heritage groups, volunteers, researchers and the wider community.

Recognising our Industry Partners: LEAF and Skyrise Greenery Awards

Our industry partners have also played an important role in supporting Singapore’s greening journey. This morning, we recognise 14 developments for their excellence in greenery provision and management under the Landscape Excellence Assessment Framework, or more affectionately known as LEAF. LEAF acknowledges the work of developers, architects, landscape architects and maintenance contractors who implement and manage pervasive greenery and ecologically friendly landscapes within our urban developments.

We also recognise the efforts of developers and building owners to incorporate greenery in their projects through the Skyrise Greenery Awards. This year, NParks received 177 submissions. This is a 40 per cent jump from the number of submissions to the previous edition in 2015, and the highest number so far. The strong response suggests that developers and building owners alike are increasingly appreciating the value of skyrise greenery.

Skyrise Greenery

I am sure that many of us have observed the growing amount of skyrise greenery in Singapore over the years. In fact, there is currently about 100 hectares of skyrise greenery across our city. This is equivalent to the size of more than 100 football fields.

Beyond providing an attractive visual element in our urban landscape, skyrise greenery can also host and support urban biodiversity. A team of researchers from NParks and the National University of Singapore, I am told, has identified a substantial amount of biodiversity nesting in our roof gardens, recording for instance some 53 bird species and 57 butterfly species in just 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, bringing people and biodiversity closer together, even in the heart of the city, and help complement the equally, if not more important work, of natural habitat conservation and enhancement.

We have set a target of 200 hectares of skyrise greenery by 2030, or double the current amount. With the support of our industry partners, I am sure that we will reach this goal.

Landscaping for Urban Spaces and High-Rises (LUSH) Programme

In line with this effort, the Urban Redevelopment Authority, or URA, established the Landscaping for Urban Spaces and High-Rises Programme, or the LUSH programme, established in 2009. Many of us here would be familiar with the LUSH programme, this is an urban greening scheme that encourages and incentivises developers and building owners to integrate greenery in their projects.

Since 2009, more than 550 developments have subscribed to the LUSH schemes. Among them are several distinctive additions to our cityscape. They include the hotel developments Parkroyal on Pickering and Oasia Downtown in the city centre, and the commercial developments JEM and Westgate in Jurong Lake District.

The LUSH programme has also helped facilitate beautiful urban landscaping in our residential developments and public sector projects. More than two-thirds of all new residential projects have adopted LUSH initiatives. In the coming years, we will see more pervasive greenery in projects such as Principal Garden by UOL and Martin Modern by GuocoLand. Many public sector projects will also feature attractive and accessible landscaping. These include the Woodlands Integrated Health Campus, which will have large communal gardens for patients to recuperate, and the wider community to enjoy and participate.

LUSH 3.0

I am now pleased to announce that URA will be introducing a new round of enhancements to this LUSH Programme. Now the last round of enhancements, or LUSH 2.0 as we call it, was introduced in 2014 – three years ago. The latest round of enhancements, LUSH 3.0, will enhance our urban greenery both quantitatively and qualitatively. It will also give our developers greater flexibility in deciding on the types of greenery to provide in their projects. Please allow me to describe some of the enhanced schemes in brief.

LUSH 3.0: Green Walls and Roofs, and Rooftop Gardens and Farms

First, we will be expanding the Landscape Replacement Policy. Currently, developers must replace greenery lost from a site due to development with greenery in other areas within the development. The replacement greenery can take the form of landscaping, roof gardens, sky terraces and in planter boxes. Developers can also provide accessible communal facilities such as event plazas and playgrounds.

Under LUSH 3.0, we will enable developers to provide green walls and green roofs as additional landscape replacement options. Apart from visual appeal, these features help reduce ambient temperature and mitigate the urban heat island effect. There are many examples of buildings with well-integrated green walls and roofs which have become unique attractions and gathering points for visitors. This enhancement to the Landscape Replacement Policy should encourage more of such features in the coming years.

Apart from green walls and green roofs, we will also allow developers to provide rooftop community food gardens and urban farms as landscape replacement. Such features have been gaining popularity in our urban landscape, as many Singaporeans have a keen interest in farming and gardening, and the excitement in reaping the fruits of their labour, whether it is vegetables, fruits, beans, flowers. This enhancement to the LUSH programme will enable the community to engage in urban farming and gardening near their offices and homes, while allowing developers to better optimise the use of rooftop space.

LUSH 3.0: Greenery Density Standards

The second improvement under LUSH 3.0 is the introduction of a greenery density framework for buildings. Currently, URA assesses the landscaping plans proposed for a development mainly on the basis of green coverage, or in terms of horizontal planted surface area – which is quantitative. The new greenery density framework will allow URA to assess these plans more holistically. Beyond assessing green coverage in a two-dimensional way – which is surface area, URA will consider the volume of greenery in a three-dimensional manner. 

We will do this through establishing a range of Green Plot Ratio standards to prescribe the density of greenery required in a development. These standards will be pegged to the intensity of the development, which is in Gross Plot Ratio terms. A building which is of a higher intensity will thus be required to feature greenery of a denser quality. 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.

In fact, the Green Plot Ratio concept is already being used by agencies such as the Housing and Development Board (HDB) to set minimum standards of green density for various developments. Through LUSH 3.0, all buildings which provide replacement landscape areas will be subject to minimum green density standards. I understand that developers are already doing well in providing lush landscaping within their developments. I hope that these positive efforts can continue.

Conclusion

The lush, green Singapore of today which we enjoy is a product of many years of collective effort of the community, government agencies and, you, our industry partners, volunteers and environmental groups. I would like to take the chance to thank you for your efforts, and request your continued support in making Singapore an even more impressive, lush and verdant City in a Garden. With that, I wish the GUSA organisers and friends a most successful event. Thank you.