Year-long series of events to celebrate Singapore’s identity as a City in a Garden

 

Singapore, 9 November2014 – In conjunction with Singapore’s 50^th birthday, the National Parks Board (NParks) will be launching a series of initiatives next year to celebrate the nation’s long-standing identity as a City in a Garden and how greenery has become an integral part in the lives of Singaporeans. These activities aim to instil a sense of pride in Singaporeans, create shared memories in our parks and gardens, and inspire the community to co-create our green spaces. The public can look forward to enhanced roadside greenery, and key SG50 events such as a “Concert Series in the Park”, “SG50 Mass Tree Planting” and “SG50 Community in Bloom Gardens” at HortPark co-created with 50 community gardening groups.

 

The announcement was made by Minister of State for National Development Desmond Lee, who today planted a Small-Leaved Nutmeg tree (Knema globularia) at the Jurong Spring Butterfly Garden as part of efforts to enhance biodiversity in the district.

 

Mr Desmond Lee, Minister of State for National Development said, “Co-creating a greener environment is a continuous effort and we need the support of the entire community. We invite you to join us in this shared vision and exciting line-up of programmes to continue our pioneers’ work of making Singapore a City in a Garden.” 

 

SG50 initiatives and events to grow our City in a Garden

 

Over the year, NParks will be rolling out initiatives and events to cultivate a sense of national pride, encourage the community to rediscover our parks and gardens, and inspire more people to play a part in Singapore’s greening journey.

 

For a start, Singapore’s roadside greenery, the backbone of our City in a Garden, will be spruced up for the nation’s golden jubilee. NParks will be enhancing the streetscape along five expressways, and major roads in the civic and central business districts. The iconic East Coast Parkway will be enhanced through additional planting and landscaping to make it even more distinctive. Special lighting will also be installed along the 3.4km stretch from Changi Airport so that motorists can appreciate the lush greenery at night.

 

For SG50, there will also be opportunities for the community to celebrate and create special memories in our parks. “Concert Series in the Park” will be held in various parks and gardens, beginning with Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park in March 2015. Members of the public will be able to enjoy these free concerts at a total of six locations during the year. Each of these concerts will feature home-grown talents and community performing groups, bringing different music genres to both young and old, including jazz, classical, contemporary and xinyao.

 

NParks will bring together 50 Community in Bloom groups from across Singapore to create five celebratory “SG50 Community in Bloom Gardens” at HortPark. NParks staff will be paired with community gardeners to create distinctive garden displays of a high standard. The “SG50 Community in Bloom Gardens” would be an embodiment of a shared love for gardening which underpins the spirit of NParks’ Community in Bloom programme.

 

Additionally, next year marks 25 years of the Park Connector Network, which was first announced in 1991. In view of this, the community will be able to green up the city by planting 5,000 trees in 50 locations along the Park Connector Network, parks and Nature Ways islandwide. The mass tree planting will take place between September 2015 and October 2015. Individuals andorganisations who wish to take part in the “SG50 Mass Tree Planting” may sign up with the Garden City Fund atwww.gardencityfund.org.  

 

The GreenUrbanScape Asia (GUSA) trade conference will also be held in November 2015, to facilitate meaningful conversations on innovations and solutions in landscaping, urban greenery and biodiversity, to further our City in a Garden vision. There will be opportunities to share with members of the public on the latest trends and technology in the landscape and greenery industry.

 

The Singapore Garden Photographer of the Year competition (SGPY) was also launched in September 2014, in which members of the public are invited to rediscover our natural heritage by submitting their photos of our parks, gardens and nature reserves. To date, 250 entries have been received.