With green spaces like Zhenghua Nature Park just a stone’s throw away from our homes, it is easy to further develop our connection to nature!

In a nutshell, ‘biophilia’ describes the inherent connection between humans and the natural world. Everything from feeling happy when surrounded by nature to enjoying the sound of waves at the ocean can be chalked up to biophilia.

With verdant greenery and the presence of flora and fauna in a city like Singapore, city living can be made more pleasant and vibrant, as our contact and connection with nature grow stronger. Having greenery at street level as well as vertically on the buildings brings biodiversity like birds and butterflies closer to us, cools down our urban jungle of mainly metal, glass and concrete (which absorb and retain a large amount of heat), and makes us happier and more relaxed as a whole.

Take for example our Nature Ways. Nature Ways are routes planted with specific kinds of flora that serve as highways for birds and butterflies, allowing them to travel easily between two different green spaces. There are over 60 kilometres of Nature Ways across Singapore, all in urban areas. They help see to the needs of the local fauna by providing safe spaces for animals, while offering plenty of opportunities Singaporeans to become familiar with wildlife!

For more examples of what we are doing to nurture biophilia in urban Singapore, and an explanation of what the word means, check out our video below!

Text and video by Jessica Yeo